Operations Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional COO Services in Philadelphia

Ryan Stevens
January 26, 2026
All Insights
Operations Professionals: Insights & Resources

Best Fractional COO Services in Philadelphia

Top Outsourced COO Services & Fractional Chief Operating Officers (COOs) in Philadelphia

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 - How We Selected the Best Interim, Outsourced, and Fractional COO Services in Philly

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.

Meet The Best Fractional COO & Outsourced COO Services in Philadelphia

Jill Tuck

Organizational Effectiveness Consultant & COO Advisor

Jill Tuck partners with mission-driven organizations and social enterprises to navigate complex transitions with operational clarity and heart. She brings experience in strategy implementation, people operations, and leadership team enablement.

Highlights:
🏢 Culture and change management for mission-led organizations
📑 Revenue diversification and growth strategy
💬 Enabling leadership teams to execute with purpose and momentum

Jill helps organizations stay true to their mission while moving efficiently through periods of change.

Brittany Palugod

Founder, ALGN Consulting

Brittany Palugod supports early-stage companies and nonprofits through fractional COO services and operations advisory. She specializes in organizational alignment, strategic clarity, and translating vision into actionable operating models.

Highlights:
🏢 Organizational alignment and operational strategy
📑 Guiding founders through complexity and cultural misalignment
💬 Turning big-picture vision into functional systems

Brittany helps leaders get unstuck and ensures teams move forward with clarity and cohesion.

Jemma Barbarise

Principal Advisor & COO, Compass Rose Ventures

Jemma Barbarise partners with social enterprises and impact-first businesses to design operations as intentional as the missions they serve. She brings experience in nonprofit leadership, startup strategy, and systems design for growth.

Highlights:
🏢 Mission-aligned operational design and stakeholder balance
📑 Structuring organizations for scalable, values-driven growth
💬 Enabling founders to balance impact with financial sustainability

Jemma helps organizations implement systems that support both purpose and performance.

Alex Benazet

Managing Partner, Sbook Solutions

Alex Benazet is a fractional COO for creative and consulting firms, blending agency operations, client services, and internal workflow design. She helps founders scale delivery without overloading teams or compromising outcomes.

Highlights:
🏢 Creative and consulting firm operational strategy
📑 Workflow design, client service optimization, and team enablement
💬 Scaling delivery models with operational clarity

Alex ensures client-facing businesses grow efficiently while maintaining high-quality output and team wellbeing.

Mandy Poston

Fractional COO & Business Operations Leader

Mandy Poston brings fractional COO expertise to high-growth services and creative organizations. She specializes in process redesign, team efficiency, and cross-functional clarity, turning messy systems into manageable workflows.

Highlights:
🏢 Process redesign and operational clarity
📑 Enhancing cross-functional collaboration and team efficiency
💬 Creating durable infrastructure for fast-moving teams

Mandy helps organizations regain operational clarity and execute with confidence during growth.

Michael Hammond

Startup Advisor & Fractional COO

Michael Hammond partners with B2B startups and SaaS companies, focusing on product operations, go-to-market optimization, and revenue enablement. He connects backend operations to commercial outcomes for early-stage growth.

Highlights:
🏢 Product operations and GTM strategy
📑 Revenue-focused operational design
💬 Systems building to support scalable business outcomes

Michael helps startups link operations to revenue, ensuring efficient growth and measurable results.

Shai Fogel

Fractional COO, Rainbow Creative

Shai Fogel provides fractional COO services to creative startups and purpose-led brands. Based in Philadelphia, he builds flexible, design-conscious operations that balance creativity with operational rigor.

Highlights:
🏢 Creative-friendly operational systems
📑 Process design that preserves brand soul while scaling
💬 Operational leadership for purpose-driven agencies

Shai enables founders to grow without sacrificing creative culture or operational efficiency.=

Final Thoughts 🎯 - Fractional Ops Is The Future

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:

Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional COO, Outsourced COO Services & Interim 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.

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.

Philadelphia, PA - Part-Time COOs & Fractional COO Services

Fractional COO Services in Philly are ensuring East Coast startups and high growth companies have the right structure to survive.

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.

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