What Are Fractional COO Jobs?
Fractional COO jobs enable experienced operations leaders to work with multiple companies part-time. As a fractional Chief Operating Officer, you help businesses scale their operations, improve efficiency, and build sustainable processes.
UK Fractional COO Market
The demand for fractional COOs in the UK is driven by:
- Startups scaling from founder-led to operationally mature
- PE portfolio companies requiring operational excellence
- SMEs professionalising their operations
- Fast-growth businesses managing complexity
Typical Fractional COO Responsibilities
Core duties include:
- Operational strategy and planning
- Process design and optimisation
- Team structure and organisational design
- KPI frameworks and performance management
- Scaling operations for growth
- Supply chain and vendor management
- Systems implementation and integration
- Cost optimisation and efficiency
Fractional COO Rates UK
Market compensation:
- Day rate: 500-1,200 per day
- Monthly retainer: 2,500-8,000 for agreed days
- Annual earnings: 90,000-180,000 with multiple clients
Industries Hiring Fractional COOs
- E-commerce: Fulfilment and logistics optimisation
- Professional services: Delivery and resource management
- Manufacturing: Process improvement
- Tech startups: Scaling operations
- Healthcare: Clinical operations management
Becoming a Fractional COO
Key requirements:
- 10+ years of operations experience
- Previous COO, VP Ops, or Operations Director roles
- Track record of scaling businesses
- Process improvement expertise
- Strong project management skills