Discover how to hire a COO in 8 steps to drive your business forward. Learn key hiring strategies and red flags to avoid to ensure a perfect fit.
Hire an Operations Consultant
Fractional
Operations Consultant,
Full-Time Impact
Unlock Operations Consultants without the overhead. Transform your team with pre-vetted, industry leading talent in as little as 3 days.
Hire an Operations Consultant
Unlock operational expertise without the overhead. Transform your team with pre-vetted operations consultants in as little as 3 days.
Explore by category
Josh Raine comcat business
Google
Peace Corps
Ex-Google executive and startup founder with vast experience in operations and strategy, excelling as a fractional COO.
Hire Josh RaineTodd Merrill At&t
Scientific Atlanta
Ciena
Seasoned tech exec excels in strategic growth, cloud tech, SaaS, and AI. Skilled in Java, Linux, MySQL. Enjoys aviation and triathlons.
Hire Todd MerrillMike Larsen Netapp
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Department of Defense 🇺🇸
Distinguished leader with expertise in fractional B2B SaaS, enterprise AI, and cross-functional team management. Leveraging AI for innovation.
Hire Mike LarsenCynthia Lencioni JD/MBA Stanford Health Care
Foley & Lardner LLP
Netlink
High-performing fractional CEO and COO, experienced in strategic growth, operational excellence, and global market penetration.
Hire Cynthia Lencioni JD/MBAChris Griffenkranz Amazon
Chewy
Army National Guard
Experienced COO with a background in supply-chain operations. Expert in fractional leadership, bringing over 15 years of strategic success from Clutter.
Hire Chris GriffenkranzRob Kenny Tesco
Paddy Power
Experienced Finance & Operations Executive at venture-backed startups. Specialist in fractional strategy & team development.
Hire Rob KennyAaron Caradonna Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
The University of Alabama School of Law
Summit Information Solutions, Inc
Experienced founder with a legal background, specializing in fractional business strategies, M&A and startup law.
Hire Aaron CaradonnaNeelima Ramaraju Coupa Software
Triage Consulting Group, an R1 company
Return Rabbit
Experienced leader in B2B SaaS & supply chain management, driving impactful tech initiatives. Expert in fractional business strategy.
Hire Neelima RamarajuStill Looking? Let Us Handle the Search.
Tell us your needs, and we'll handpick a fractional leader who fits your goals and timeline. Our experts have already solved the challenges you're facing—so you can skip the trial and error.
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What is an Operations Consultant?
An operations consultant is a professional who partners with businesses to solve complex operational challenges, streamline processes, and drive efficiency. Unlike in-house operations team members, consultants are brought in for their specialized expertise and objective perspective. They can tackle specific projects or business pain points, using their diverse experience to help deliver measurable results.What does an Operations Consultant do?
Operations consultants are trusted advisors and project experts, providing both strategic recommendations and hands-on support for new initiatives. They’re prepared to deliver targeted, high-impact services, such as:
Process optimization
These experienced executives can build out and optimize your current security plan, and work with other leaders to make sure these strategies align with overall business goals.
Strategic planning
They can identify blind spots in information security and take actions to mitigate risks ahead of time.
Cost reduction
As IT leaders, fractional CISOs can help streamline costs and better allocate resources to boost security without breaking the bank.
Change management
Fractional CISOs can help organizations meet specific regulations and keep their systems updated to maintain compliance.
Systems implementation
When it’s time to integrate two different tech stacks, fractional CISOs can take charge, creating an inventory of new assets and monitoring risks for a smooth and seamless process.
Performance measurement
Fractional CISOs can train teams on topics like phishing awareness, authentication, and data privacy to improve cybersecurity across the organization.
Risk management
Pulling from their vast networks, fractional CISOs can take the initiative to communicate with security vendors and determine if they’re the right fit.
The benefits of hiring an Operations Consultant
Even if you already have a strong operations team, including a chief operating officer (COO) or operations leader, there are many reasons to bring in an outside consultant. These on-demand professionals can provide:
Immediate expertise
Access advanced operational skills and industry knowledge to quickly tackle a specific initiative or challenge.
Objective insights
Gain an unbiased, external perspective to help identify blind spots and uncover overlooked opportunities for improvement.
Scalable engagement
Ramp services up or down as needed, whether for project-based work, periods of rapid change, or seasonal fluctuations.
Faster results
Consultants are accustomed to hitting the ground running, helping businesses accelerate project timelines and produce measurable outcomes.
Cost efficiency
Pay only for the expertise you need, when you need it—no long-term salary or benefits required.
