Market data / COO · Updated October 2026 · by Simon Cook
COO salary benchmarks for consumer brands, UK 2026
At a consumer brand the COO turns what the founders do by hand into processes the team can run without them. London salary ranges for consumer brands from Series A to scale-up, with seed alongside, plus equity by stage and fractional day rates at seed and Series A. If you're about to make this hire, here's how Suma runs a search.
Chief Operating Officer
Operational infrastructure, supply chain, team scaling, process, cross-functional delivery.
Full-time
Series A
£110,000 - £160,000
per year + equity
Series B
£135,000 - £190,000
per year + equity
Scale-up
£150,000 - £350,000+
per year. London, all sectors. Source: Robert Walters, COO salaries UK 2026
Seed
£80,000 - £120,000
per year + equity
Scale-up means Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue.
Fractional
Series A · 1 - 2 days/week
£700 – £1,400
£2,800 – £11,200/month
Seed · 1 - 2 days/week
£500 – £1,100
£2,000 – £8,800/month
COO profile varies significantly in consumer - e-commerce operations is a different skill set from marketplace or subscription. Equity at seed typically 0.75 - 2%.
| Role | Series A | Series B | Seed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Operating Officer | 0.4% - 1.0% | 0.25% - 0.75% | 0.75% - 2.0% | A COO who is effectively a co-founder or number two may negotiate founder-level equity. |
Equity figures represent percentage of fully diluted share capital on grant.
| Role | Full-time | Fractional |
|---|---|---|
| COO | 3 - 6 months | 2 - 4 weeks |
Notice periods affect your search timeline. Factor in 4-8 weeks for a typical hiring process on top of notice. Senior candidates at large companies may have 6-month notice clauses - garden leave is sometimes negotiable.
Stage experience
Candidates who have done the specific job at your stage before - not just at a bigger company - command a premium. A COO who has built operations from a founder's spreadsheet to a team of 30 at seed is worth more to you than one who ran a 300-person operation that was already working when they arrived.
Equity appetite
Candidates willing to take meaningful equity in lieu of cash compress the salary range. At seed, a 20-30% salary reduction in exchange for additional equity is common and rational for both sides if the startup has real upside. COOs acting as an effective number two to the founder tend to negotiate toward the top of the equity range rather than the top of the salary range.
Business model
The scope of a consumer COO varies more than any other role on this page, and the range moves with it. E-commerce operations - fulfilment, supply chain, stock - is a different job from running a subscription or a marketplace, where the operational problems are retention, supply-side liquidity and customer support at scale. Candidates who have run your specific model price at the top.
Company pedigree
Candidates who have built the same thing you are building - at a company that did it well - command a meaningful premium. A COO who scaled fulfilment at Gousto or the supply chain at Bloom & Wild has already made the mistakes you are about to make. The value isn't the brand on the CV - it's that they know what good looks like on the other side of the problems you haven't met yet.
COO salary in London vs the rest of the UK
Most of the consumer brands Suma works with are in London, and so are most of the COO candidates, so the ranges on this page are London ranges in practice. Many consumer operations sit outside London in warehouses, fulfilment and supply chain, but a COO who has scaled your specific model at your stage comes from a small national pool that prices itself against London. Remote and hybrid working have narrowed the gap further.
How COO compensation works: cash vs equity
The salary and equity ranges on this page work as a trade. A candidate at the bottom of the cash range should be at the top of the equity range, and the reverse. Taking a lower salary in exchange for additional equity is a common trade at seed, and it makes sense for both sides if the business has real upside.
COO equity runs from 0.75% - 2.0% at seed, 0.4% - 1.0% at Series A and 0.25% - 0.75% at Series B. A COO who is effectively a co-founder or the founder's number two may negotiate founder-level equity, and tends to push towards the top of the equity range before the top of the salary range.
Vesting at this stage is nearly always four years with a one-year cliff, granted under an EMI scheme where the company qualifies. The guide on executive equity covers the terms in full.
What a COO costs all-in
Base salary is only part of the cost. Employer's National Insurance at 15% above the secondary threshold, an employer pension contribution and the dilution from the option grant all sit on top, before any bonus or search fee. A fractional COO at one to two days a week is a day rate and nothing else, which is part of why the fractional route can look cheaper than it turns out to be.
Fractional or full-time COO
Fractional COOs at seed charge £500 – £1,100 a day, or £2,000 – £8,800 a month at one to two days a week, rising to £700 – £1,400 a day at Series A. The COO's job is to turn what the founders do by hand into processes the team can run without them, and to take things off the founder's plate. Fractional cover works best where the scope is clearly defined.
COO or MD/GM
The two roles are often confused. A COO usually runs operations alongside a founder who is still CEO. An MD/GM runs the whole business day to day, including the P&L and often the board relationship. An MD/GM usually earns more than a COO at the same stage because they own the whole P&L: £120,000 - £170,000 at Series A for an MD/GM against £110,000 - £160,000 for a COO. If the founder intends to step back, the search is for an MD/GM. See the MD/GM benchmarks.
UK vs US COO salaries
Founders benchmarking against US data will find the numbers on this page low. US executive pay runs higher across the board, and US rounds are larger. Equity percentages are closer between the two markets than cash is.
Series B and beyond
At Series B the COO range moves up to £135,000 - £190,000, with equity of 0.25% - 0.75%. The COO is usually running several functions through their own leads, and the job becomes putting in the systems and people that stop the same fires starting again as operations roughly double.
