Fractional Operations Lead / COO (UAE company) — 3–5 hrs/week

***UPDATE: proposals not written by AI will have a massive preference in our consideration set*** We're a UAE-registered boutique consultancy that delivers client projects through a network of vetted freelancers. Our back office is currently run by the founder, supported by a junior operations assistant handling day-to-day execution (contracts, onboarding, admin). We're looking for an experienced, senior operator to own the judgment layer we don't have time to own ourselves: reviewing and directing month-end invoicing, managing and reviewing customer and supplier contracts, coordinating compliance especially in regard to DPA/GDPR agreements, directing our team on the creation of SOPs and documented policies such as Opsec, and managing our operations assistant's day-to-day pipeline, output and quality. This is a light-touch, ongoing fractional role, roughly up to 5 hours a week (which could be batched around month end and payroll). It is not a full-time or near-full-time engagement, and it is not a hands-on execution role. You'll be the senior reviewer and decision-maker sitting above a junior assistant who does the volume work. What you'll do Financial oversight Review and approve the monthly invoicing cycle (freelancer hours to client invoices, fee and VAT logic, discrepancy checks) before anything is sent Own the commission and leadership-fee model: define the rules, handle edge cases, keep it consistent as the business grows Compliance coordination Oversee the compliance calendar (UAE corporate tax, quarterly VAT, e-invoicing rollout) and keep our bookkeeper and tax agency on schedule Own opsec and data-handling policy at a decision level Team direction Direct and review the work of our part-time operations assistant, who handles contract issuance, freelancer onboarding, and day-to-day admin Set priorities, catch what she can't yet catch, and be the point of escalation when something needs a judgment call Process ownership Bring structure to processes that currently live mostly in the founder's head Sanity-check work from an external automation partner who is building agents for parts of this workflow Who we're looking for Genuine senior operations or fractional COO experience, ideally with a small agency, consultancy, or founder-led services business Comfortable owning financial logic (rates, fees, markups, VAT) without being a full-time accountant Experience managing or directing more junior support staff Sharp judgment under ambiguity: able to take a half-documented process and make good calls without heavy hand-holding Excellent written English and complete discretion with confidential financial and client information Some overlap with UAE / Gulf Standard Time for the (infrequent) live check-ins Nice to have Familiarity with UAE corporate tax, VAT, and e-invoicing requirements Experience overseeing or briefing automation/process-improvement work (Zapier, n8n, or similar), even if you're not the one building it Background in a marketing, creative, or services agency model built on freelance delivery Details Part-time, 3–5 hours per week, ongoing Fully remote Budget: up to $1,000/month total. Please quote your hourly rate; this caps expected hours per month. Please note this is a genuinely fractional, judgment-and-oversight role rather than a high-hours engagement. If you're looking for 15+ hours a week, this likely isn't the right fit. How to apply Start your message with the word "COMPASS". In two or three sentences, describe a business you've provided fractional COO or senior ops support to, and one judgment call you made that mattered. Tell us how you'd approach reviewing a month-end invoicing cycle you didn't build, and catching errors in it. Confirm your hourly rate and realistic monthly availability within the stated budget. We read every genuine application and reply to strong fits quickly.