Chief operating officer services · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent

COO Services · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent

COO services come in four shapes: fractional, interim, part-time and permanent.

The COO turns strategy into execution: operations, process, delivery, people systems and the operating rhythm of the business.

This hub sets out what the seat covers, which shape fits which situation, and what the market publishes on rates.

Each route has its own page; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5 with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Submit a brief → →

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

£800–£1,400

Fractional day rate · Connectd 2026

£800–£2,000

Interim day rate · Exec Capital 2026

£95,000–£150,000

Permanent salary · composite (our median of three 2026 guides)

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 Services 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

Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

Open the booking calendar →

01/ the role

What COO services cover

The COO turns strategy into execution: operations, process, delivery, people systems and the operating rhythm of the business.

In 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.

Financial control sits with the CFO; technology with the CTO or CIO.

The COO coordinates them rather than replacing them.

What the seat does day to day is set out in the COO role explained; executives looking for this work can see current COO roles; the full cost picture is on the COO cost guide.

02/ scope

Four ways to buy the COO seat

Fractional COO services

A fractional COO holds the COO seat on a standing weekly commitment, usually alongside a small number of other clients, and owns outcomes rather than hours.

A fractional COO installs the operating rhythm, fixes the processes that break at scale and coaches the team leads on a standing weekly commitment.

Fractional COO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Interim COO services

An interim COO works full-time for a fixed term to cover a gap, lead a change or see a transaction through, then hands over.

Interim executives are hired for immediate impact: they expect to take decisions from the first week.

Interim COO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Part-Time COO services

A part-time COO works set days each week for one organisation.

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.

Part-Time COO services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Permanent COO

A permanent COO is right when operations are large and complex enough to need a full-time executive alongside the CEO.

Our permanent COO search page covers the process.

Outsourced COO services

Sold as virtual COO: a provider or a named individual off your payroll.

See outsourced COO services.

03/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is there a fixed end or a programme?

Does the seat sit on the board for years?

Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional COO services.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional COO services holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional COO services route Talk it through

04/ rates by stage

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.

BenchmarkPublished figureSource

Fractional COO day rate£800–£1,400Connectd 2026

Interim COO day rate£800–£2,000Exec Capital 2026

Permanent COO salary (median of three published UK base ranges)£95,000–£150,000composite (our median of three 2026 guides)

05/ comparison

Four ways to buy a COO fractional, interim, part-time or permanent

The same COO seat can be filled four ways. The difference is commitment, contract and how long you need it.

FractionalInterimPart-timePermanent

CommitmentDays a week, ongoingFull-time, fixed termSet days each weekFull-time, open-ended

Usual contractContract for services, often via the executive’s companyDay-rate contract for the mandateOften pro-rata employment; sometimes a contractorEmployment contract

Clients at onceA small portfolioOneOneOne

Best whenYou need COO judgement every week, not every dayYou need full-time cover or a change led nowYou want the same person on the same days for the long termThe seat is full-time work for years

ExitNotice period, or convert to permanentHand-over at the end of the mandateEmployment noticeResignation or redundancy

06/ timing

Which shape fits your situation

Match the shape to the work, not the title.

Scenario 01

Weekly judgement

Fractional

You need a COO to own decisions every week, but the work does not fill five days.

A founder-CEO buried in operations, growth outrunning process, missed deliveries, or a board asking who is running the business day to day.

Scenario 02

Now, full-time

Interim

Two businesses need to run as one.

An interim COO leads the operational integration full-time.

Scenario 03

Long term

Part-time or permanent

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.

07/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

Five stages: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.

01
Qualification screen
Verify COO Services 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

08/ before you brief

Before you buy COO services what to decide first

The decisions.

Write down the three decisions the COO will own in the next ninety days.

That list decides the shape: weekly decisions point to fractional, a time-bound programme to interim, a steady load to part-time.

The neighbours.

The COO owns how the business runs; the operations director runs a defined operations function; the CEO owns where it is going.

The checks.

The UK’s chartered body for management and leadership: see the Chartered Management Institute.

For a contractor engagement, agree how it will run in practice, because that decides IR35 status; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.

09/ questions

COO services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a COO.

Ways of filling the COO seat without, or before, a permanent hire: fractional (days a week, ongoing), interim (full-time, fixed term) and part-time (set days, one employer), alongside a permanent search. The COO turns strategy into execution: operations, process, delivery, people systems and the operating rhythm of the business.

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.

Published UK bands: 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 Quest publishes no fees; each candidate on a shortlist states their rate.

Financial control sits with the CFO; technology with the CTO or CIO. The COO coordinates them rather than replacing them.

You brief us on scope, shape and start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

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

Book a call →Submit a brief