AcumiSyndicatedFractional
Fractional Commercial Co-Founder / CCOChief commercial officer recruitment agency · CCO · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent
Chief Commercial Officer Recruitment Agency · CCO Recruitment Agency
A chief commercial officer recruitment agency for every shape of the seat: Fractional Quest recruits fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent chief commercial officers (CCOs). The chief commercial officer owns the commercial engine: sales, pricing, partnerships and the contracts that turn strategy into revenue and margin.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What a chief commercial officer recruitment agency should find for you
Brief us on the scope, the engagement and the start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. The board below shows current chief commercial officer roles, labelled by engagement.
The chief commercial officer owns the commercial engine: sales, pricing, partnerships and the contracts that turn strategy into revenue and margin. A good chief commercial officer recruitment agency recruits for that scope, not for the title: commercial strategy and the revenue and margin plan, pricing, terms and major contract negotiation, sales, partnerships and channel strategy, and key customer and partner relationships and commercial reporting and forecasting.
We recruit the seat in every shape. A fractional chief commercial officer sets commercial strategy, pricing and partnership priorities on a standing weekly commitment. A part-time chief commercial officer works set days each week, suited to a business with a working sales team that needs senior commercial direction. A permanent CCO is right when commercial negotiation and partnerships are a full-time executive load.
The seat in more depth: chief commercial officer services · fractional chief commercial officer services · interim chief commercial officer services · part-time chief commercial officer services · chief commercial officer recruitment · current chief commercial officer roles · what a chief commercial officer does.
On the board · last 90 days
Current chief commercial officer roles on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
10 of 10 roles
Function
Engagement
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional SDR
- LRO Financial ConsultancySyndicatedFractionalFractional Financial Controller
- Unity AdvisorySyndicatedFractionalReward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC)
- Reg Advantage LtdSyndicatedFractionalProduction Lead and Fractional CTO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional Executive Assistant
- PHIXSyndicatedFractionalPart time / Fractional Finance Director
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
- Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractionalFractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Twenty-Nine Palms EntertainmentSyndicatedFractionalBusiness Affairs Executive (Fractional / Per-Project)
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
What we assess — and what we do not confuse it with
Assessed against the brief. Commercial strategy and the revenue and margin plan; pricing, terms and major contract negotiation; sales, partnerships and channel strategy; key customer and partner relationships; commercial reporting and forecasting.
Out of scope. Operational delivery sits with the COO; brand and demand with marketing; financial control with the CFO.
The neighbouring seats. The CCO owns commercial terms and partnerships as well as sales; the CRO focuses on the revenue funnel; the commercial director is often the same brief one level down.
When companies come to a chief commercial officer recruitment agency: Margin eroding through discounting, partnerships with no owner, big contracts negotiated by whoever is available, or a board wanting one commercial lead.
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
Against the alternatives
Recruitment agency, headhunter or job board
Four ways to fill a chief commercial officer seat, on the dimensions that decide between them.
| Recruitment agency (us) | Retained headhunter | Job board | Your own network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | A shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position | A retained search for one permanent appointment | Applications, unfiltered | Whoever you already know |
| Engagements | Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent | Permanent, sometimes interim | Mostly permanent | Whatever they will agree to |
| Assessment | Five-stage vetting against your brief | Deep assessment of a long list | None | Your own judgement |
| Best when | You want options across engagement shapes, quickly briefed | A confidential permanent search at the top of the market | A well-known role with many applicants | You have the right person already |
| Commercials | Agreed in writing per engagement | Retainer, typically in stages | A listing fee | Your time |
The decision
Which chief commercial officer engagement to brief us for
Match the shape to the work, not the title.
- Weekly judgementFractional Chief Commercial OfficerA fractional chief commercial officer sets commercial strategy, pricing and partnership priorities on a standing weekly commitment.
- Now, full-timeInterim Chief Commercial OfficerA large tender or partnership negotiation needs full-time senior commercial leadership.
- For yearsPermanent Chief Commercial OfficerA permanent CCO is right when commercial negotiation and partnerships are a full-time executive load.
Vetting
How do we vet a chief commercial officer?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
how the search runs
How our chief commercial officer recruitment agency works from brief to start date
Brief. A scoping call on the seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days. The brief names the decisions the chief commercial officer will own.
Search and assessment. We search the market for your brief, then assess against the brief through our five-stage vetting: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.
Shortlist. 3–5 chief commercial officers, each with day rate or salary expectation, availability and IR35 position set out, so you compare like with like.
Interviews and start. You meet the shortlist; we handle the offer, references and the contract shape. Start dates depend on each candidate’s availability — fractional and interim executives hold a portfolio, so a start date is agreed rather than immediate.
choosing an agency
Choosing a chief commercial officer recruitment agency four questions to ask
Do they recruit every shape? Many recruiters place permanent chief commercial officers only, or interim only. If you are not yet sure whether the seat is fractional, interim, part-time or permanent, choose an agency that recruits all four and let the brief decide.
Do they assess the scope? Ask what the agency tests for. For the chief commercial officer seat that is commercial strategy and the revenue and margin plan and pricing, terms and major contract negotiation, not a CV keyword match.
Do they check standing? The UK professional body for sales and commercial leaders; see the Institute of Sales Professionals.
Do they set out IR35? For a fractional or interim chief commercial officer, each candidate’s IR35 position should be on the shortlist, and the engagement written to match how it will actually run — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who determines status.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
Chief Commercial Officer recruitment agency questions, answered
It finds and assesses chief commercial officers for your brief. Fractional Quest recruits chief commercial officers on fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent engagements (the seat is also hired as CCO): you brief us on scope, engagement and start date, and we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Our fees are agreed with each client in writing per engagement, so there is no figure on this site. What we can show is what the market publishes on pay: no source we can verify publishes a band for this seat, so each candidate on the shortlist states their own rate.
Fractional when you need chief commercial officer judgement every week but not every day; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; part-time when the load is steady and you want the same person long term; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years. The CCO owns commercial terms and partnerships as well as sales; the CRO focuses on the revenue funnel; the commercial director is often the same brief one level down.
Yes. We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives and non-executive directors. A permanent CCO is right when commercial negotiation and partnerships are a full-time executive load.
The seat’s real scope: commercial strategy and the revenue and margin plan; pricing, terms and major contract negotiation; sales, partnerships and channel strategy; key customer and partner relationships; commercial reporting and forecasting. We also check what is out of scope, because operational delivery sits with the COO; brand and demand with marketing; financial control with the CFO.
A permanent or part-time employee is on your payroll, so IR35 does not arise. A fractional or interim chief commercial officer working through their own company falls under the off-payroll rules: for medium and large private-sector clients, the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 2Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 3
- 4Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
