Find the best Chief Operating Officers in Berlin matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI
Bring in a COO, Head of Operations, or interim operations lead for restructuring, scaling, and day-to-day execution. Use them to tighten processes, align teams, and keep delivery on track, with fast, precise matching to vetted, available freelancers.
About the role
What they run A Chief Operating Officer turns strategy into execution. Companies bring in a COO to take charge of operations, remove bottlenecks, and make sure teams, systems, and reporting work as one. In Berlin, this often means supporting fast-moving tech firms, scale-ups, agencies, and international teams that need sharper control without adding a permanent executive too early.
Typical deliverables
- Operating model design and process cleanup
- KPI and management reporting setup
- Cross-functional team alignment and cadence
- Growth, restructuring, or post-merger execution support
- Hiring, org design, and role clarity for operations teams
- Vendor, budget, and resource coordination
Core skills A strong Chief Operating Officer combines leadership with operational discipline. They understand P&L pressure, service delivery, and how to translate board goals into practical plans. Searchers also use titles like COO, Chief Operations Officer, or Head of Operations, especially when the role is close to general management.
- Clear ownership of process, people, and performance
- Strong financial and operational judgment
- Experience leading through change
- Ability to work with founders, executives, and department heads
- Calm communication when priorities compete
Tools and methods COOs usually work across dashboards, ERP or CRM systems, planning tools, and management routines. They review KPIs, map workflows, define decision rights, and build simple operating rhythms that help teams execute. The best candidates do not just document problems; they set up habits that keep them from coming back.
When to bring one in A freelance COO makes sense when leadership needs immediate operational control, but the company is not ready for a full-time hire. This is common during expansion, refinancing, turnaround work, product launches, or founder transitions. Berlin companies often use interim support when teams are growing fast, working across locations, or need stronger coordination between operations, finance, and delivery.
What good looks like A strong COO is practical, direct, and trusted by both leadership and teams. They can step into a messy environment, separate urgent issues from structural ones, and leave behind a clearer way of working.
- Turns broad goals into concrete action
- Spots weak handovers and missing ownership
- Improves execution without adding bureaucracy
- Communicates well with executives and operators
- Delivers order, pace, and accountability
Meet FRATCH Chief Operating Officers
Patricia Afonso Alemany
Head of Operations
Last position:
Head of Operations at StratifAI GmbH
- Designed, managed, and implemented the company’s operational, compliance, procurement, and financial strategy, ensuring alignment with rapid scaling and regulatory objectives.
- Built and scaled operational infrastructure across IT, HR, Finance, Procurement, and Compliance, supporting growth from 4 to 20 team members in 6 months.
- Oversaw financial management of OPEX, including budgeting, monitoring, and cost optimization to sustain high-growth operations.
- Developed and executed a procurement strategy, including vendor selection, negotiation, and performance oversight.
- Procured and managed external consultants (compliance, quality, regulatory experts) and orchestrated collaboration across internal teams and external partners to meet milestones.
- Implemented policies, SOPs, and business systems (compliance tracking, eQMS, payroll, vendor management, data governance) to support regulatory compliance and scalability.
- Managed and actively oversaw regulatory and compliance programs, embedding GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 requirements into day-to-day operations.
- Directed the rollout of a Quality Management System (QMS) aligned with ISO 13485 to prepare for medical device and AI regulatory certifications.
- Led people and culture development, establishing onboarding, performance management, and cross-functional collaboration structures to scale the organization effectively.
- Established risk management and business continuity frameworks, including security controls, risk registers, and compliance safeguards.
- Engaged executive leadership, board, and investors to align operational strategy with corporate goals and market expansion.
- Enabled technology-driven operations, selecting and implementing digital systems (e.g., Drata, Qualio) to ensure compliance and efficiency.
- Scaled StratifAI’s operational backbone to support rapid growth and international market readiness.
- Achieved ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance within 6 months, enabling enterprise and healthcare partnerships.
- Implemented a QMS system aligned with ISO 13485, paving the way for regulatory approvals and positioning for upcoming ISO 13485 certification, CE-IVDR marking, and FDA clearance within 12 months.
- Designed and executed governance, procurement, and financial controls, ensuring efficient resource allocation and sustainable compliance.
- Established a culture of structured growth, integrating people, processes, and compliance frameworks to maintain operational excellence.
- Enabled StratifAI to confidently enter regulated US and EU markets, building the foundation for long-term expansion.
Darav Taha
COO & Co-Founder
Last position:
COO & Co-Founder at MedTech Startup
Established and streamlined business development and sales processes, including implementation of CRM systems, marketing strategies, and search engine advertising
Expanded market reach through targeted outreach efforts
Implemented effective B2B marketing strategies to enhance brand visibility and product reach
Developed a strong sales pipeline focused on long-term relationship building and customer retention
Played a key role in the product development lifecycle from ideation to execution, ensuring compliance with market demands and regulatory standards
Led medical and technical teams to drive product development and company growth
David Hamel
Fractional CPO | Fintech x AI Product Builder
Last position:
Venture Development Consultant at Impacmve.pro
- Advised product and strategy of a cloud-based SaaS for financial institutions
Dan Wucherpfennig
Chief Operating Officer (COO) / Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
Last position:
Chief Operating Officer (COO) / Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at samedi
- Unified and optimized organizational structures across sales, delivery, and support; standardized handoffs and workflows to reduce friction.
