Operations Leadership

Fractional COO Services

Get experienced COO leadership without the full-time commitment. Scale operations, optimise processes, and build operational excellence with a senior operations leader working 1-3 days per week.

Find a Fractional COO How to Hire

£900-£1,300

Day Rate Range

1-3 days

Per Week

40-60%

Cost Savings vs FT

3 months

Typical Trial Period

Industry Resources

What We Deliver

Fractional COO Service Areas

🎯

Operational Strategy

Define operational priorities, KPIs, and roadmap aligned with business goals

⚙️

Process Optimisation

Design and implement efficient processes that scale with your growth

👥

Team & Structure

Build the right team structure, hire key roles, develop operational talent

🔧

Systems & Tools

Select and implement operational systems - ERP, project management, reporting

🤝

Vendor Management

Optimise supplier relationships, negotiate contracts, manage partnerships

📊

Operational Due Diligence

Support for fundraising, M&A, or investor reporting on operations

Pricing

Engagement Models

Flexible options to match your operational needs and budget

Light Touch

1 day/week

£3,600-£5,200/month

Strategic oversight, monthly board participation, quarterly planning

Best for:

Early-stage, founder-led operations

Standard

2 days/week

£7,200-£10,400/month

Active leadership, team management, process implementation

Best for:

Scale-ups, operational transformation

Intensive

3 days/week

£10,800-£15,600/month

Deep involvement, hands-on execution, complex transformations

Best for:

Turnarounds, M&A integration

Browse Opportunities

Current Fractional COO Jobs

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Department

Location

Work Type

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When to Use Fractional COO Services

A fractional COO provides senior operations leadership without the cost and commitment of a full-time hire. This model works exceptionally well for growing companies that need operational expertise but aren't ready for a full-time C-suite operations leader.

Virtual COO vs Fractional COO - What's the Difference?

Virtual COO and fractional COO are essentially the same thing - both refer to a part-time Chief Operating Officer who provides operational leadership on a retained basis. The "virtual" term gained popularity with remote work, highlighting that operations leaders can drive results without being on-site every day. Whether you search for virtual COO services or fractional COO services, you're looking for the same solution: experienced operations leadership without full-time cost.

Ideal Situations for Fractional COO Services

Founder bandwidth - When founders are stretched thin managing operations
Pre-fundraise - Building operational maturity before Series A/B
Rapid growth - Scaling operations from 20 to 100+ employees
Process chaos - Bringing structure to ad-hoc operations
Post-acquisition - Integrating operations after M&A
Turnaround - Fixing operational issues affecting performance

UK Locations We Serve

Our fractional COOs operate across the UK, with particular strength in:

London

Our largest market - scale-ups, PE portfolio

Manchester

Growing tech and services hub

Birmingham

Manufacturing, logistics, services

Fractional COO vs Full-Time vs Consulting

Aspect	Fractional COO	Full-Time COO	Consultant
Cost	£85-125k/year	£150-250k/year	£100-200k/project
Commitment	1-3 days/week	Full-time	Project-based
Accountability	High - owns outcomes	Highest	Low - advises only
Flexibility	High - scale up/down	Low	Medium

Related Services

Find Fractional COOs

Browse available fractional COOs

How to Hire

Guide to hiring a fractional COO

COO Salary Guide

Day rates and benchmarks

What is a Fractional COO?

Understanding the role

Results

Success Stories

Real examples of how fractional COO services have transformed businesses

Professional Services

PE-Backed Services Business

Challenge:

Rapid acquisition spree left 5 companies operating as silos with no unified operations

Solution:

Fractional COO 3 days/week for 18 months

Results:

✓Integrated 5 acquisitions
✓Unified operations platform
✓Reduced overhead by 25%
✓Achieved £4M EBITDA uplift

Logistics

Scale-up Logistics Company

Challenge:

Growing from 20 to 100 employees with founder still managing all operations

Solution:

Fractional COO 2 days/week for 12 months

Results:

✓Built operations team of 8
✓Implemented WMS system
✓Reduced delivery errors by 60%
✓Freed CEO for growth focus

Technology

SaaS Customer Success

Challenge:

