Hire an Advisory CFO · Advisory CFO Jobs UK
Advisory CFO Jobs · Hire an advisory CFO
Hire an advisory CFO — board-level financial guidance, investor relations support, and strategic advisory without operational responsibility.
Advisory CFO opportunities across the UK for experienced finance leaders.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional Advisory CFO
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Advisory CFO candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Fractional CFO jobs on the board
Live Advisory CFO Opportunities
Fractional recruitment works differently from a permanent search — shorter, scoped by days a week, and priced on the engagement. Send a Advisory CFO brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.
01/ the cross
Where a permanent hire becomes cheaper.
Move the day rate and the days a week: the rising line is a month of part-week cost, the flat line a permanent hire’s month. Where they cross, the seat should go full-time.
At 4.7 days a week a permanent hire costs less.
Our arithmetic. Permanent a month = the salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI, plus the 30% search fee spread over 12 months — the calculator’s inputs. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for each step.
Permanent = the £176,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary. The full calculator below adds the months, the totals and the currency tabs.
- The fractional CFO at 2 days a week never passes permanent inside 24 months.
- Interim passes permanent at month 8.
Our arithmetic, cumulative. Permanent = the salary’s 30% search fee in month 0, then salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI each month. Interim = the midpoint of the published interim band (£1,100 a day, FD Capital 2026) × 5 days × 4.33 weeks. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for each month.
02/ the route
Fractional, interim or permanent?
Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.
The route · Fractional
A fractional advisory CFO.The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.
A fractional advisory CFO holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.
The route · Interim
An interim advisory CFO.The work fills the week, and it has an end: a programme, a cover, a transaction.
An interim advisory CFO takes the seat full time for that stretch and hands it over when it is done.
The route · Interim, then permanent
Interim now, a permanent advisory CFO after.The seat is full time and long term, and the need is now.
An interim advisory CFO holds it while the permanent search runs, so the seat is not left empty.
The route · Permanent
A permanent advisory CFO.A full-time seat that sits at the table for years is a permanent hire.
There is time to run a search, so run one.
03/ the role
What is an Advisory CFO?
An Advisory CFO provides strategic financial guidance and board-level advice without operational responsibility for day-to-day finance functions.
Companies hire an advisory CFO for high-level strategic decisions — fundraising strategy, M&A evaluation, investor relations, and board advisory — typically measured in hours a month rather than ongoing operational involvement.
Advisory CFOs are distinguished from fractional CFOs by scope and time commitment: advisory roles are strategic-only (board meetings, investor calls, strategic planning), while fractional CFOs typically combine strategic oversight with operational responsibility.
Advisory arrangements work well for experienced CFOs building portfolio advisory careers.
04/ scope
Core Skills & Experience
Senior finance leadership experience: previous CFO or Finance Director roles with proven track record in fundraising, M&A transactions, investor relations, and board reporting.
Strategic financial planning including scenario modelling, valuation expertise, and capital structure optimisation.
Boards often look for a chartered accountancy qualification, such as membership of the ICAEW or ACCA.
Board advisory expertise: experience serving on company boards or advisory boards, understanding of governance requirements, and ability to provide strategic counsel to CEOs and other board members.
Strong network of investor and advisor relationships across relevant sectors.
Many private companies prepare their accounts under the FRC's FRS 102 standard, and the board signs them off before they are filed with Companies House.
How to hire an advisory CFO
To hire an advisory CFO, scope the retainer first — board meetings, quarterly strategic reviews and ad-hoc calls — then match candidates against previous CFO or Finance Director experience, fundraising and M&A track record, and board advisory credentials.
05/ rates
Advisory CFO Fee Structures
Published day-rate bands for a CFO / Finance Director, each with its source. The full-time band is a salary divided by 220 working days — our arithmetic.
Published UK day-rate bands · £ a day · the marker is the calculator’s day rate
- Fractional£700–£1,400FD Capital 2026£1,050
- Interim£650–£1,500FD Capital 2026
- Permanent, per day£602–£1,002Robert Half 2026 salary ÷ 220 days
The permanent band is the published salary ÷ 220 working days — our arithmetic, for comparison only.
06/ the maths
What the seat costs, by the days a week
Move the day rate, the days a week and the months: the totals and the permanent comparison for the period. The curve above shows where a permanent hire becomes the cheaper seat.
The slider runs across the published band for a fractional CFO: £700–£1,400 a day (FD Capital 2026).
