Take Your Company to Operational Excellence with an Interim COO

An interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) is an executive change agent who helps companies execute on business strategies focusing straightaway on aligning resources, people, and assets to get that mission accomplished. The priority list of an interim chief operating officer depends on the individual company stage and circumstances. No matter the stage, an Interim COO is ready to hit the ground running.

An Interim COO will improve all areas of the business from operations to finance, marketing, product development and technology.

As organizations evolve, they are likely to undergo significant challenges or become more complex. When these corporate changes occur, organizations can sink or swim.

An interim COO role can be custom-fit to address the unique issues an organization wants to solve. One size doesn’t fit all.

Some companies need an outsourced COO with a strong financial acumen, while others onboard a part-time COO to support the CEO on big strategic initiatives, improving communication and moving the company forward in a positive direction. More and more organizations bring in an interim COO to collaborate across departments from product development to technology.

InterimExecs is home to top interim executives around the globe. If you are reaching for operational excellence and results, we can connect you with an Interim COO to make sure your organization runs at peak performance.

An Interim COO brings a fresh, unbiased review of the factors driving operational results. The client and their customers can expect immediate improvement in delivery, quality and cost while they search for the permanent person for the position.

-William Mince, Interim Chief Operating Officer

Let an Interim COO Make Your Vision a Reality

Bring in a Change Agent

To stay relevant your company must go through points of transformation and reinvention. It’s not optional. Whether the company is underperforming and needs big changes fast, or is faced with launching a new product, service or organizational improvement, an Interim Chief Operating Officer can lead the charge.

CEO and COO Partnership

An Interim COO supports the CEO, by cultivating a great working relationship that is grounded in trust. An interim or fractional COO simultaneously manages a high volume of operational responsibilities while working closely with the CEO on strategic initiatives. A great Chief Operating Officer complements the CEO’s experience and knowledge base and can serve as a partner to them. They naturally connect with people — from staff to partners, to vendors, and stakeholders – guiding people toward the vision of the CEO and board.

Implement Best Practices

A team that’s been together a long time can be cohesive, but can also suffer from groupthink. Injecting an expert interim COO can be vitally important in upgrading the team’s capabilities, creating greater efficiencies, injecting new ideas into the organization and bringing everyone up to a higher standard of best practices. An interim or fractional COO sets goals to boost performance and company growth, leading areas from IT to marketing, sales, and finance. Fostering the growth of other team members and preparing and mentoring leaders within the organization is also a focus to ensure operations run smoothly long after the interim exits.

Expand Your Global Footprint

A veteran Interim Chief Operating Officer can head up global expansion which comes with an array of challenges from cultural differences, new channels, and expanded partnerships, to integrating operations, and better lines of communication for global expansion to be a success. Some organizations might be challenged with moving production of operations to a new country, looking to an operations executive to lead the charge in setting up a new manufacturing facility or other type of operation. Others might look to an Interim COO to support expansion activities, investments, acquisitions, or other global partnerships.

System & Process Improvement

An Interim COO can plan and implement large-scale operational improvements, designing strategies, plans, and procedures and setting goals to boost performance and company growth. They quickly assess where an organization’s strengths and weaknesses lie looking across operations, company culture, internal communications, business processes, and project management, while quickly mending any holes.

Program Management Office (PMO)

An interim or outsourced COO can optimize or set up the Program Management Office (PMO). A COO will first assess an organization, making sure standards are in place to run projects, and ensuring programs are in alignment with business goals, requirements, and compliance. With a broad, yet intimate view of departmental functions a COO can increase program effectiveness and efficiency.

Business & Process Outsourcing (BPO) & Vendor Management

An interim COO oversees vendors, partners, and business process outsourcing (BPO), while ensuring contracted third-party service providers and vendor partnerships are beneficial to operations. The Interim COO utilizes data and metrics to make decisions about the most efficient way to run the organization and how outside resources across human resources, accounting, information technology can best be leveraged.

Supply Chain Management

When a wide array of processes are in motion an Interim COO can ensure an organization runs efficiently and profitability. From updating product and software development to compliance and safety on the manufacturing floor, to automation and increased productivity, an Interim COO can transform an organization.

Governance and Internal Controls

As organizations expand or transform, it is crucial to reevaluate internal controls to continue to protect assets, avoid fraud, and optimize operational efficiency. An Interim COO can develop sustainable methods for internal governance controls throughout the broader organization. From the development of products or services to day-to-day staff activities, an interim COO ensures policies and reporting are held to the highest standards.