Engagements / 03 · Ongoing

Fractional Retainer

A part-time Head of Operations. Cadence, accountability, decisions taken, systems maintained, and the next improvement always in progress.

Request a proposal

Who it is for

  • A business that needs senior operations leadership but not a full-time hire yet.
  • An owner or general manager who wants to step back from the day-to-day without losing sight of it.
  • A team with systems in place that needs someone to keep them honest.

How it runs

  1. Operations review

    With the owner or general manager, and the managers. Numbers, exceptions, decisions.

  2. Performance review

    Priorities ahead, one improvement implemented or in progress.

  3. Operating model review

    The operating model reviewed against where the business is going: capacity, roles, systems.

What you get

  • 01A management cadence that runs whether or not you are in the building.
  • 02Decisions taken and recorded, with owners and dates.
  • 03Numbers on time, from a source you trust.
  • 04Systems maintained and improved, one at a time.
  • 05A standing seat for your managers to bring problems to.

What it is not

  • Not an interim manager. We do not run the shifts; we run the system that runs them.

Questions

What is a fractional Head of Operations?

Senior operations leadership part-time, for a business that needs it but not a full-time hire yet: cadence, accountability, decisions taken and systems maintained.

How is it different from an interim manager?

An interim manager runs the shifts. The Retainer runs the system that runs them.

How does it run?

Through regular reviews with the owner or general manager and the managers: operations (numbers, exceptions, decisions), performance (priorities and the improvement in progress) and the operating model (capacity, roles, systems).

When does it end?

When the business hires its own Head of Operations. Helping to recruit and hand over is part of the scope.

How it ends The Retainer ends when the business hires its own Head of Operations. Helping to recruit and hand over is part of the scope.

Request a proposal

Tell us where the operation gets stuck. We reply with a written proposal.

The other engagements03
01 / Fixed scope

Audit

A fixed-scope diagnostic of how the operation actually runs, against how it is believed to run. Findings, priorities and a plan, in writing.

02 / Focused

Sprint

Implement one operational system and make it stick: SOPs, a reporting cadence, staff trained on it, and automation where it earns its place.