A fractional COO is a senior operations leader who works with your business part-time, typically half a day to three days a week, and owns delivery, process, suppliers and the operating rhythm. For a company in Netherlands, that means an operator accountable for how the business actually runs, without the cost or commitment of a full-time appointment.
Our fractional COOs have run operations at
When a chief operating officer is the right call
A fractional COO is the right call at a particular point in a company’s growth.
When the founder is the bottleneck
Decisions, delivery and detail all route through one person. The COO builds the structure that lets you step back and lead.
When growth is outrunning the systems
Headcount and revenue are up, but process has not kept pace. The COO installs the operating cadence to match.
When execution keeps slipping
Good strategy, inconsistent delivery. The COO brings the accountability and rhythm that turn intent into output.
When you are entering a new market or model
A new city, channel or product needs an operator who has scaled one before and can stand it up cleanly.
Where a fractional COO fits, and where it does not
Best for
- A founder who has become the bottleneck for decisions and delivery
- Growth that is outrunning the systems and process behind it
- Good strategy that keeps slipping in execution
- A new market, channel or product that needs standing up cleanly
- Senior managers operating without a clear operating rhythm
Not for
- A single project a coordinator or project manager could run
- A business with no real delivery or operations to speak of yet
- Teams unwilling to give the operator real decision authority
- A junior operations hire to handle day-to-day admin
Operational leadership, end to end
A fractional COO takes responsibility for how the business runs, not just what it should do.
Operating cadence and rhythm
Planning, reviews and a meeting rhythm that keeps the company aligned and moving.
Process and systems
The right processes designed and the tooling rationalised so the business scales without friction.
Execution and accountability
Cross-functional delivery held to clear owners, milestones and outcomes.
Scaling and readiness
Growth and expansion playbooks, and the operational readiness to take them on.
Senior leadership, on terms that fit the business
Business to business, scaled to the engagement, and free of the cost and liability that come with a permanent hire. One leader embeds, with the whole collective behind them.
A fractional COO, a full-time hire, or a consultant
Three ways to bring operational leadership in. They behave very differently.
Fractional
Full-time hire
Consultant or agency
Business to business, scaled to the engagement, one month’s notice.
Salary, benefits, insurance and severance exposure.
A scoped project or retainer, with a defined end.
Our engagements typically run 30 to 60% less than a full-time hire.
A senior operator package, fixed regardless of the phase.
Day rates or project fees that mount for anything ongoing.
Embedded within weeks, with the collective behind them.
A search and a notice period before anything changes.
Fast to start, but external and rarely embedded in the team.
Owns how the business runs and the delivery in it.
Owns operations, but as a permanent fixed cost.
Maps the process, then hands back; running it stays with you.
An operating gap that needs an owner, not another deck.
Permanent, full-load operations capacity you can keep busy.
A defined advisory or delivery project with a clear finish line.
What a fractional COO costs
A fractional COO engagement is priced on time and scope, not on a salary. Most run half a day to three days a week, 4 to 24 hours, over six to twenty-four months, contracted business to business with one month's notice either way. Our engagements typically run 30 to 60% less than a comparable full-time COO appointment, with no permanent headcount added.
Time
Half a day to three days a week, 4 to 24 hours
Typical term
Six to twenty-four months, with one month's notice either way
Versus full time
Our engagements typically run 30 to 60% less than a comparable full-time COO
Commitment
A company-to-company services contract, with no permanent headcount added
Figures reviewed October 2026.
From the brief to the match, in weeks
Tell us where you need leadership and we handle the rest. The guided brief takes a couple of minutes and makes the first conversation more useful.
Tell us the moment
Share where you need leadership and what good looks like.
A conversation
We talk through the brief and sharpen the requirement together.
The match
We search our collective of 800+ curated executives for the closest fit.
Deployment
You choose, and your leader embeds within weeks to make an immediate impact.
The questions founders ask first
Where a fractional COO makes the difference
The moments this role is most often brought in for. See how the engagement works for each.
One role, or a blended leadership setup
Many engagements start with one executive and grow, and some reach the board, where we match you with non-executive directors from the same collective. See the full range of C-suite practices and specialised appointments, or tell us the moment and we will help you choose.
