Operations · Client side · Updated September 2026
Chief Operating Officer (COO) salary
in the UK.
Based on Stonor Search's salary data, Chief Operating Officers in the UK typically earn between £140,000 and £180,000, with a typical salary of around £160,000. London roles sit higher, at £160,000 to £220,000, roughly 19% above the UK average in our data. Pay varies with seniority, location, company stage and sector, and the real scope of the role.
Also covers: COO, Business Operations Manager, BizOps, Strategy and Operations Director, Strategy & Ops, Head of Operations, VP Operations, Chief Operating Officer.
UK average
High confidence£160,000
Typical salary (band midpoint)
- Salary range
- £140,000 – £180,000
- London
- £160,000 – £220,000
- Levels covered
- C-suite / Executive
- Last updated
- September 2026
Chief Operating Officer (COO) salary by seniority and location
Annual base salary, GBP. "Typical" is the midpoint of the published band. London and UK-average bands are published separately.
| Level | UK average range | UK typical | London range | London typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-suite / ExecutiveChief Operating Officer (COO) | £140,000 – £180,000 | £160,000 | £160,000 – £220,000 | £190,000 |
What does a Chief Operating Officer (COO) earn by location?
- London
- £160,000 – £220,000
- UK average
- £140,000 – £180,000
Other regions use the UK average band: South East, South West, Midlands, North West, North East & Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Remote (UK).
In Stonor's data, London Chief Operating Officers earn around 19% more than the UK average at the same level. Regional searches outside London fall back to the UK figure and say so.
Market context
Stonor's report publishes the bands for this role without a written market commentary, so we haven't invented one. The numbers above are the honest extent of what we can say, plus the factors below.
About this data
- Sources
- Stonor Search SaaS & Tech Salary Benchmark 2025
- Sector coverage
- Client side — SaaS & Tech
- Benchmark period
- 2025
- Includes
- Base salary only. No bonus, commission or equity.
- Confidence
- High confidence. A published Stonor band for this exact role and location.
What affects a Chief Operating Officer (COO)'s salary?
Scope of the role
This page covers the c-suite / executive band only. Within it, £140,000 to £180,000 is a wide spread. The top end usually reflects broader remit, a bigger budget or team, or a specialism that's hard to hire.
Location
London pays about 19% more than the UK average for Chief Operating Officers in Stonor's data. Hybrid roles based outside London are increasingly benchmarked against the national band rather than the London one, and candidates know it.
Company stage
The band is a SaaS and tech figure. Where a company sits between seed and scale-up changes the cash-versus-equity mix more than the headline title does, and Stonor's reports don't publish a size split, so treat the range as covering that spread.
Live at Stonor
Chief Operating Officer (COO) roles Stonor is hiring for now
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