Fractional COO Salary UK
The average COO salary in the UK is £115,590 (Glassdoor, 1,301 salaries), with a £137,834 median from Exec Capital. Chief Operating Officer salary rises with stage — £94,500 at seed to £135,000 at Series B (Sifted) — and London averages £241,498.
A fractional COO is paid a day rate instead: £800–£1,400 a day (Connectd), one to three days a week. Every figure below names its source.
What a Chief Operating Officer earns in the UK in 2026
The average COO salary in the UK is £115,590 in base pay, across 1,301 salaries on Glassdoor, with a typical range of £81,000–£162,000 (Intelligent People).
Exec Capital puts the UK COO median at £137,834 (Exec Capital).
Startup COO salary tracks funding stage: a seed-stage COO who is not a cofounder averages £94,500, rising to about £135,000 at Series B (Sifted).
Cofounder COOs usually take less cash in exchange for equity.
COO salary in London carries a clear premium: Exec Capital's London median is £153,346 and its London average £241,498, across a £148,000–£384,000 range.
Salary Expert's London average is £238,328, plus an average bonus of around £94,235.
For the practitioner view — what a fractional COO bills and how the work is structured — see Fractional COO Jobs UK.
For the buyer's view, see Fractional COO Cost.
Why COO salary figures disagree
Search "COO salary UK" and you will find figures from £74,000 to £190,000.
They are all real; they measure different things.
Self-reported pay
Glassdoor (£115,590) and Indeed (£74,270, 353 salaries) aggregate what people with the title report.
The title is used loosely, so the sample includes operations leads at small firms — which pulls the average down.
Advertised salaries
ITJobsWatch reports what permanent COO job ads offer: a £190,000 median, with the 25th percentile at £185,000 and the 75th at £195,000 (ITJobsWatch).
The sample is small and skews to the senior, well-funded roles that advertise.
Recruiter benchmarks
Exec Capital's £137,834 median sits between the two.
It is the figure to use for a budgeting conversation with a board.
Pick the source that matches the question: what the title pays on average, what a senior role advertises, or what a recruiter would benchmark.
Chief Operating Officer Salary UK by stage, source and London
Full-time UK COO base salary. Every row is a published figure with its source named; no percentile has been estimated. Sifted, Glassdoor, Exec Capital, ITJobsWatch and Salary Expert.
Chief Operating Officer Salary UK by stage, source and London
| Segment | COO base salary | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seed startup (non-cofounder) | £94,500 | Sifted |
| Series B startup | £135,000 | Sifted |
| UK average | £115,590 (£81,000–£162,000) | Glassdoor |
| UK median | £137,834 | Exec Capital |
| UK advertised median | £190,000 (25th £185,000 · 75th £195,000) | ITJobsWatch |
| London median | £153,346 | Exec Capital |
| London average | £241,498 (£148,000–£384,000) | Exec Capital |
| London average | £238,328 + ~£94,235 bonus | Salary Expert |
Fractional COO pay by days a week
A fractional COO bills a day rate, not a salary. Annual figures are Connectd's published £800–£1,400/day band × days a week × 46 working weeks — arithmetic, not a survey.
Fractional COO pay by days a week
| Commitment | Annual fees | Roughly per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day a week | £36,800–£64,400 | £3,070–£5,370 |
| 2 days a week | £73,600–£128,800 | £6,130–£10,730 |
| 3 days a week | £110,400–£193,200 | £9,200–£16,100 |
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about fractional COO Salary roles and engagements
Current fractional COO opportunities
Current openings and market opportunities
No live roles in this view right now. But we know what they pay.
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Related resources
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