Fractional COO
A fractional COO, before you can hire one.
Someone senior who owns how the business runs: priorities, people, numbers and the cadence that holds them together, a few days a month.
When it fits
When a fractional COO makes sense.
- Growth has outrun the people running it.
- Every decision still waits for the owner.
- A sale, a raise or a second location is coming, and the operation has to hold up under someone else’s scrutiny.
- A COO has left and the right hire will take months.
What the role owns
What the role actually owns.
- The operating cadence: weekly numbers, a monthly operating review, quarterly priorities.
- The handoffs between departments, and who owns each one.
- Roles, hiring plans and the onboarding that makes a hire productive.
- The few numbers that describe the business, and what happens when one drifts.
- The projects that change how the business runs, through the test gate.
- Operational questions with your CPA and attorney, coordinated by Jennifer.
A month
What a month looks like.
Part-time, 16 hours. Illustrative.
Week 1
Operating review
Operating review with the owner; priorities for the month set and written down
Week 2
Working sessions
Working sessions with department leads on the month’s main project
Week 3
The numbers
The numbers reviewed; anything drifting traced to its cause and corrected
Week 4
Roles and handoffs
Roles, hiring and handoffs; next month’s review prepared
Rates
One published rate, reserved by the month.
$300 an hour. Retainers: Advisory 8 hours ($2,400), Part-time 16 hours ($4,800), Embedded 32 hours ($9,600), Interim quoted weekly. 90-day first term, then month to month. Help hiring the permanent COO included.
All the termsThe calculator, set to operations, with the national median wage for general and operations managers pre-filled ($105,770, BLS, May 2025).
A year, side by side
Fractional stops being cheaper at about 7 hours a week.
When the hours you need would cost more than a hire, hire one. For most businesses that point falls between one and two days a week, depending on the salary the role would command. We’ll help you do it.
Your numbers. An estimate, not a quote.
Questions
Questions people ask.
Is a fractional COO the same as a consultant?
No. A consultant advises. A fractional COO owns outcomes and works inside your team, with the authority you give the role.
How long do engagements last?
A 90-day first term, then month to month. The aim is usually a permanent hire, and we help you make it.
Who would our COO be?
Usually Jennifer, who leads operations and people work, with Mark joining wherever technology is involved.
Talk to us
Tell us what isn’t working.
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1‑855‑OPSWORQ855‑677‑9677 · Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm ET
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