How to hire an Operations Consultant
No more juggling job boards or sorting through unqualified applicants. Hiring an operations consultant is fast and efficient with Go Fractional.
Here’s how it works:
Set your goals
Specify the type of candidate you need, including their industry experience, skills, and availability.
Find your match
Search our curated network of thoroughly vetted operations consultants. Don’t worry, we’ve already put them through a rigorous screening process to make sure they meet the highest standards.
Hash out the details
Set up an interview or discussion with your top candidates to go over the details and ensure it’s a good fit.
Draft the proposal
We’ll take it from here. Once everyone is on board, Go Fractional will craft a detailed proposal for your consultant, giving you and your stakeholders an opportunity to review it thoroughly.
Get started
Once you’ve reviewed and approved the proposal, we’ll send the contracts. And your operations consultant can get to work.
We’ve helped hundreds of organizations Go Fractional
I worked with a Fractional Engineer to bring my MAD landscape project to life - we were able to brainstorm, design, and ultimately ship something great. To work with a trusted engineer brought confidence to the project, and positioned FirstMark to be able to scale this project in the future and into other verticals. I would highly recommend working with them if you need fractional talent.
Matt Turck
PartnerFirstMarkGo Fractional provided Mockingbird with a founder-level engineering leader that helped us out of a huge amount of tech debt, streamlining and modernizing our entire e-commerce stack
Ross Berger
VP of OperationsMockingbirdWorking with Go Fractional has been an absolute pleasure. They connected us with high-quality engineering leaders and filled the role within just 12 days of our first call. After six weeks of fractional work, he joined as our permanent VP of Engineering. Go Fractional’s speed and partnership significantly boosted our team’s productivity, and we are thrilled to have filled the position seamlessly without any gaps.
Victoria Ashton
Vice President of PeopleLobGo Fractional provided a detailed audit of our tech stack with a prioritized list of recommendations while redesigning and launching our app to a new single codebase across all platforms
Nick Kenner
CEO & FounderJust SaladHiring a fractional Head of Data Science has been transformative for our company. At just 50% of the cost of a full-time data scientist, we secured a seasoned data leader with over 12 years of experience in top startups. This strategic move has significantly enhanced our data strategy and execution. The expert leadership has instilled confidence in our data capabilities, driving measurable results for our business.
Khadija Ali
Head of Product#paidWorking with a Fractional COO was a great way to level up our operations, guide our existing team, and overall run things in a more streamlined way. We were lucky to work with someone who had seen and built the things we needed to do before, and brought a wealth of knowledge to where we wanted to go.
David Booth
CEOOnDeckPartnering with Go Fractional allowed Enertiv to bring on Nate Wylie as a fractional Head of Talent streamlining the recruitment process - saving us time and cost. Nate implemented a state-of-the-art ATS, developed customized interview kits and scorecards, and reduced the time-to-fill our roles. This swift process successfully placed top-tier talent, including a Solutions Engineer, a Growth Marketer, and an Onboarding Manager. If you’re a business looking to scale rapidly with elite talent - I strongly recommend you check out Go Fractional.
Connell McGill
Founder & CEOEnertivHiring an executive team is critical to get right. Eric as a Fractional Operator played a key role in helping me screen, interview, and generally think through building out our executive team at ChartHop. He brought an outside perspective from someone that has done it before, and I benefited from the additional horsepower.
Ian White
Founder & CEOChartHopIn just 5 months, working only 1 to 2 days a week, Matt Spangler made a significant impact at the Uniswap Foundation. He led customer research and crafted the foundation’s first-ever brand and marketing strategy. He designed the initial 2024 marketing budget, conducted a successful Marketing Director hiring search sourced from his network. Matt also launched an email marketing campaign strategy that achieved outstanding results, producing open and click rates +15% over the standard in our industry.
Raffi Sapire
COOUniswap FoundationWe had a never-ending backlog of tickets and engineers to hire. We were able to go Fractional and started knocking out tickets immediately
Chris Polk
VP of EngineeringPolyworkI worked with a Fractional Engineer to bring my MAD landscape project to life - we were able to brainstorm, design, and ultimately ship something great. To work with a trusted engineer brought confidence to the project, and positioned FirstMark to be able to scale this project in the future and into other verticals. I would highly recommend working with them if you need fractional talent.
Matt Turck
PartnerFirstMarkGo Fractional provided Mockingbird with a founder-level engineering leader that helped us out of a huge amount of tech debt, streamlining and modernizing our entire e-commerce stack
Ross Berger
VP of OperationsMockingbirdWorking with Go Fractional has been an absolute pleasure. They connected us with high-quality engineering leaders and filled the role within just 12 days of our first call. After six weeks of fractional work, he joined as our permanent VP of Engineering. Go Fractional’s speed and partnership significantly boosted our team’s productivity, and we are thrilled to have filled the position seamlessly without any gaps.