- Designed and rolled out digitized, harmonized operational processes to improve efficiency and quality.
- Built and scaled the KHZG patient portal unit with integrated governance, making samedi a lead provider in Germany.
- Aligned revenue and fulfillment under coherent frameworks, delivering 25%+ YoY growth in 2024 and projected ~30%+ in 2025.
- Established cross-functional KPI oversight with process-driven improvement initiatives.
Stefan Braun
Operator & Builder | International Expansion & Scaling | Ex-Founder
Last position:
Co-Founder & COO at Sunhero
- Co-founded the company during COVID remotely and scaled the company’s core business to 100+ employees across Marketing, Sales and Operations retaining a mission-driven, high performing and resilient culture
- Established sales & delivery area of solar installations covering the entire Spanish market through in-house teams and partnerships, achieving up to €1m monthly revenue within two years and >1% national market share
- Co-developed company strategy and equity story, adjusting and pivoting in partnership with investors on the board (Planet A, Vorwerk Ventures, Speedinvest, Acurio)
Heiko Nemmert
COO / Production Manager
Last position:
COO / Production Manager at Lokia Management SARL
- Production management, talent management, acquisitions, budgets & financing
- Platform development, generative AI workflows, pipeline development, network development, sales
Gavin Ewan
Senior Technical Recruiter
Last position:
Senior/Lead Technical Recruiter and COO at Vindler ITalents Academy (VITA)
Led a team of 3 and drove up business development figures, candidates sourced into the pipeline and lowered the average time-to-fill for vacancies. Managed the entire technical recruitment process from sourcing through to post-probation reviews, also increasing both candidate and client satisfaction.
Sourced technical candidates for many specialised technical roles within companies spread across Europe, including data experts, developers, DevOps, IT system administrators and sales engineers.
Pre-screened sourced candidates for both technical and cultural fit, reducing the time spent by hiring managers weeding out candidates with poor fit.
Interviewed candidates in order to determine their levels of role-specific knowledge, and their potential fit within client businesses.
Provided coaching and interview preparation for candidates.
Carried out reviews with candidates after placement to ensure that both clients and candidates were happy and that candidates remained within their new roles.
Worked with a number of ATS systems based on client resources and needs, including Personio, Lever and Team Tailor.
Constructed a CRM/ATS system for VITA using the open-source Odoo software delivering significant savings in time and efficiency.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Chief Operating Officers statistics
Typical experience
18 years
Average project duration
3.8 years
Certifications per freelancer
2
Top business areas
Operations, Project Management, Information Technology
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Education
Most common languages
English, German, French
Bachelor's degree or higher
100%
Master's degree or higher
71%
Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for Chief Operating Officers & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curious about FRATCH? Find the answers you need
A Chief Operating Officer takes responsibility for how the business runs day to day. That can include process design, KPI reporting, team coordination, internal communication, and making sure priorities are executed across departments. In practice, the role is about turning plans into stable operations.
A freelance COO works well when the company needs senior operational leadership quickly, but not yet a permanent executive. This is common during scaling, restructuring, founder transitions, or when delivery has become too complex for the current leadership team. It is also a good option for short-term stabilization.
A COO sits closer to executive decision-making than a Head of Operations or Operations Manager. The COO usually owns broader business execution, often across several functions, while the other roles tend to focus on a department or set of processes. The exact scope depends on company size and structure.
Look for someone who can lead through ambiguity, build clear operating rhythms, and work well with founders, finance, sales, and delivery teams. Strong candidates combine strategic judgment with hands-on execution and know when to simplify, delegate, or change the structure. They should also be able to communicate clearly without creating noise.
The Chief Operating Officer role is common in scale-ups, professional services, e-commerce, logistics, software, and multi-team organizations that need stronger coordination. In Berlin, it is especially relevant for companies with international teams, rapid growth, or complex service delivery. The exact sector matters less than the need for reliable execution.
Many COO tasks can be handled remotely, especially reporting, planning, and process work. On-site time helps when the company needs team alignment, change management, or close work with leadership during a sensitive transition. A hybrid setup is often the most practical choice.
An interim Chief Operating Officer should have a clear mandate, such as stabilizing delivery, redesigning processes, or preparing the business for growth. The scope should define decision rights, reporting lines, and the main outcomes expected during the assignment. Without that, the role can become too broad and lose impact.
Judge the candidate by the clarity of their past operating improvements, not by title alone. A strong COO can explain how they improved execution, changed ownership, or removed friction in a complex organization. References should confirm that they can lead people, keep momentum, and stay effective under pressure.
The average hourly rate for Chief Operating Officers in Berlin is 113 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 901 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Chief Operating Officers in Berlin, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 71% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers working as Chief Operating Officers in Berlin have 18 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.8 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Chief Operating Officers in Berlin are English (100%), German (88%), and French (50%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Chief Operating Officers in Berlin are Information Technology (100%), Professional Services (75%), and Education (50%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Chief Operating Officers in Berlin are Operations (88%), Project Management (88%), and Information Technology (75%).
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
