Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractional
Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)COO executive search firms · chief operating officer search
COO executive search firms · operations search, profiled from their own sites
COO executive search firms: 7 firms, profiled from each firm’s own site — not a ranking. We are one of the firms and say so: Fractional Quest, the publisher, is listed first and marked as ours.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 10 sources linked below
- 7 firmsfirms profiled
- Own-site factsbasis
- Not a rankingorder
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What COO executive search firms actually do
Every claim on a card links to the page that states it; anything a firm does not publish about itself is left out. If you would rather brief one firm, we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
COO executive search firms find a chief operating officer — the executive who turns strategy into delivery — through a search that maps the market and approaches operators who are not looking. Because the COO role is defined largely by the CEO it partners, the brief matters more here than for most seats.
This page lists the firms. The COO headhunter guide explains how a COO search runs; COO recruitment compares agencies, search firms and hiring direct.
The firms below are COO search firms, profiles rather than a ranking: no firm here publishes the audited outcomes a league table would need, and we are one of the firms.
On the board · last 90 days
COO roles on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
12 of 12 roles
Function
Engagement
- genesis labels & packagingSyndicatedFractionalFractional COO / Operations Director
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional COO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowInterimInterim Chief Operating Officer
- Lloyd'sSyndicatedTemporaryChief of Staff to the Chief Commercial Officer / CEO Lloyd's Americas - 12 Month FTC
- LRO Financial ConsultancySyndicatedFractionalFractional Financial Controller
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional SDR
- Unity AdvisorySyndicatedFractionalReward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC)
- Reg Advantage LtdSyndicatedFractionalProduction Lead and Fractional CTO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional Executive Assistant
- PHIXSyndicatedFractionalPart time / Fractional Finance Director
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
The firms
COO executive search firms: the firms, on their own facts
Numbers show position on this page — they are not a ranking. Every fact on a card comes from that firm’s own site, linked; anything a firm does not publish about itself is left out.
- 01 / THE PUBLISHERFractional QuestThe publisher of this page — listed first because it is ours, not because it outranks the firms below. We recruit fractional, interim and permanent COOs and operations directors. You bring a brief; we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting. We hold no candidate bench and publish no placement record.
- 02 / EXECUTIVE SEARCH · LONDONHanson SearchIts COO executive search practice places Chief Operating Officers, Group COOs, Deputy COOs, Chiefs of Staff and Operations Directors, each search led personally by a senior consultant; it describes itself as a B Corp (hansonsearch.com). Visit hansonsearch.com ↗
- 03 / SEARCH AND RECRUITMENTNigel Wright GroupIts COO practice covers Chief Operating Officers and Group COOs, operations and managing directors, and supply chain, manufacturing and service delivery directors, through discovery, market mapping, assessment and delivery (nigelwright.com). Visit nigelwright.com ↗
- 04 / EXECUTIVE SEARCHExec CapitalIt states it recruits COOs “on a permanent, interim, and fractional basis” for businesses at every stage of growth (execcapital.co.uk). Visit execcapital.co.uk ↗
- 05 / COO AND OPERATIONS SEARCHDouglas JacksonIt describes executive search for Chief Operating Officers and senior operational leaders across regulated and customer-led sectors, including utilities, housing, insurance, banking, technology, retail, travel and BPO (douglas-jackson.com). Visit douglas-jackson.com ↗
- 06 / EXECUTIVE SEARCH · LONDONAdderley FeatherstoneIt describes COO recruitment for mid-market, private equity-backed and high-growth businesses — COO, COO Designate, Interim COO and Group COO — and lists an address on Great Portland Street, London (adderleys.com). Visit adderleys.com ↗
- 07 / TECHNOLOGY SECTOR SEARCHIntrinsicIt describes retained executive search for Chief Operating Officers within SaaS, AI and B2B technology companies, and lists its EMEA office at Thames Valley Park, Reading (intrinsicsearch.com). Visit intrinsicsearch.com ↗
Independence. Fractional Quest takes no referral fees from any firm listed, and none of them is a partner or client. Firm sites change; each claim is as read on 23 October 2026.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
How to choose between COO executive search firms
The fee basis, in writing. Retained search firms are paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome, and work exclusively; contingent recruiters are paid only if their candidate is hired, often non-exclusively; interim and fractional providers usually charge through the day rate or a retainer. Ask for the basis and when each payment falls due, in writing. We publish no fees: ours are agreed in writing per engagement.
Who vets, and how. Ask who runs the search day to day — at a retained firm, the partner who wins the brief is not always the person who calls candidates — and what each candidate is tested on beyond the CV. Our five-stage vetting is published.
What comes back. Named candidates with a rate or salary, availability and an IR35 position — or a database, a longlist or a marketplace to browse? Ours is a shortlist of 3–5.
IR35 on every brief. For an interim or fractional executive working through their own company, the off-payroll rules decide how the engagement is taxed, and a medium or large client makes the status determination (HMRC). Ask for the IR35 position on the brief, not after the contract.
Retained, contingent or day rate. Retained search for a permanent, board-level appointment; contingency for a role below the board with many candidates; interim for full-time cover for a fixed term; fractional for senior judgement on part of the week.
