.jpeg)
Fractional COOs in Philadelphia Making Things Happen
Philadelphia Part-Time Chief Operating Officers to Know
Philadelphia has long been known for grit, history, and innovation—and now it’s becoming a hub for fractional executive talent helping companies bridge the gap between vision and execution. With startups scaling across healthtech, services, and mission-driven sectors, the demand for fractional COOs is rising. These are the leaders stepping in to realign operations, clarify priorities, and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth.
At Digital Reference, our goal is to pull back the curtain on the people building meaningful momentum inside companies. In this roundup, we’re highlighting Philadelphia-based or Philly-serving fractional COOs and operators who are making an outsized impact across industries.
Our Methodology: Philly Fractional COO Service Providers
We apply an editorial framework rooted in Experience and Expertise.
To select this list, we:
- Verified regional presence in the Philadelphia metro ecosystem
- Assessed operational depth, public presence, and clarity of offering
- Prioritized leaders with reputation for impact, transparency, and client collaboration
- Considered diversity of industry experience, from early-stage startups to nonprofits to midsize scale-ups
This is not a ranking—it’s a curated showcase of trusted operational talent.
Brittany Palugod
Founder, ALGN Consulting
Bio: Brittany is the founder of ALGN Consulting, a firm that supports early-stage companies and nonprofits through fractional COO and operations advisory. Her sweet spot is organizational alignment and strategic clarity, especially for purpose-driven businesses.
Why she’s featured: Brittany’s gift is helping leaders get unstuck. She’s especially valuable to founders navigating complexity or cultural misalignment, with a sharp ability to translate big-picture vision into operating models that actually work.
Jemma Barbarise
Principal Advisor & COO, Compass Rose Ventures
Bio: Jemma partners with social enterprises and impact-first businesses to create operations that are as intentional as the missions they serve. With a background in nonprofit leadership and startup strategy, she’s adept at helping founders structure for growth.
Why she’s featured: Jemma stands out for her values-driven approach and deep understanding of mission-aligned growth. She’s especially effective at building systems that balance stakeholder impact with financial sustainability.
Alex Benazet
Managing Partner, Sbook Solutions
Bio: Alex is the founder of Sbook Solutions, where she works as a fractional COO and growth partner for creative and consulting firms. Her background blends agency ops, client service, and internal workflow design.
Why she’s featured: Alex is the ops whisperer for client-facing businesses. She helps founders scale their delivery models without burning out teams or compromising client outcomes.
Mandy Poston
Fractional COO & Business Operations Leader
Bio: Mandy is a seasoned business operator with a focus on process redesign, team efficiency, and cross-functional clarity. Her sweet spot lies in high-growth services and creative organizations.
Why she’s featured: Mandy has a knack for making messy systems manageable. She’s especially effective when teams are moving fast but need to regain clarity and create durable infrastructure.
Michael Hammond
Startup Advisor & Fractional COO
Bio: Michael supports B2B startups and SaaS companies with product operations, GTM optimization, and revenue enablement. His work often sits at the intersection of sales, customer success, and delivery.
Why he’s featured: Michael is a systems builder with commercial awareness. He knows how to tie backend operations to revenue-driving outcomes, making him ideal for early-stage companies looking to tighten their ops.
Jill Tuck
Organizational Effectiveness Consultant & COO Advisor
Bio: Jill works with nonprofits and purpose-led companies on strategy implementation, people operations, and leadership team enablement. She brings a strong lens on culture and change management.
Why she’s featured: Jill helps teams navigate complex transitions with heart. Her background in nonprofit ops and strategic HR makes her a standout for organizations prioritizing both mission and momentum.
Shai Fogel
Fractional COO, Rainbow Creative
Bio: Shai leads operations at Rainbow Creative, a Philadelphia-based agency that builds storytelling systems for purpose-led brands. In addition to agency work, he acts as a fractional operator for select creative startups.
Why he’s featured: Shai is a builder of creative-friendly ops—where flexibility, design thinking, and business rigor coexist. He’s a go-to for founders looking to grow without losing the soul of their brand.
Final Thoughts 🎯
Philadelphia’s fractional COO community is small but mighty. These operators bring thoughtful leadership, people-first processes, and durable systems to the companies they support. Whether it’s early-stage growth, nonprofit scale, or client-service delivery—you’ll find someone on this list who can help your team move forward with confidence.
At Digital Reference, we’re here to connect talent with transparency. If you’re exploring fractional leadership for the first time or seeking inspiration for your next hire—this list is a great place to start.
Looking for more on fractional talent? Explore:
- What to Look for in a Fractional COO
- Fractional COO vs. Outsourced COO
- Local Directories of Fractional COOs
Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional & Part-Time COOs by City
Ann Arbor, MI - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Ann Arbor startups and research-driven firms are turning to fractional ops leaders for precision execution and growth strategy.
Atlanta, GA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In a city that blends enterprise and startup energy, Atlanta companies lean on COOs who can unify vision and operations.
Boston, MA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
From biotech to B2B SaaS, Boston’s ops leaders bring structure and speed to innovation-heavy teams.
Chicago, IL - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
COOs in the Windy City are helping companies align their back-end systems with bold front-end goals.
Dallas, TX - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Denver, CO - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Denver’s scale-ups are calling in fractional execs to professionalize their operations without slowing their culture.
Detroit, MI - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
With roots in manufacturing and momentum in mobility, Detroit companies rely on fractional COOs for systems that scale.
Houston, Texas - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Houston’s operational ecosystem is evolving fast. More startups are scaling. More nonprofits are serving complex needs.
London, United Kingdom - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Fractional COO Services are sky-rocketing in popularity in London as labor costs go up and time to market is accelerating.
Los Angeles, CA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In LA, creative industries meet tech—and fractional COOs bring the operational clarity these hybrid teams need.
New York City, NY - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
NYC’s pace demands results. These operators know how to navigate fast-moving startups and scaling giants alike.
Phoenix, AZ - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Phoenix-based COOs help founders transition from hustle to structured scale with systems that grow.
San Francisco, CA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Bay Area COOs are stepping in to help tech companies streamline, automate, and stabilize post-funding growth.
Seattle, WA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
In Seattle’s product-driven landscape, ops leaders drive alignment between engineering, GTM, and finance.
Sydney, Australia - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Home to Canva, growing base of purpose-led enterprises, and increasing demand for agile executive leadership, Sydney has become a hotbed for operational talent that doesn’t require a full-time seat.
Toronto, Canada - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
Toronto doesn’t just build startups—it builds systems. It’s a city where public meets private, where the startup ecosystem is growing alongside government programs, universities, and a rising impact economy. But for all its innovation, hiring executive talent in Toronto has always come with nuance.
Washington, DC (DMV Area) - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services
DC-area operators bring rigor and regulatory awareness—perfect for mission-driven orgs and gov-adjacent teams.
Know a Philly-based COO we should meet? Send them our way—we're always on the lookout.
Curated independently by Digital Reference. No paid placements.
Subscribe to our newsletter
We'd love to have you follow our journey, learn about to new features and functionality, and get access to talent ecosystem news.
