Fractional chief of staff · Part of the week · Beside the CEO
Fractional chief of staff · what one does, how hiring works, what it costs
A fractional chief of staff works beside the CEO or founder for an agreed part of the week, on an ongoing basis.
They run the leadership rhythm, turn priorities into owned plans and follow them through, so the CEO spends their time on decisions.
“Fractional” describes the days, not the seniority.
Below: how hiring one works, how the role differs from a consultant or a full-time hire, how to choose a provider and what it costs.
To see the roles on the board, go to fractional chief of staff jobs.
We recruit fractional, interim, part-time, temporary and permanent executives.
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
In the press
Fast Company 16 leaders on when fractional C-suite hires make sense · 24 Jun 2026
Leaders disagree on when a part-week executive works and when a seat needs a full-time owner. It is the question to settle before choosing between a fractional chief of staff and the interim C-suite.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional chief of staff
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with chief of staff 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 chief of staff jobs on the board
No Fractional chief of staff roles on the board in the last three months. Showing operations leadership roles instead.
- FractionalSyndicatedFractional COO / Operations Director
genesis labels & packaging · Leeds
est £750/day2 d/wk - FractionalExclusiveFractional COO
Confidential client (Fractional Quest mandate) · London
Rate not statedLondon - InterimExclusiveInterim Chief Operating Officer
Confidential client (Fractional Quest mandate) · London
Rate not stated5 d/wk
Current chief of staff and operations leadership roles
Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a chief of staff brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.
01/ the role
What is a fractional chief of staff?
A fractional chief of staff is a senior operator who works to the CEO for part of the week, often for more than one business.
They are part of the leadership team, not an adviser on one project.
They hold no function of their own.
Their job is to make the CEO’s priorities happen across the functions that do.
Chief of staff, COO or executive assistant
A COO owns operations and the people who run them.
If the seat must own delivery outright, look at a fractional COO instead, or hire a COO for good.
An executive assistant runs the CEO’s diary, inbox and logistics.
A fractional EA is the right hire when the gap is time and administration, not priorities and follow-through.
A chief of staff sits between the two.
They work through the leadership team and answer to the CEO for whether the plan moves.
02/ scope
What a fractional chief of staff does, week to week
The operating rhythm
Leadership meetings with an agenda, papers and actions that are followed up.
On their days the chief of staff runs the rhythm; on the other days the team works to it.
Priorities and plans
Turning the CEO’s priorities into a short list of owned objectives, with measures and dates.
They chase the owners, not the work.
Projects that cross functions
A new office, a system change, a reorganisation or a fundraise data room.
The chief of staff keeps the pieces moving between teams that would otherwise wait on each other.
Change is where much of the work sits.
The CIPD’s change management factsheet notes that many change initiatives fail to achieve their intended outcomes, which is why someone needs to own the follow-through.
Board and investor support
Board packs, investor updates and the actions that come out of both.
The chief of staff prepares the work; the directors decide.
Directors can bring in help, but Companies House guidance is clear that they stay legally responsible for the company’s records, accounts and performance.
03/ comparison
Fractional chief of staff vs consultant vs full-time
Three ways to get the same problem solved. Choose by how long the work runs and who must own it.
04/ timing
When to hire a part-week chief of staff
The role fits when the CEO needs follow-through every week but not every day. Three common triggers, and one where it does not fit.
Scenario 01
The CEO is the bottleneck
Leadership meetings end without owners, and actions return unchanged a fortnight later.
A part-week chief of staff sets the rhythm and chases the owners.
Scenario 02
A step change is coming
The business has a cross-functional project and no one free to hold it together.
A chief of staff runs it alongside the day job.
Scenario 03
Before a COO or a full-time chief of staff
If you are not sure the seat is a full-time one, a fractional chief of staff can build the operating rhythm and write the brief for the permanent hire.
Scenario 04
Operations need an owner
If delivery needs one person with authority over the teams, the seat is a COO’s.
See interim COO for full-time cover.
05/ vetting
How we vet fractional chiefs of staff
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify chief of staff 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
06/ the process
How hiring a fractional chief of staff works · from brief to first week
Write the brief.
Name the three priorities the role must move, the days a week, who it reports to and what it may decide alone.
Decide how to engage.
A part-time employee on your payroll, or a contractor through their own company.
The Acas guide to employment status explains that status depends on the contract, what was agreed and how you work together in practice.
Shortlist and test.
Give candidates a real problem: last month’s leadership actions, or a project that has stalled.
Ask each one what they would do in their first week, and what they would leave alone.
Take references from CEOs.
The chief of staff relationship rests on trust, so speak to the leaders they worked beside.
Settle IR35 before the start.
Under the off-payroll working rules, status turns on how the engagement runs, and a medium or large client makes the determination.
HMRC’s CEST tool can help, and our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
Agree the first review.
Set the measures the role answers to and a date to review them with the CEO.
To hire a fractional chief of staff through us, send the brief.
We send a shortlist of 3–5 after our five-stage vetting.
07/ chief of staff or consultant
Fractional chief of staff or consultant · and how it compares with full-time
A consultant answers a defined question and hands back a recommendation.
A fractional chief of staff works inside the leadership team and makes sure the answer is carried out.
The difference shows a month later.
A consultant’s plan needs someone to own it; a chief of staff is that someone.
Against a full-time chief of staff, the fractional route buys the same seniority for fewer days.
It suits a business whose coordination load does not fill a week.
A full-time hire fits a large leadership team, daily investor or board demands, or a chief of staff who will lead a team of their own.
If that is you, hire a chief of staff on a permanent basis.
08/ interim c-suite
Chief of staff or the interim C-suite · which seat is empty?
An interim executive fills an empty C-suite seat full-time for a fixed period.
A fractional executive fills it for part of the week, ongoing.
A chief of staff fills no seat.
They make the existing leadership team work better together.
If the gap is a missing operations leader, look at fractional COO jobs or an interim COO.
If the leaders are in place but priorities stall between them, the gap is a chief of staff.
09/ what to compare
Choosing a fractional chief of staff provider · what to compare
There is no neutral ranking of fractional chief of staff providers, and we are one ourselves.
So compare providers on what they will show you, not on what they say about themselves.
The person, not the brand.
Ask who exactly will do the work, and meet them before you agree anything.
Evidence of the work.
An operating rhythm they built, a project they carried across teams, and references from CEOs they worked beside.
How candidates are checked.
Ask what the provider verifies, such as identity, right to work, references and past roles, and what it does not.
Professional standing.
Chartered Manager status from the CMI is a signal of management experience, not a requirement.
Contract and IR35.
Ask who the contract is with, how notice works, and how the provider handles the IR35 determination.
On every brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
You meet the candidates and choose.
10/ ai integration
AI in the business · where a chief of staff helps
A chief of staff can run an AI programme as a cross-functional project: choosing where to start, keeping the owners moving and reporting progress to the CEO.
They are a coordinator, not usually the technical expert.
Boards are expected to govern it.
The Institute of Directors’ paper on AI governance sets out the questions directors should ask, from regulation to accountability and skills.
Where AI uses personal data, the ICO’s guidance on AI and data protection applies, including on fairness and transparency.
The chief of staff makes sure those checks are on the plan, not after it.
11/ questions
Fractional chief of staff FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional chief of staff.
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.
