COO salary · chief operating officer pay 2026

What a COO earns, in base, bonus and package

The median COO salary in the UK is £137,834 in base pay (Glassdoor, quoted in Exec Capital’s 2026 COO salary guide).

PayScale’s self-reported average is £99,276 across 246 profiles.

Company size moves the figure most: Exec Capital puts base pay at £60,000–£110,000 at an early-stage startup, £100,000–£190,000 at an SME and £170,000–£320,000 in the mid-market.

In London, Glassdoor’s median is £153,346 and ERI’s average £241,498.

When you hire a COO through us, permanent, interim or fractional, we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Brief us on a COO hire →See the roles

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

£137,834

COO salary, median · UK base pay

Glassdoor, via Exec Capital, 2026

£99,276

Self-reported average · base pay, 246 profiles

PayScale, May 2026

£241,498

London average · range £148,000–£384,000

ERI, via Exec Capital, 2026

3–5

Shortlist · with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 set out

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a COO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with COO candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

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On the board · last 3 months

COO roles jobs on the board

3 on the board · 2 confirmed open

Browse every role on the board →

Roles on the board: operations leadership

Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a COO brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.

01/ the role

COO salary in the UK, source by source

The COO salary UK figure most often quoted is Glassdoor’s median of £137,834 base pay, which Exec Capital repeats in its 2026 COO salary guide.

It is a median of self-reported salaries.

It says nothing about company size, and that is what sets a COO’s pay.

PayScale reports a lower average, £99,276, from 246 self-reported profiles last updated in May 2026.

Its base range runs from £49k to £164k, median £99k.

Bonus adds £4k–£51k, and total pay runs from £49k to £187k.

Exec Capital describes PayScale’s sample as broader, including smaller businesses.

Exec Capital’s guide sets out base pay by company type instead.

It is a recruiter’s planning range, built from Glassdoor, PayScale, ERI and its own placements.

Use it to price a specific seat: £100,000–£190,000 at an SME with £5m–£50m revenue, £170,000–£320,000 in the mid-market, and £300,000–£600,000 at a FTSE 250 company.

For the seat itself, see what a COO does.

For the role below it, see operations director salary.

02/ scope

Permanent, interim or fractional pay

A salary is one of three ways to pay for the seat.

An interim COO covers the role full-time for a fixed term and bills a day rate; see interim COO salary.

A fractional COO works a set number of days a week for several companies; see fractional COO salary.

Neither day rate compares one for one with a salary, because the contractor funds their own pension, holidays and the gaps between assignments.

NHS and charity pay

The figures on this page are private-sector.

An NHS trust pays its executive directors, the chief operating officer among them, under NHS England’s very senior managers pay framework, which sets ranges by the organisation’s turnover.

Use the framework, not a market survey, for a hospital COO salary.

For a chief operating officer at a non-profit, Exec Capital puts large charities, with £50m or more of income, at £90,000–£160,000.

Trustees set charity pay, and smaller charities sit below that range.

Price the seat on company size first. A single national average blends startups with listed companies.

03/ the board

What the board holds.

A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.

On this board, last 90 days · 3 roles · COO roles

Engagement

Fractional2
Interim1

Days a week

Stated in the posting2
Not stated1

Day rate

Verified rate0
Estimated (est)1
Rate not stated2

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote0
Hybrid0
On-site1
Not classified2

Newest posting on the board: 29 Sept 2026.

04/ rates by stage

COO salary by company size and source

Permanent base pay. Exec Capital’s bands are a recruiter’s 2026 planning ranges; Glassdoor and ERI figures are quoted in the same guide; PayScale is self-reported; Morgan McKinley’s London band covers one combined title, Head of Operations / COO. Each figure is quoted as its source publishes it.

SegmentBase salaryBasisSource

Early-stage startup (pre-Series A)£60,000–£110,000Bonus 0–20%; total package £60,000–£132,000Exec Capital, 2026

Growth stage (Series A–B)£110,000–£170,000Bonus 20–40%; total package £132,000–£238,000Exec Capital, 2026

SME (£5m–£50m revenue)£100,000–£190,000Bonus 20–50%; total package £120,000–£285,000Exec Capital, 2026

Mid-market (£50m–£250m revenue)£170,000–£320,000Bonus 30–60%; total package £221,000–£512,000Exec Capital, 2026

Private-equity-backed£200,000–£420,000Bonus 50–100%; total package £300,000–£840,000Exec Capital, 2026

FTSE 250£300,000–£600,000Bonus 50–100% plus LTIP; total package £450,000–£1.2mExec Capital, 2026

UK median£137,834Self-reported base payGlassdoor, via Exec Capital

UK average£99,276Self-reported, 246 profiles; range £49k–£164kPayScale, May 2026

London median£153,346Self-reported base payGlassdoor, via Exec Capital

London average£241,498Range £148,000–£384,000ERI, via Exec Capital

London, Head of Operations / COO£120,000–£160,000Average range, one combined titleMorgan McKinley, 2026

05/ economics

What a COO package costs beyond the base

Base pay is the fixed part.

