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Hire a fractional COO

Fractional COO

A fractional COO is a senior operations leader who works for you part of the week. They fix how a company runs when it has grown faster than its processes. To hire a fractional COO, tell us what is breaking and we send you people who fit.

Send your requirement
  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice

What a fractional COO does

A fractional chief operating officer makes the business run properly. They look at how work moves through the company, where it gets stuck and who owns what. Then they fix the structure, the processes and the reporting, so the founder is not the bottleneck for every decision.

The role varies more than most. In a services business it may centre on delivery and staffing. In a product company it may be the handover between sales, onboarding and support. In a small business it often means taking the day-to-day running off the owner.

When a growing company needs a COO

The common pattern is a founder who still approves everything, a leadership group with blurry responsibilities, and processes that worked when the company was smaller. Things slip. The same problems come back. Nobody has time to fix the system because they are busy working inside it.

A fractional COO gives you a senior operator without adding a full-time executive before the business is ready. When the business grows into needing a full-time COO, they can help define and hire that role.

Tell us the role and the hours. We send you a shortlist of people who fit.

  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice
Send your requirement

How a fractional COO usually works

  1. 01

    Diagnose

    Talk to the leaders and staff, follow how work really flows and find where it breaks.

  2. 02

    Set the structure

    Make clear who owns what, how decisions get made and which meetings and reports matter.

  3. 03

    Fix the processes

    Rebuild the processes that cause the most pain, with the people who run them.

  4. 04

    Hand over

    Leave the business running on the new system, with owners in place, then step back or stay on in a lighter role.

What to look for

Look for someone who has run operations in a business like yours, at a similar size, and has been through the stage you are going into. Ask about a process they rebuilt and how they got people to use it.

Fit with the founder or CEO matters more here than in most roles, because a COO takes on work the founder has been holding. Make sure you are ready to let go of it.

How to hire a fractional COO through us

Send your requirement with what is breaking and what you want the COO to own. There is no deposit. We read every requirement ourselves and ask if something is unclear.

We send a shortlist of operators who fit, with each person's CV and a short note on why. You talk to whoever you like and choose. You do not have to hire anyone. You pay our fee only when someone starts, on one agreement and one invoice with us, with terms agreed in writing first.

Send your fractional COO requirement

Describe what is breaking and what you want someone to own.

  • No deposit to get started
  • Every requirement read by us
  • A best-fit shortlist, not a pile of CVs
  • One agreement, one invoice

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FAQ

Fractional COO questions

What is a fractional COO and how do they help a startup grow?

A senior operator who works part of the week. They set up the structure, processes and reporting a startup needs to grow without the founder becoming the bottleneck.

Fractional COO or full-time COO: when does each make sense?

Fractional fits when the way the company runs needs building or fixing, and the business cannot yet carry a full-time executive. Full time makes sense when day-to-day operations need a leader present every day.

What is the difference between a fractional COO and an interim COO?

An interim COO covers the role full time for a fixed period, often after someone leaves. A fractional COO works part of the week, often over a longer period.

What kinds of arrangement does a fractional COO offer?

Common shapes are a set project, such as fixing one process, an ongoing part-time role, or a period of heavy involvement that eases off. Agree which shape you need with the COO.

What should I look for when hiring a fractional COO?

Experience in a business of your type and size, examples of processes they rebuilt that stuck, and a working style that fits how your founder or CEO works.

Is a fractional COO the same as an EOS integrator?

Not quite. Integrator is a role from the EOS management system, used mostly by smaller businesses that run it. A fractional COO may fill that role, but the job is wider and does not depend on any one system.

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