Fractional Chief of Staff Operations Officer Chief of Getting Things Done Officer of Making the Invisible Visible

Part-time executive operational leadership for organizations that have outgrown their systems

What It Is:

Think of me as your strategic partner and operational leader, attending leadership meetings, managing cross-functional initiatives, building systems, and making real-time decisions, but working 1-3 days per week instead of full-time.

This isn’t consulting where someone delivers recommendations and disappears. I’m embedded in your team, accountable for results, building infrastructure that honors how your organization actually works.

Why Combine Chief of Staff + COO?

Organizations hiring fractionally usually have neither role on staff. Having one person doing both strategic coordination and operational management eliminates the potential misalignment between the “map” (your official processes) and the “territory” (how work actually gets done).

When strategy and operations are integrated, change sticks instead of stalling.

What’s Included

Strategic Coordination

Serve as thinking partner to Executive Director/CEO
Translate vision into actionable roadmaps with clear owners and timelines
Coordinate cross-functional initiatives that require multiple teams
Manage special projects that don’t fit neatly into anyone’s job description
Protect executive’s time for highest-value work (fundraising, external relationships, strategy)

Team Development

Break down silos and improve cross-functional coordination
Assess and nurture cultural health
Build your team’s decision-making muscle
Transfer knowledge so you can eventually own these systems independently

Operational Leadership

Design and implement systems (workflows, decision-making, communication) that fit your culture
Build processes that scale without bureaucracy
Establish metrics and dashboards that tell the real story
Ensure institutional knowledge is documented, not just tribal
Manage competing priorities and resource allocation

Real Time Support

Attend key leadership meetings
Make decisions alongside your team
Solve problems as they emerge
Keep strategic priorities actually moving forward

Who is it For?

Organizations in Growth Mode
You’re past the scrappy startup phase but not yet big enough to justify a full-time COO. You’re somewhere between $500K and $5M in budget, things are working but your old processes are slowing you down. You need operational leadership to professionalize without losing what makes you special.
Organizations in Transition
New leadership, post-merger, strategic pivot, or layoffs – whatever the change, you need operationally steady hands to manage the chaos and keep things moving forward. The map your previous leadership drew doesn’t fit your current territory.
Executives Burried in Operations
You’re great at vision and strategy but you’re also drowning in the day-to-day work of keeping the organization running. You need someone to take the execution piece off your plate so you can focus on fundraising, external relationships, and big-picture thinking.
Teams with Talent but Lacking Coordination
Your team is incredible and everyone excels at their function, but no one’s coordinating across the organization, connecting the dots, or making sure things actually get done. You need someone who can see the whole terrain, not just individual departments.
Organizations Where the Map Doesn’t Match the Territory
Your org chart says one thing, but decisions actually happen another way. Your stated values sound hollow because daily behavior tells a different story. Everyone routes around official processes because “that’s not how things really work here.” You need someone who can diagnose the gaps and close them.

What Does Success Look Like?

After 3 Months

The Executive Leader has a strategic thought partner and their time is being protected for highest-value work
Major stuck projects are unstuck and moving with clear ownership
Leadership team has clarity on priorities and cross-functional coordination is improving
Key operational systems are in place and being used (budgeting, project tracking, communication workflows)
You’ve identified where your map and territory diverge and have started closing those gaps
You’re spending less time on operational chaos and more time on strategic work
Initial process improvements are showing measurable impact

After 6 Months

Strategic initiatives are executing on time with clear accountability structures
The Executive’s calendar and priorities are well-managed, allowing them to focus on external relationships and vision
Your team has operational rhythms and rituals that actually work (effective meetings, decision-making processes, information flow)
Critical systems are functioning smoothly (HR processes, technology infrastructure, financial controls)
Systems honor how your organization actually works, not just how you say you work
Decisions are being made faster and with more clarity across the organization
You have infrastructure that scales with growth rather than breaking under pressure

After 12 Months

Your organization operates smoothly even when I’m not there—the ED and leadership team can rely on established systems
Strategic and operational planning are integrated, not separate exercises
Your team has internalized operational best practices and can maintain systems independently
You’ve built organizational muscle memory for execution, follow-through, and continuous improvement
The map matches the territory and your official processes reflect how work actually gets done
Key operational functions (HR, tech, finance, facilities) run efficiently with appropriate oversight
You’re ready to either bring strategic and operational leadership in-house or continue at a lower fractional capacity based on your evolving needs

Ready to Close the Gap?

Let’s start with a conversation about what’s actually going on in your organization and whether fractional operations leadership is the right solution.

Schedule a Consultation