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
Against the alternatives
COO executive search firms: how the models compare retained, contingent, interim or fractional
The firms on this page work in one or more of these models. Ask which one a firm proposes for your brief.
| Fractional Quest (the publisher) | Retained search firm | Contingent recruiter | Interim provider | Fractional provider | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it is paid | Agreed in writing per engagement | Staged instalments, whatever the outcome | Only if its candidate is hired | Usually through the day rate | A retainer or day rate, or a placement fee |
| Exclusivity | One brief, one shortlist | Exclusive to one firm | Usually non-exclusive | Varies | Varies |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Full-time for a fixed term | Part of the week, ongoing |
| What comes back | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A shortlist from a researched market map | CVs of available candidates | Available interims matched to the brief | A matched leader, or a marketplace to browse |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes | A permanent, board-level appointment | A role below the board with many candidates | The seat is empty or a change needs leading now | You need senior judgement, not five days |
Against the alternatives
The COO executive search firms on this page side by side
What each firm states about itself on its own site. Where a firm does not state something, we say so rather than fill it in.
| Type | Engagements it states | Where it states it is based | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional Quest | The publisher | Fractional; interim; part-time; permanent | Registered in Covent Garden, London |
| Hanson Search | Executive search · London | Permanent; interim; freelance | London (UK headquarters) |
| Nigel Wright Group | Search and recruitment | Permanent search; interim | Newcastle HQ; London office |
| Exec Capital | Executive search | Permanent; interim; fractional | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Douglas Jackson | COO and operations search | Permanent search | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Adderley Featherstone | Executive search · London | Permanent; interim COO | London (Great Portland Street) |
| Intrinsic | Technology sector search | Permanent (retained search) | Reading (EMEA office) |
The decision
Which of the COO executive search firms fits your brief
Match the firm to the hire, not the other way round.
- ScalingA first COOA firm that tests for having built operations at your stage, not only run a mature function.
- A sectorRegulated or customer-ledA firm with a stated practice in your sector — several on this page name theirs.
- Part of the weekOperations leadership, not five daysA fractional COO — see hire a fractional COO.
Vetting
How do we vet an executive?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
which kind of firm
COO executive search firms: which kind of firm fits and which page to read next
The COO executive search firms above work in the models set out in the comparison table — retained search, contingent recruitment, interim provision and fractional provision — and several work in more than one. Start with the hire: permanent or a phase, board level or below, five days or part of the week. Then ask each firm which model it proposes for your brief, and why.
If you would rather brief one firm for every shape of the seat, book a call: we recruit fractional, interim, part-time and permanent executives, and the brief decides the shape.
Whichever you brief, the same law applies: the Employment Agencies Act and the Conduct Regulations cover executive search consultants as well as agencies, a firm must not charge a candidate for finding them work, and the fee you pay is a commercial agreement between you and the firm (gov.uk guidance on the Conduct Regulations).
method
How this list is built and what it is not
Own-site facts only. Each firm is profiled from its own website, read on 23 October 2026, or from a primary register such as Companies House; every claim links to the page that states it. We do not repeat a firm’s fees, guarantees, client names or self-descriptions such as “leading” or “number one”.
Not a ranking. Numbers show position on the page. No firm here publishes the audited outcomes a ranking would need, and we are one of the firms — listed first because the page is ours.
Independence. Fractional Quest takes no referral fees from any firm listed, and none of them is a partner or client. Other COO executive search firms exist; we add a firm only when its own site gives us facts to state.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
COO executive search firms questions, answered
COO executive search firms find a chief operating officer — the executive who turns strategy into delivery — through a search that maps the market and approaches operators who are not looking. Because the COO role is defined largely by the CEO it partners, the brief matters more here than for most seats.
From firms whose own sites describe the service, profiled only from what each publishes about itself, each claim linked. It is not a ranking: no firm publishes the outcomes a ranking would need, and we are one of the firms, listed first and marked as the publisher.
Retained search firms are paid in staged instalments whatever the outcome; contingent recruiters only if their candidate is hired; interim and fractional providers usually through the day rate or a retainer. None of the firms on this page is profiled on its fees. Ask any firm for the fee basis in writing. Ours is agreed in writing per engagement.
Ask each firm who runs the search day to day and what each candidate is tested on. We put every candidate through five-stage vetting — pedigree screen, mandate fit, references we take ourselves, shortlist and kick-off — and send a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
The decisions the COO will own, how the role divides with the CEO, the operating problems of the next eighteen months, and the pay envelope. A COO search without an agreed split with the CEO tends to drift.
Some do: Adderley Featherstone lists interim COO recruitment, and Exec Capital states it recruits COOs on a permanent, interim and fractional basis. We recruit fractional, interim and permanent COOs.
We are one of the firms on this page, and its publisher. We recruit fractional, interim and permanent COOs and operations directors. We take no referral fees from any firm listed.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- hansonsearch.com
- nigelwright.com
- execcapital.co.uk
- douglas-jackson.com
- adderleys.com
- intrinsicsearch.com
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Hanson Search — own site hansonsearch.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 2Nigel Wright Group — own site nigelwright.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 3Exec Capital — own site execcapital.co.ukRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 4Douglas Jackson — own site douglas-jackson.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 5Adderley Featherstone — own site adderleys.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 6Intrinsic — own site intrinsicsearch.comRead 23 October 2026; the firm’s claims about itself, linked beside each on the card.
- 7Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 8Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 9
- 10Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