Churn at 8% monthly, no defined processes, support tickets spiralling

Solution:

Fractional COO 2 days/week for 9 months

Results:

✓Churn reduced to 2%
✓NPS improved by 40 points
✓Support ticket backlog cleared
✓Playbooks for scale documented

Professional Resources

📋

CMI

Chartered Management Institute

🏛️

IoD

Institute of Directors

📦

CIPS

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply

👥

CIPD

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

📊

APM

Association for Project Management

⚙️

Lean Enterprise Academy

Lean and operational excellence

FAQ

Common Questions About Fractional COO Services

Fractional COO services typically include: operational strategy development, process design and optimisation, team structure and hiring, KPI frameworks and reporting, vendor and supplier management, operational due diligence, and hands-on execution support. Scope is tailored to your specific needs.

Most engagements are 1-3 days per week on a retained basis. You get a senior operations leader who attends key meetings, works with your team, and drives operational improvements. Engagements typically start with a 3-month trial period before moving to ongoing retainers.

Consultants advise and produce reports. Fractional COOs are hands-on operators who become part of your leadership team. They attend board meetings, manage teams, make decisions, and are accountable for operational outcomes - not just recommendations.

Fractional COO day rates in the UK range from £900-£1,300. A typical 2-day per week engagement costs £7,200-£10,400 per month (£86,000-£125,000 annually). This is 40-60% less than a full-time COO with benefits and equity.

Ideal situations: scaling operations beyond founder capacity, preparing for fundraising or exit, post-merger integration, operational turnaround, implementing new systems or processes, or building operational foundations before hiring full-time.

Our fractional COOs are based across the UK, with strong presence in London (our largest market), Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, and Edinburgh. Most work hybrid arrangements combining remote work with on-site client days for hands-on operational work.

Most have 15-25 years experience in operations, supply chain, or general management. Common backgrounds include: operations directors from scale-ups, consultants (McKinsey, Bain, etc.) who moved into line roles, ex-military logistics officers, and industry specialists (retail ops, manufacturing, service delivery). Look for proven transformation experience.

Absolutely - post-merger integration is a core fractional COO service. They lead the integration of operations, systems, teams, and processes. Many fractional COOs have led 5-10+ integrations and bring playbooks for common challenges like system consolidation, team restructuring, and culture alignment.

The fractional COO becomes the CEO's operational partner. They take ownership of internal operations so the CEO can focus on strategy, customers, and growth. They attend leadership meetings, provide operational updates, flag risks, and execute on the CEO's vision. Clear scope and decision rights are agreed upfront.

Quick wins in 30 days (operational audit, low-hanging fruit improvements, KPI dashboard). Meaningful impact by 90 days (processes redesigned, team structure clarified, systems improvements underway). Significant ROI by 6 months (operational costs reduced, delivery quality improved, scalable foundations built).

Meet the Expert

Written by a Practicing Fractional Executive

Dan Keegan

Founder & Fractional GTM Expert

With over 15 years of experience in executive leadership, go-to-market strategy, and business development, Dan brings real-world fractional expertise to help professionals navigate the executive job market.

Dan founded Fractional Quest after working as a fractional executive himself, understanding firsthand the challenges of finding quality opportunities and the value fractional leaders bring to growing businesses.

15+ Years Executive ExperienceFractional GTMStrategy & Growth

Connect on LinkedIn

Prior executive experience includes

SONY

Sony

Orange

H3G

Hutchison

Current fractional client

OneUp Productions

Gaming & Esports Production

Fractional GTM Lead

New Markets Entered

GTM

Strategy Delivered

2-3

Days Per Week

The Challenge

OneUp Productions needed to expand into new international markets but lacked the in-house expertise for go-to-market strategy. They needed senior GTM leadership without the commitment of a full-time hire.

Our Approach

Engaged as Fractional GTM Lead to develop and execute market expansion strategy, working 2-3 days per week alongside the existing leadership team.

Cost Effective

Senior GTM expertise at a fraction of full-time hire cost

Immediate Impact

Hit the ground running with proven playbooks

Flexible Scale

Adjusted involvement as needs evolved

Fractional GTMMarket ExpansionGaming IndustryInternational Growth

Read Full Case Study

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