When operations is on fire, we hold the line this week
Full COO coverage for 3 to 9 months when the seat is suddenly empty or the operating cadence has collapsed. Usually a departure, a stalled integration, or a cross-functional breakdown. Brian holds the seat directly and we recruit the permanent hire on the way out.
The Challenge
The COO is gone. Or the acquisition integration is six months in and none of the planned synergies have landed. Or the leadership team has stopped meeting because every meeting turns into a cross-functional fight. Sales is missing numbers. Operations is missing ship dates. Finance cannot close because half the data is in someone else's system. The CEO is now spending more than half their time playing air traffic controller across function heads who are supposed to own their own seats.
You do not have time to run a COO search. A COO search is a 4 to 6 month process, and by the time the permanent hire starts, another quarter has been lost. You need someone in the seat this week. Someone who has held the title before, can walk into Monday's leadership meeting and actually run it, and can put the operating cadence back together while the search runs in parallel.
Our Approach
We step in at a 10 to 20 hour per week cadence for 3 to 9 months. Week one is a forensic pass on the operating cadence: where the leadership rhythm broke, which cross-functional decisions are stuck, which function heads are overmatched and which are being blocked, what the real operating metrics look like versus what the dashboard says. Week two installs the interim operating spine: weekly leadership rhythm, decision log, metric review, and a single source of truth on the operating plan.
We do not stabilize the month and walk. We hold the seat end to end, run the permanent COO search in parallel, and stay embedded through the transition so the operating cadence does not collapse a second time the day the new hire walks in.
What You Get
- Forensic diagnostic in week one: leadership rhythm, stuck decisions, overmatched seats
- Interim operating spine installed by day 14: weekly rhythm, decision log, metric review
- Direct coverage of leadership team meetings and cross-functional decision-making
- Stabilization of stalled integrations, product launches, or operational rollouts
- Permanent COO recruiting support including job spec, interview slate, and reference checks
- Structured handoff to permanent hire with defined transition period
- Written transition memo documenting open decisions, stuck work, and function-head assessment
Engagement Model
10 to 20 hours per week for 3 to 9 months. Start date is usually within one week of signed engagement. Brian holds the seat directly. No junior handoff on an interim engagement, ever. The exit is built into the engagement from day one: permanent COO search runs in parallel, not after.
Who It's For
Built for $2M to $50M companies where the COO seat just went empty, the operating cadence has visibly broken down, or an integration has stalled past the point the existing team can recover on its own. Typical triggers are a COO departure, an acquisition integration past the 90-day mark without meaningful progress, or a CEO spending more than half their time on cross-functional work. We are not the right fit for companies that want a fractional COO on an ongoing basis. That is a different service.
Related Services
Fractional COO
Embedded COO leadership 2 to 4 days per month. Installs the operating cadence across sales, operations, and finance.
Learn more →Interim CFO
Full CFO coverage for 3 to 9 months when the seat is suddenly empty. Brian holds the seat directly and recruits your permanent hire on the way out.
Learn more →Fractional CFO
Embedded CFO leadership 2 to 4 days per month. Board-grade reporting and capital strategy without a $300K salary on the cap table.
Learn more →Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Get Started with Interim COO?
Schedule a complimentary consultation and we will map out a practical financial plan tailored to your goals.