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Fractional COO Services

Senior operational leadership — one operator, one point of contact

Most growing e-commerce brands don’t need a full-time COO, and they definitely don’t need an agency pretending to be one. They need one senior operator with nearly 20 years of hands-on experience — available when it counts, owning the outcomes, and reachable directly without a project manager in between.

How I Work

What a fractional COO engagement actually looks like

I embed into your operation as a fractional COO — in your tools, your meetings, your Slack — take ownership of the systems and outcomes, and build infrastructure designed to run without me. No decks, no theory, no junior staff doing the real work. Execution only, by the person you hired.

With nearly 20 years of hands-on experience across warehousing, logistics, distribution, DTC, and B2B — plus a verified track record of 800+ clients and 2,000+ Upwork hours — I bring C-suite operational depth at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire, and without the overhead of an agency.

Agency-level output. Concierge-level service. One direct contact. That’s the model.

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Engagement Models

Ongoing Embedded (Part-Time)

Weekly dedicated hours inside your operation — your tools, your meetings, your Slack. Ideal for brands that need consistent senior ops leadership over months or years without a full-time hire.

Project-Based (Defined Scope)

Scoped engagements with clear deliverables, success metrics, and a defined timeline. Perfect for platform migrations, 3PL onboarding, warehouse redesigns, or ShipStation overhauls.

What a Fractional COO Engagement Delivers
Operational audit & roadmapI start by understanding what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s costing the most. You get a prioritized action plan before a dollar is spent on execution.
Vertically integrated systems designOMS, WMS, IMS, PIM — designed, configured, and implemented as one connected stack where every system talks to every other. No data silos, no manual reconciliation.
Fulfillment & logistics optimizationCarrier negotiation, ShipStation automation, warehouse layout, 3PL onboarding — the full operational stack, executed end-to-end by the same person who designed it.
Vendor & 3PL relationship managementContract reviews, SLA monitoring, pricing negotiation, and transition management — so you get better terms and fewer surprises.
Omnichannel operations orchestrationDTC, B2B, Amazon, Faire, Walmart, EDI — unified through one order and inventory layer with consistent logic across every channel.
International expansion & complianceDDP/DDU setup, HTS classification, customs documentation, and duty optimization for Canada, EU, UK, and Oceania markets.
SOP development & team enablementDocumented processes, training frameworks, and playbooks so your team executes consistently without me being in every decision. Sustainable by design.

Ready to embed a fractional COO?

Tell me what you’re dealing with and I’ll give you an honest assessment of whether a fractional engagement is the right fit — and if so, what it would look like. You’ll hear back from me directly.

Or email me directly: Joe@thepolitogroupinc.com