For scale-up and established consumer brands, Robert Walters, COO salaries UK 2026 puts a COO at £150,000 - £350,000+ (London, all sectors).
Ask
“What does bad operational infrastructure look like at seed stage and how do you fix it?”
Why it matters
Tests pattern recognition. A good COO has seen the common failure modes and knows what to prioritise first.
Ask
“How do you decide what a founder should stop doing?”
Why it matters
The COO's job is partly to take things off the founder's plate. If they can't have that conversation, they won't be effective.
Ask
“Tell me about a time you had to build a team quickly under resource constraints.”
Why it matters
Early-stage ops is resource-constrained by definition. You need someone who has done more with less.
Ask
“Tell me about a year when operations had to roughly double. What did you change first, and what would you do differently?”
Why it matters
At a scaling brand the COO runs functions through their own leads. You want to hear about the systems and people they put in place to stop the same fires starting again.
Do this
Understand what the founder wants to stop doing.
Why it works
Ask them directly. The answer tells you what your first 90 days actually look like and whether the role is well-scoped.
Do this
Clarify the relationship with the CEO from the start.
Why it works
COO success depends on trust and clear division of responsibility. Surface this early - it's harder to fix once you're in post.
Do this
Ask about the biggest operational bottleneck right now.
Why it works
If they know the answer, the role is well-scoped. If they don't, you're being hired to find out - which is a different job.
What is the COO salary range at seed stage?
A full-time COO at a seed-stage consumer startup in the UK typically earns £80,000 - £120,000 per year.
What is the COO salary range at Series A?
At Series A, full-time COO salaries at consumer brands in the UK typically range from £110,000 - £160,000 per year, with candidates who have scaled the specific model (subscription, DTC, marketplace) commanding the upper end.
What is the COO salary range at Series B?
At Series B, full-time COO salaries at consumer brands in London typically range from £135,000 - £190,000 per year, with equity of 0.25% - 0.75%. At this stage the COO is usually running several functions through their own leads rather than hands-on.
What does a COO earn at a scale-up consumer brand?
For scale-up and established brands (Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue), Robert Walters, COO salaries UK 2026 puts a COO at £150,000 - £350,000+ a year (London, all sectors).
What does a fractional COO charge per day?
Fractional COOs at seed-stage consumer startups typically charge £500 – £1,100 per day, rising to £700 – £1,400 per day at Series A. Engagements usually run one to two days per week.
How much equity does a COO receive at a consumer brand?
COO equity at seed stage typically ranges from 0.75% - 2.0% of fully diluted share capital. At Series A the range is 0.4% - 1.0%. At Series B it comes down again, to 0.25% - 0.75%, as the cash moves closer to market. A COO acting effectively as a co-founder or number two may negotiate founder-level equity.
What drives a COO's salary at a consumer brand?
Stage experience, equity appetite, the business model and company pedigree. E-commerce operations is a different job from running a subscription or a marketplace, and candidates who have run your specific model price at the top.
What's the difference between a COO and an MD/GM?
A COO usually runs operations alongside a founder who is still CEO, while an MD/GM runs the whole business day to day. The MD/GM owns the full P&L and often the board relationship, and usually earns more at the same stage.
What notice period does a COO usually have?
A full-time COO typically has a notice period of 3 - 6 months, and a fractional COO 2 - 4 weeks. Factor in 4-8 weeks for a typical hiring process on top of notice.
Can a COO get founder-level equity?
Sometimes, when the COO is effectively a co-founder or the founder's number two. Otherwise COO equity typically sits at 0.75% - 2.0% at seed and 0.4% - 1.0% at Series A.
What is a COO salary in the UK?
Suma's benchmarks for UK consumer brands put a full-time COO at £80,000 to £120,000 at seed, £110,000 to £160,000 at Series A and £135,000 to £190,000 at Series B. At scale-ups and established businesses in London, COO salaries typically run from £150,000 to £350,000 and above. Fractional COOs charge £500 to £1,100 a day at seed and £700 to £1,400 at Series A, usually for one to two days a week, with equity on top for full-time hires.
Sources: Suma COO salary benchmarks; scale-up range from Robert Walters, COO salaries UK 2026.
Is a COO higher than a CEO?
Usually not. A CEO is normally paid more than a COO. The COO usually reports to the CEO and runs operations day to day, while the CEO leads the company, the board and the fundraising. Suma's benchmarks put a COO at £110,000 to £160,000 at Series A, below the £130,000 to £180,000 a hired CEO earns at the same stage. A COO who's effectively the founder's number two can take a founder-level equity grant, but still reports to the CEO.
Sources: Suma COO and CEO salary benchmarks; Suma's experience hiring and placing operations leaders.
- CEO CEO salary UK 2026 Leading the company and the board, fundraising, strategy and the senior team.
- CFO CFO salary UK 2026 Finance leadership, investor relations, unit economics, fundraising readiness.
- CMO CMO salary UK 2026 Acquisition, retention, brand building, performance marketing, growth strategy.
- MD MD/GM salary UK 2026 Running the business day to day, P&L ownership, commercial growth, the leadership team, so the founder can step back.
All five roles, with sources, on the salary benchmarks overview. For the decisions behind the numbers, read the hiring guides: your first finance hire, when to hire a CFO, fractional or full-time and executive equity.
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