Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractional
Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)Chief operating officer recruitment agency · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent
COO Recruitment Agency · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent COOs
A COO recruitment agency for every shape of the seat: Fractional Quest recruits fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent chief operating officers. The COO turns strategy into execution: operations, process, delivery, people systems and the operating rhythm of the business.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 6 sources linked below
- £800–£1,400fractional day rate
- £95,000–£150,000permanent salary
- 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 a COO recruitment agency should find for you
Brief us on the scope, the engagement and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. The board below shows current COO roles, labelled by engagement.
The COO turns strategy into execution: operations, process, delivery, people systems and the operating rhythm of the business. A good COO recruitment agency recruits for that scope, not for the title: the operating model and organisational design, process, delivery and operational performance, planning cadence, OKRs and the operating rhythm, and scaling functions such as operations, support and supply chain and freeing the CEO to focus on strategy and external relationships.
We recruit the seat in every shape. A fractional COO installs the operating rhythm, fixes the processes that break at scale and coaches the team leads on a standing weekly commitment. A part-time COO works set days each week as part of the leadership team, suited to a business that needs operating discipline but not a full-time number two. A permanent COO is right when operations are large and complex enough to need a full-time executive alongside the CEO.
The seat in more depth: COO services · fractional COO services · interim COO services · part-time COO services · COO recruitment · current COO roles · what a COO does.
On the board · last 90 days
Current 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.
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
What we assess — and what we do not confuse it with
Assessed against the brief. The operating model and organisational design; process, delivery and operational performance; planning cadence, OKRs and the operating rhythm; scaling functions such as operations, support and supply chain; freeing the CEO to focus on strategy and external relationships.
Out of scope. Financial control sits with the CFO; technology with the CTO or CIO. The COO coordinates them rather than replacing them.
The neighbouring seats. The COO owns how the business runs; the operations director runs a defined operations function; the CEO owns where it is going.
When companies come to a COO recruitment agency: A founder-CEO buried in operations, growth outrunning process, missed deliveries, or a board asking who is running the business day to day.
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
What it costs
COO rates what the published benchmarks say
Every figure is the named source’s own published band. Fractional Quest publishes no fees: each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate.
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional COO day rate | £800–£1,400 | Connectd 2026 |
| Interim COO day rate | £800–£2,000 | Exec Capital 2026 |
| Permanent COO salary (median of three published UK base ranges) | £95,000–£150,000 | composite (our median of three 2026 guides) |
Your figures
What does part of a COO’s week cost?
Rate × days × weeks, against a loaded full-time package. Move the sliders; the numbers redraw.
- COO band £800–£1,400 (Connectd 2026)
Year-one cost, fractional
£101,200
Fractional costs less in year one by£38,925
Our arithmetic. £122,500 composite (our median of three 2026 guides) median salary + employer NI at 15% above £5,000 (HMRC) = £140,125. Excludes pension, bonus and any search fee.
Against the alternatives
Recruitment agency, headhunter or job board
Four ways to fill a COO seat, on the dimensions that decide between them.
| Recruitment agency (us) | Retained headhunter | Job board | Your own network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A retained search for one permanent appointment | Applications, unfiltered | Whoever you already know |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Whatever they will agree to |
| Assessment | Five-stage vetting against your brief | Deep assessment of a long list | None | Your own judgement |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes, quickly briefed | A confidential permanent search at the top of the market | A well-known role with many applicants | You have the right person already |
| Commercials | Agreed in writing per engagement | Retainer, typically in stages | A listing fee | Your time |
The decision
Which COO engagement to brief us for
Match the shape to the work, not the title.
- Weekly judgementFractional COOA fractional COO installs the operating rhythm, fixes the processes that break at scale and coaches the team leads on a standing weekly commitment.
- Now, full-timeInterim COOTwo businesses need to run as one. An interim COO leads the operational integration full-time.
- For yearsPermanent COOA permanent COO is right when operations are large and complex enough to need a full-time executive alongside the CEO.
Vetting
How do we vet a COO?
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.
how the search runs
How our COO recruitment agency works from brief to start date
Brief. A scoping call on the seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days. The brief names the decisions the COO will own.
Search and assessment. We search the market for your brief, then assess against the brief through our five-stage vetting: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.
Shortlist. 3–5 chief operating officers, each with day rate or salary expectation, availability and IR35 position set out, so you compare like with like.
Interviews and start. You meet the shortlist; we handle the offer, references and the contract shape. Start dates depend on each candidate’s availability — fractional and interim executives hold a portfolio, so a start date is agreed rather than immediate.
choosing an agency
Choosing a COO recruitment agency four questions to ask
Do they recruit every shape? Many recruiters place permanent COOs only, or interim only. If you are not yet sure whether the seat is fractional, interim, part-time or permanent, choose an agency that recruits all four and let the brief decide.
Do they assess the scope? Ask what the agency tests for. For the COO seat that is the operating model and organisational design and process, delivery and operational performance, not a CV keyword match.
Do they check standing? The UK’s chartered body for management and leadership; see the Chartered Management Institute.
Do they set out IR35? For a fractional or interim COO, each candidate’s IR35 position should be on the shortlist, and the engagement written to match how it will actually run — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who determines status.
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 recruitment agency questions, answered
It finds and assesses chief operating officers for your brief. Fractional Quest recruits COOs on fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent engagements: you brief us on scope, engagement and start date, and we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Our fees are agreed with each client in writing per engagement, so there is no figure on this site. What we can show is what the market publishes on pay: Fractional COO day rate £800–£1,400 (Connectd 2026); Interim COO day rate £800–£2,000 (Exec Capital 2026); Permanent COO salary (median of three published UK base ranges) £95,000–£150,000 (composite (our median of three 2026 guides)).
Fractional when you need COO judgement every week but not every day; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; part-time when the load is steady and you want the same person long term; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years. The COO owns how the business runs; the operations director runs a defined operations function; the CEO owns where it is going.
Yes. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives and non-executive directors. A permanent COO is right when operations are large and complex enough to need a full-time executive alongside the CEO.
The seat’s real scope: the operating model and organisational design; process, delivery and operational performance; planning cadence, OKRs and the operating rhythm; scaling functions such as operations, support and supply chain; freeing the CEO to focus on strategy and external relationships. We also check what is out of scope, because financial control sits with the CFO; technology with the CTO or CIO. The COO coordinates them rather than replacing them.
A permanent or part-time employee is on your payroll, so IR35 does not arise. A fractional or interim COO working through their own company falls under the off-payroll rules: for medium and large private-sector clients, the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
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.
- Connectd
- Exec Capital
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1
- 2Salary guides UK 2026 Exec Capital
- 3Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 4Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 5
- 6Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