Cost over 12 months
£109,200
104 working days · 2 d/wk · 12 mo · before tax
Fractional costs less over 12 months£146,725
Fractional CFO, 12 months£109,200
Fractional CFO, a month at 2 d/wk£9,093
Permanent CFO, same period£255,925
Fractional CFO, 12 months$144,679
Fractional CFO, a month at 2 d/wk$12,047
Permanent CFO, same period$339,075
Converted from £ at $1.3249 per £1 (Bank of England spot rate), 2 Oct 2026. A conversion, not a US market rate. Source ↗
Fractional CFO, 12 months€128,266
Fractional CFO, a month at 2 d/wk€10,681
Permanent CFO, same period€300,610
Converted from £ at €1.1746 per £1 (Bank of England spot rate), 2 Oct 2026. A conversion, not a EU market rate. Source ↗
Our arithmetic, indicative. Permanent = the £176,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary pro rata for the same months, plus 15% employer NI, plus a 30% search fee on the annual base (UK retained search runs 25–35%, Headhunters.co.uk). Excludes pension, bonus and equity.
07/ the week
How a week divides.
The days you buy are yours; the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week in the calculator above and the week redraws.
Illustration only: one way a fractional CFO’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.
08/ the board
What the board holds.
A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.
On this board, last 90 days · 3 roles · Fractional CFO
Engagement
- Fractional3
Days a week
- Stated in the posting0
- Not stated3
Day rate
- Verified rate0
- Estimated (est)1
- Rate not stated2
Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)
- Remote1
- Hybrid0
- On-site2
Newest posting on the board: 9 Oct 2026.
09/ rates by stage
Hire an Advisory CFO by engagement type
Advisory-only engagement shapes by scope. No UK source we can cite publishes an advisory-CFO fee band, so fees are agreed against the scope rather than quoted here.
10/ timing
When to hire an Advisory CFO
Common scenarios where strategic financial advisory delivers value without operational involvement
Scenario 01
Board-level strategic guidance needed
CEO needs experienced finance voice for strategic decisions, valuation, capital structure
Scenario 02
Fundraising or M&A evaluation
Expert guidance on fundraising strategy, investor relations, M&A evaluation
Scenario 03
Interim board representation
Finance expertise on board while recruiting permanent CFO or during transitions
Scenario 04
Investor relations and governance
Experienced finance voice for investor updates, board reporting, governance
11/ vetting
How advisory shortlisting works
Process for matching companies with senior advisory CFOs — focused on strategic expertise and board-level experience
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Advisory CFO tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
12/ for finance leaders
From fractional CFO to board advisory roles — how finance leaders make the move
Many advisory CFOs arrive from fractional or full-time CFO work.
The move into board advisory roles changes the job: you stop running the finance function and start advising the people who do — the CEO, the board and the investors.
What you bring is judgement on capital, risk and transactions, not the monthly close.
Two things help.
Formal board training: the Institute of Directors' Chartered Director programme covers the role and duties of a director, board effectiveness, strategy and finance, and ends in chartered status assessed on board experience.
And governance fluency: listed companies report against the FRC's UK Corporate Governance Code, and knowing how its audit, risk and internal control provisions work is what boards expect from a finance adviser.
Keep the boundary clear.
Someone whose directions the directors are accustomed to follow can be a shadow director under the Companies Act 2006; advice given in a professional capacity is excluded, so keep your role advisory, documented and inside the agreed scope.
Live advisory roles appear on the board above.
If you still want operational finance work alongside, see fractional CFO jobs and part-time CFO jobs.
13/ the governance choice
Advisory CFO or non-executive director? — choosing the right seat
When you hire an advisory CFO, decide first whether you want an adviser or a director.
An advisory CFO sits outside the board: they advise the CEO and attend board meetings by invitation, without a vote or a director's legal responsibilities.
A non-executive director with a finance background sits on the board, votes on its decisions and takes on the responsibilities of a director — Companies House sets them out in its guidance on being a company director.
The advisory route suits a company that wants senior finance judgement on a fundraise, an acquisition or a pricing decision without changing the board.
Before a fundraise, the British Business Bank sets out the finance options open to smaller businesses.
The non-executive route suits a company whose investors, or whose governance code, expect independent finance expertise on the board itself.
Some arrangements start advisory and become a board seat once both sides know each other.
Either way, write the scope down: the meetings attended, the decisions the adviser is asked to review, how they are paid and who they report to.
If you need someone to run the finance function as well, that is a fractional or part-time CFO, not an adviser.
For an advisory brief, we come back with a shortlist of 3–5 candidates taken through our five-stage vetting; we recruit permanent CFOs too, and CFO headhunters sets out how permanent search works.
14/ questions
Fractional Advisory CFO FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional Advisory CFO.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
