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Fractional COO · hiring brief

Fractional COO for Hire

Fractional COO for Hire: agree the days and the operating problem, draw the line with the CEO, and name the managers who run the model between days.

Brief us on this role →See COO roles

Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 1 November 2026 · 5 sources linked below

  • 3–5on every shortlist
  • 5stages of vetting
  • IR35set out on every brief
Fractional COO for Hire: an operations leader on the warehouse floor with an operations manager (illustration)

On the board · last 90 days

Which roles are on the board now?

Fractional COO roles first, then the seat in any engagement and the wider function when the board runs short.

Roles

See every role on the board →

Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.

In the press

The brief

Fractional COO for Hire: what must the role own?

Scaling, delivery, margins or systems.

  • 01ProblemScaling, delivery, margins or systems.
  • 02LineFunctions reporting to the COO.
  • 03ManagersWho runs operations between days.
  • 04ReviewWhen to continue or hire permanently.

Role reference: Institute of Directors: role of the COO. The IoD sets out the COO role, the remit a fractional COO for hire takes on part-week.

For hire

Fractional COO for hire: when it works

Part-week operations leadership needs a team to run it.

A fractional COO for hire suits a company that needs an operating model built and owned without five days of executive time.

If operations need a leader on site every day, hire a permanent COO or an operations director.

The working pattern

What changes when the COO is fractional?

A fractional COO for hire builds and leads the operating model on agreed days. It works when operations managers run the day to day between those days.

The illustrative brief: a scale-up where the CEO runs operations at night. Growth has outrun processes; the CEO is the bottleneck.

The appointment owns: A fractional COO for hire sets the operating rhythm, two days a week.

Another owner retains: The CEO keeps strategy and fundraising.

The case is illustrative; it does not describe a Fractional Quest placement.

From brief to start

How do you hire a fractional COO for hire, step by step?

Fractional COO for Hire, in practice: the first three steps are ours; the last four are what has to be true before the first day. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date.

  1. Day 0
    01
    The 15-minute call
    What the COO must own, the working pattern, the start date and the budget.
    You and us
  2. Week 1
    02
    Scope agreed in writing
    The outcome the seat exists for, the days, and how the engagement will run for IR35.
    Us
  3. Weeks 1–3
    03
    Search, references, shortlist
    We approach people who aren’t looking, verify tenure, take references ourselves and return three to five.
    Us
  4. Week 4
    04
    Days
    Days and response window.
    You
  5. Before day one · 2
    05
    Data
    Operational measures.
    You
  6. Before day one · 3
    06
    Managers
    Meet operations leads.
    You
  7. Before day one · 4
    07
    Review
    A three-month review.
    You

Your figures

What does part of a senior 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
2 days a week · 46 weeks · day fees, before tax · our arithmetic
Fractional executive£101,200
Full-time COO, loaded£140,125£637 a day over 220 days · our arithmetic
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.

Assessment

How should you assess each candidate?

Fractional COO for Hire on evidence: put the same work in front of each candidate before comparing answers.

  1. Comparable work
    Ask for an operating model they built part-week.
  2. Authority
    Test the CEO–COO line.
  3. Team
    Ask how they developed managers.
  4. Handover
    Ask what ran after they left.

Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.

Vetting

What happens before anyone reaches your shortlist?

Five stages before a candidate reaches a shortlist of three to five.

  1. Pedigree screen
    Tenure
    We verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
  2. Mandate fit
    Fit
    Fit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
  3. Reference deep-dive
    Verify
    We take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
  4. Shortlist
    Shortlist
    Three to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
  5. Kick-off
    Start
    Scope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.

The full process is on how we vet.

The right pattern

Does this hiring pattern fit the work?

Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.

Questions

Fractional COO for Hire: questions, answered

A brief to hire a fractional COO for hire begins with problem: Scaling, delivery, margins or systems. Then a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

Read next

Related hiring and role pages

Sources

Where does every reference on this page come from?

  • iod.com
  • HMRC
  • legislation.gov.uk
  1. 1
    Institute of Directors: role of the COO iod.com
  2. 2
    Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRC
    Employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
  3. 3
    Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRC
    Status depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
  4. 4
    Check employment status for tax (CEST) HMRC
    HMRC’s own status check for each engagement.
  5. 5
    Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.uk
    The law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.

For hiring managers

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  1. A shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position
  2. Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary or permanent — and non-executive directors
  3. Every candidate through our five-stage vetting
  4. Your briefs and their candidates, in one room