MotorwaySyndicatedInterim
Interim Head of Financial Control (3-6 month contract)Finance Consultancy · fractional, interim and permanent finance leaders
Finance Consultancy · fractional CFO or finance director, briefed and shortlisted
finance consultancy from Fractional Quest means a fractional CFO or finance director working in your business on a fractional, interim or permanent basis. Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional CFO or finance director for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 5 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 finance consultancy covers
This page sets out what a finance consultancy engagement covers, how fractional, project and interim compare, how it runs and what the market publishes on rates. The board below shows current finance leadership roles.
Finance consultancy at leadership level is about ownership, not advice. The CFO owns the numbers the board decides against: cash, capital, forecast and the finance function that produces them.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional CFO or finance director for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly.
A CFO consultant is usually a fractional CFO consultant — a chief financial officer or finance director holding the seat on a standing weekly commitment — or an interim CFO, full-time for a fixed term. See fractional CFO and interim CFO.
The seat in more depth: CFO services · finance director services · CFO recruitment agency · CFO consultants.
On the board · last 90 days
Current finance leadership 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.
9 of 9 roles
Function
Engagement
- Marks & SpencerSyndicatedContractHead of Finance Controllership - 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
- LRO Financial ConsultancySyndicatedFractionalFractional Financial Controller
- PHIXSyndicatedFractionalPart time / Fractional Finance Director
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
- FermtechSyndicatedFractionalFinancial Controller (fractional)
- fin-houseSyndicatedContractFinance lead - fast track to fractional cfo
- fin-houseSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
- KeelCFOSyndicatedFractionalFractional CFO
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 an engagement covers — and what it does not
In scope. The cash forecast and runway model the board decides against; fundraising, lender relationships and debt facilities; unit economics, pricing and margin by product; board and investor reporting; controls, audit readiness and the shape of the finance team.
Not in scope. Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns and statutory accounts sit with your bookkeeper or accountant. A CFO consultant absorbed into that work is the most expensive way to buy it.
The neighbouring seats. A CFO answers "what happens if we do this"; a financial controller answers "what happened last month". In the UK the same seat is often sold as finance director at smaller revenue.
When companies look for finance consultancy: A raise or refinance on the horizon, a lender asking for a plan, revenue that has outgrown the accountant, or a board that no longer trusts the forecast.
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
What it costs
CFO rates what the published benchmarks say
Every figure is the named source’s own published band. Fractional Quest publishes no fees: each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate.
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CFO day rate | £700–£1,400 | FD Capital 2026 |
| Interim CFO day rate | £650–£1,500 | FD Capital 2026 |
| Permanent CFO salary (25th–75th percentile) | £132,500–£220,500 | Robert Half 2026 |
Your figures
What does part of a CFO’s week cost?
Rate × days × weeks, against a loaded full-time package. Move the sliders; the numbers redraw.
- CFO band £700–£1,400 (FD Capital 2026)
Year-one cost, fractional
£96,600
Fractional costs less in year one by£105,625
Our arithmetic. £176,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary + employer NI at 15% above £5,000 (HMRC) = £202,225. Excludes pension, bonus and any search fee.
Against the alternatives
Four ways to buy finance expertise fractional, project, interim or permanent
The same finance problem can be bought four ways. The difference is who does the work, for how long, and who is accountable afterwards.
| Fractional finance leader | Project consultancy firm | Interim executive | Permanent hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A fractional CFO or finance director, days a week | A defined deliverable | A leader full-time for a fixed term | A full-time leader for years |
| Who does the work | One named senior person | A team, often with a partner who sold it | One named senior person | Your employee |
| Accountable after | Yes — they stay | No — the project ends | Until the hand-over | Yes |
| Best when | You need senior judgement every week, not every day | The work is a one-off with a clear output | You need full-time cover or a change led now | The seat is full-time work for years |
| Usual contract | Contract for services, often via the leader’s company | Statement of work | Day-rate contract for the mandate | Employment contract |
The decision
When finance consultancy is the right call
Three situations, and the shape that fits each.
- Before a raiseInvestors will ask for a CFOA raise or refinance is coming and the numbers need a finance leader behind them. A fractional CFO builds the model, the data room and the story.
- GapThe finance lead has leftYear-end or an audit is close and the seat is empty. An interim CFO or finance director holds it full-time until the permanent hire starts.
- OutgrownPast the accountant, short of a CFOThe accountant produces the accounts; nobody owns the forecast. A fractional finance director gives the board numbers it can decide against.
Vetting
How do we vet a finance consultant?
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 it runs
How our finance consultancy works from brief to the first ninety days
Brief. A scoping call on the problem, the shape (fractional days, an interim mandate or a permanent seat), the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days. A good brief names the decisions the finance leader will own.
Shortlist. We search for your brief and come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Contract. You choose; the consultant contracts with you directly, usually through their own company for fractional and interim work. Agree how the engagement will run in practice, because that decides its IR35 status — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.
Cadence. A fractional finance leader works best on fixed days with a standing slot with the CEO. Review the days each quarter. An interim works to a written mandate with review points and a hand-over date.
fractional or firm
Fractional finance consultant or a finance consultancy firm? who stays accountable
Finance consultancy from an accountancy practice is usually a defined piece of work: a financial model, due diligence, a systems review, a tax structure. The practice delivers it and the finance function carries on as before.
A fractional finance consultant is a different purchase: one senior person who holds the brief week after week and answers for the outcome. A fractional CFO holds the seat on a standing weekly commitment, attends the board, owns the forecast and leads any raise, while your bookkeeper keeps the ledger. It suits a business that needs CFO judgement every week but not CFO hours every day.
Out of scope either way. Bookkeeping, payroll, VAT returns and statutory accounts sit with your bookkeeper or accountant. A CFO consultant absorbed into that work is the most expensive way to buy it.
Standing. Check professional standing before you sign: ICAEW’s directory of chartered accountants — a check that a finance leader is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant; ACCA — the global body for professional accountants.
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
Finance Consultancy questions, answered
Finance consultancy puts senior finance expertise into a business. Through Fractional Quest that means a fractional CFO or finance director on a fractional, interim or permanent basis, owning: the cash forecast and runway model the board decides against; fundraising, lender relationships and debt facilities; unit economics, pricing and margin by product.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional CFO or finance director for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly. You get one named senior person rather than a team sold by a partner, and they stay accountable for as long as you need them.
Fractional when you need senior finance judgement every week but not every day; a project consultancy when the work is a one-off with a clear deliverable; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years.
It depends on the shape and the days. Published bands for the seat: Fractional CFO day rate £700–£1,400 (FD Capital 2026); Interim CFO day rate £650–£1,500 (FD Capital 2026); Permanent CFO salary (25th–75th percentile) £132,500–£220,500 (Robert Half 2026). Fractional Quest publishes no fees; each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate, so the cost of finance consultancy is the rate times the days you agree.
It depends on how the engagement runs in practice — control, substitution and whether the finance consultant is part and parcel of your organisation, not on the label "consultant". For medium and large private-sector clients the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
An accountant prepares the accounts and the returns: what happened. Finance consultancy at leadership level decides what to do next — the forecast, the raise, the pricing, the controls. Most businesses that use a fractional CFO keep their accountant.
Yes. A fractional or interim CFO builds the financial model, prepares the data room, answers investor diligence and negotiates terms alongside the founders. That is one of the commonest reasons to brief one.
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.
- FD Capital
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1How much does a CFO earn? 2026 FD CapitalFractional CFO £700–£1,400 a day; London premium of 15–20%.
- 2Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 3Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 4
- 5Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