Victoria Ashton
Vice President of PeopleLobGo Fractional provided a detailed audit of our tech stack with a prioritized list of recommendations while redesigning and launching our app to a new single codebase across all platforms
Nick Kenner
CEO & FounderJust SaladHiring a fractional Head of Data Science has been transformative for our company. At just 50% of the cost of a full-time data scientist, we secured a seasoned data leader with over 12 years of experience in top startups. This strategic move has significantly enhanced our data strategy and execution. The expert leadership has instilled confidence in our data capabilities, driving measurable results for our business.
Khadija Ali
Head of Product#paidWorking with a Fractional COO was a great way to level up our operations, guide our existing team, and overall run things in a more streamlined way. We were lucky to work with someone who had seen and built the things we needed to do before, and brought a wealth of knowledge to where we wanted to go.
David Booth
CEOOnDeckPartnering with Go Fractional allowed Enertiv to bring on Nate Wylie as a fractional Head of Talent streamlining the recruitment process - saving us time and cost. Nate implemented a state-of-the-art ATS, developed customized interview kits and scorecards, and reduced the time-to-fill our roles. This swift process successfully placed top-tier talent, including a Solutions Engineer, a Growth Marketer, and an Onboarding Manager. If you’re a business looking to scale rapidly with elite talent - I strongly recommend you check out Go Fractional.
Connell McGill
Founder & CEOEnertivHiring an executive team is critical to get right. Eric as a Fractional Operator played a key role in helping me screen, interview, and generally think through building out our executive team at ChartHop. He brought an outside perspective from someone that has done it before, and I benefited from the additional horsepower.
Ian White
Founder & CEOChartHopIn just 5 months, working only 1 to 2 days a week, Matt Spangler made a significant impact at the Uniswap Foundation. He led customer research and crafted the foundation’s first-ever brand and marketing strategy. He designed the initial 2024 marketing budget, conducted a successful Marketing Director hiring search sourced from his network. Matt also launched an email marketing campaign strategy that achieved outstanding results, producing open and click rates +15% over the standard in our industry.
Raffi Sapire
COOUniswap FoundationWe had a never-ending backlog of tickets and engineers to hire. We were able to go Fractional and started knocking out tickets immediately
Chris Polk
VP of EngineeringPolyworkWhat’s the difference between an operations consultant and a fractional operations leader?
Both operations consultants and fractional operations leaders are valuable alternatives to full-time hires, but they serve different purposes. Operations consultants are typically brought in to handle specific projects or solve defined challenges. They provide analysis, data-backed recommendations, and support for new initiatives, but they don’t usually assume ongoing leadership roles within your organization. Their engagements are often short-term or project-based, focused on delivering targeted improvements or solving specific operational issues. Fractional operations leaders, like fractional COOs, are hired to provide strategic direction and ongoing team leadership on a part-time basis. They often work directly with your executive team to ensure operations are aligned with business goals, manage day-to-day activities, and drive long-term growth. Fractional leaders are ideal when you need executive-level oversight but don’t require (or can’t justify) a full-time position.
When to hire an Operations Consultant
Whether you’re planning for a major transformation or trying to optimize current processes, experienced operations consultants are ready to help. You might hire an operations consultant if your business is:
Rapid Growth
Experiencing rapid growth or challenges while scaling
New Markets
Expanding into new markets or launching new product lines
M&A Activity
Preparing for a merger, acquisition, or divestiture
Operational Issues
Facing operational bottlenecks, rising costs, or declining efficiency
Tech Adoption
Implementing new systems and technologies
Restructuring
Navigating organizational restructuring or leadership transitions
Expertise Gap
Lacking in-house expertise for a critical project or initiative
Needs Assessment
Seeking an objective review of your current operations or a roadmap for improvement
Operations Consultant Hiring Guide
Coming Soon
Operations Consultant Job Description Template
Coming Soon
Operations Consultant Interview Questions
Coming Soon
Operations Consultant Salary
Further Reading
How to Hire a COO That Elevates Your Business (+6 Red Flags) What is a COO? A COO manages the day-to-day operations of a company to align with overall business goals. Learn more about what a COO does and how to hire a COO.
What Is a Fractional COO? 7 Valuable Benefits + Hiring Tips What is a fractional COO and how much does hiring one cost? Where can you find the right fractional COO and what's the best way to hire them? Read on.
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