Tenzing Private EquitySyndicatedContract
Sherpa Programme (Chief of Staff)Permanent Operations Manager · hiring brief
How to Hire an Operations Manager
How to Hire an Operations Manager: define the processes the operations manager runs, decide full-time or part-time, set their authority and assess them on a real operating problem.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 28 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below
- 3–5on every shortlist
- 5stages of vetting
- IR35set out on every brief
On the board · last 90 days
Which Operations Manager roles are on the board?
Permanent Operations Manager roles first, then the seat in any engagement and the wider function when the board runs short.
- Tenzing Private EquitySyndicatedContractSherpa Programme (Chief of Staff - UK)
- Good EnergySyndicatedContractHead of Procurement (12 month FTC)
- Lloyd'sSyndicatedTemporaryChief of Staff to the Chief Commercial Officer / CEO Lloyd's Americas - 12 Month FTC
- Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractionalFractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional COO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowInterimInterim Chief Operating Officer
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The brief
How to Hire an Operations Manager: what must the role own?
List the processes they run.
- 01ProcessesList the processes they run.
- 02SuppliersName suppliers they manage.
- 03HoursDecide full-time or part-time.
- 04AuthoritySet spending and people authority.
Role reference: Institute of Directors: role of the COO. The IoD’s description of operations leadership helps separate an operations manager’s remit from a COO’s.
The working pattern
What changes when the Operations Manager is permanent?
An operations manager runs processes, suppliers and day-to-day delivery; a COO owns the operating strategy above them.
The illustrative brief: a founder doing operations at night. Orders, suppliers and support are handled by the founder after hours.
The appointment owns: A part-time operations manager runs orders and suppliers three days a week.
Another owner retains: The founder keeps strategy and key customers.
The case is illustrative; it does not describe a Fractional Quest placement.
From brief to start
How do you hire an operations manager, step by step?
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.
- Day 001The 15-minute callWhat the Operations Manager must own, the working pattern, the start date and the budget.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, the days, and how the engagement will run for IR35.Us
- Weeks 1–303Search, references, shortlistWe approach people who aren’t looking, verify tenure, take references ourselves and return three to five.Us
- Week 404ContractAgree hours and authority.You
- Before day one · 205AccessProvide systems and supplier contacts.You
- Before day one · 306HandoverWalk through current processes.You
- Before day one · 407ReviewReview after a month.You
Assessment
How should you assess Operations Manager candidates?
Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.
- ProcessAsk for a process they fixed.
- SuppliersAsk how they handled a supplier failure.
- DataAsk what they measure weekly.
- HoursFor part-time, test cover on days off.
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.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, 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
How to Hire an Operations Manager: questions, answered
A brief to hire an operations manager begins with processes: List the processes they run. Then a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
An operations manager runs processes, suppliers and day-to-day delivery; a COO owns the operating strategy above them.
Process. Ask for a process they fixed. Suppliers. Ask how they handled a supplier failure. Data. Ask what they measure weekly. Hours. For part-time, test cover on days off.
Contract. Agree hours and authority. Access. Provide systems and supplier contacts. Handover. Walk through current processes. Review. Review after a month.
Brief us on what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
Sources
Where does every reference on this page come from?
- iod.com
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1
- 2Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 3
- 4Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.