Fractional COO Australia

• Australian B2B or professional services, about $2-20m revenue
• Founder or MD still in the operating loop: payroll, pipeline, pricing, cash
• Xero in place, or close. Last month is visible. The next quarter is not
• A sales list exists. You would not bet the quarter on it
• You can feel the gap a COO would fill, but a full-time package does not make sense yet

Not a generic ops rhythm. Not a slide pack. Three pieces of work, in this order.

1. Twelve-month cash (Xero + Float) Xero will only forecast from invoices and bills already in the system. That is not enough if you need to go to the bank, or cut outflows before they hit. We pull Xero actuals into Float and build a 12-month forward forecast, so you can see the cash gap in time to act.
2. Pipeline you can run (Funnel Analyser) Most pipelines are a list of names. The Funnel Analyser puts a stage and a close rate on each deal, then a weighted value. Closed business and deals not yet in the system sit beside that, so the gap to target is a number. Adding known deals is not a plan.
3. Operating model Once cash and pipeline are honest, we set a fit-for-purpose operating model: what the business must be able to do, who owns it, and the structure that can carry the next stage. Blueprint, then implementation.

Christopher Long, GAICD. Founder. Former Accenture and SAP executive. CommBank and Macquarie work through those years. Corporate and not-for-profit boards. The useful bit for a $2-20m firm is the cash and pipeline discipline, not the corporate theatre.

A small team sits behind the work when a transformation piece needs a second operator. You deal with Christopher.

What is a fractional COO?

A part-time chief operating officer. Same job as a full-time COO: cash, pipeline, operating rhythm, and the model the business runs on. Fewer days. No full-time package. At COO d'Prix the wedge is a 12-month Float forecast off Xero actuals, and the Funnel Analyser. It is not a bookkeeper, not a fractional CFO for statutory accounts, and not an interim five-day-a-week hire.

What does a fractional COO cost in Australia?

Published marketplace bands, 2026: Expert360 has fractional COO work at about A$6,000 to A$25,000 a month; Maestro has Australian retainers at about AUD $8,000 to $18,000 a month. Light oversight sits at the low end. Hands-on leadership sits higher. A full-time COO is commonly A$280,000 to A$300,000+ with on-costs. COO d'Prix quotes after the intro, on scope.

How does a virtual COO in Sydney work if we are not in the same office?

Most of the work is remote. Xero, the forecast, the funnel, and a short operating review. Australian time zone. On-site days when a workshop or a messy process needs it. If you need a body in the office five days a week, hire employed.

What happens in the 30-minute intro?

Thirty minutes. No pitch deck. We look at whether cash, pipeline, or the operating model is the actual constraint, and whether a fractional COO is the right seat. If it is, we agree the first piece of work. If it is not, you leave with a clear no.