The CIPD separates it from variable pay, which is not guaranteed.

For a COO the variable part is large: Exec Capital puts the annual bonus at 30–50% of base in mid-market and private companies, and the target at 75–100% of base in listed companies, with a maximum of 150–200%.

An employer pays more than the salary.

For 2026 to 2027, employer’s National Insurance is 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year (HMRC).

Under automatic enrolment the employer must pay at least 3% into a workplace pension, on qualifying earnings that include bonuses (GOV.UK).

Senior schemes often pay more.

Listed companies follow the UK Corporate Governance Code, which says executive directors’ pension contribution rates should be aligned with those available to the workforce, and asks the annual report to describe malus and clawback provisions.

Exec Capital gives notice periods of 6–12 months as standard for a COO.

06/ vetting

How we vet COOs

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify COO tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

07/ chief operating officer salary

Chief operating officer salary from startup to FTSE

A chief operating officer salary rises with the size and ownership of the business.

Exec Capital puts base pay at £60,000–£110,000 at an early-stage startup before Series A, and £110,000–£170,000 at Series A–B.

A private-equity-backed portfolio company pays £200,000–£420,000, and a FTSE 100 company £500,000 to over £1m.

A startup COO salary is often lower in cash and higher in equity.

Exec Capital lists equity of 0.25–2% as meaningful at an early-stage startup.

In the UK, the tax-advantaged route for an employee’s share options is Enterprise Management Incentives (GOV.UK), open to qualifying companies and to employees who meet a working-time requirement.

Some companies call the seat chief operations officer.

A chief operations officer salary is benchmarked the same way: check the scope, the reporting line and the size of the business, not the title.

08/ coo salary london

COO salary in London and the regions

The COO salary in London runs above the national figure.

Exec Capital’s guide quotes a Glassdoor London median of £153,346 against £137,834 for the UK, and an ERI London average of £241,498, across a £148,000–£384,000 range.

Morgan McKinley’s 2026 guide puts the combined Head of Operations / COO title in London at £120,000–£160,000.

Exec Capital puts the London premium at 20–40%.

Outside London it gives the South East at 80–90% of the London equivalent; Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham at 70–85%; and Wales and Northern Ireland at 60–75%.

For a COO salary UK benchmark outside London, start from the national median and the company-size band, not the London figure.

For roles on the board, see COO jobs.

09/ average coo salary

Average COO salary which average to quote

The average COO salary depends on whose average.

PayScale’s is £99,276, a mean of 246 self-reported profiles.

Glassdoor’s £137,834 is a median.

A mean is pulled by a few very high or very low entries; a median is the middle value, so it moves less.

The ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings leads on median earnings for the same reason, and reports them by occupation for employee jobs.

Its occupation groups are broader than the COO title, and its basis differs from job sites, which rely on what people with the title choose to report.

For a budget, quote a median and name its source.

To test an offer, check it against the company-size band that fits the business.

10/ questions

COO salary FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a COO.

The median COO salary in the UK is £137,834 base (Glassdoor, quoted by Exec Capital in 2026). PayScale’s self-reported average is £99,276 across 246 profiles, with a base range from £49k to £164k (PayScale). Company size matters more than either figure.

Exec Capital puts a startup COO at £60,000–£110,000 base before Series A, with a bonus of 0–20%, and £110,000–£170,000 at Series A–B. Early-stage COOs often take part of the package in equity.

Exec Capital quotes a Glassdoor London median of £153,346 and an ERI London average of £241,498, across £148,000–£384,000. Morgan McKinley’s 2026 guide puts the combined Head of Operations / COO title in London at £120,000–£160,000.

Start with base pay for the size of business: £100,000–£190,000 at an SME and £170,000–£320,000 in the mid-market (Exec Capital). Add bonus, employer’s National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year, and pension. We set out pay or day rate for every candidate on the shortlist.

Write down what the seat owns and who reports to it. Choose the route: permanent, interim or fractional. Set base and bonus together and benchmark them against the company-size band. See hire a COO and COO recruitment.

Exec Capital puts it at 30–50% of base in mid-market and private companies. In listed companies the target is 75–100% of base, with a maximum of 150–200%. PayScale’s self-reported bonus range for COOs is £4k–£51k.

Interim and fractional COOs bill a day rate, not a salary, and fund their own pension, holidays and gaps between assignments. See interim COO salary and fractional COO salary for each.

NHS trusts pay executive directors under NHS England’s very senior managers pay framework, which sets ranges by turnover. For charities, Exec Capital puts COOs at large charities, with £50m or more of income, at £90,000–£160,000.

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A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

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