In an accountancy firm a COO owns how the business runs day to day — workflow, capacity, systems, people structure and delivery — so the partners can focus on clients and growth. The job is to turn an owner-dependent practice into one that runs on documented systems and a steady operating rhythm.
The core responsibilities
- Workflow: how jobs move through the firm, from onboarding to delivery to review
- Capacity and resourcing: making sure the right work reaches the right people at the right time
- Systems: getting practice-management and workflow tools embedded and used consistently
- People structure: clear roles, ownership and a management layer that doesn’t route everything back to the partners
- Commercial operations: pricing, packaging and turning advisory ambition into deliverable processes
What a COO does not do
A COO isn’t a senior accountant, a bookkeeper or a compliance reviewer. They don’t do the fee-earning work — they build the operation that lets the fee-earners do it well. Nor are they a practice manager coordinating admin; the COO works a level up, on how the whole firm is designed to run.
Why accountancy firms need the role
Most firms grow through technical skill and referrals until the way they operate can’t keep up. A COO closes that gap. For firms not yet large enough to justify a full-time hire, a fractional COO delivers the same role part-time on a monthly retainer.
Common questions
Is a COO more senior than a practice manager?
Yes. A practice manager coordinates the day-to-day; a COO owns the operating strategy and the systems the whole firm runs on. They work well together.
Can a partner be the COO?
Sometimes, but it rarely works long term — the operational role gets squeezed out by client work. That’s why many firms bring in a dedicated or fractional operator.
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