Transaction processing
Specify who records invoices, receipts and payments. The director should know what is missing before relying on the reports, but the brief must say if they are also expected to do the processing.
Hire a Fractional Finance Director · Fractional FD Jobs UK
Fractional Finance Director Jobs · Hire a fractional FD, or hire a finance director
Hire a fractional Finance Director at 1–3 days a week — fractional FD services for SMEs and growth businesses.
Part-time FD roles across the UK without the full-time commitment.
Numbers that support a decisionChoose the question to explore
Part 01 / 04
Inputs
What makes the forecast credible
Part 02 / 04
Choices
Which decisions finance must inform
Part 03 / 04
Team
Who produces and checks the records
Part 04 / 04
Continuity
Coverage around reporting deadlines
£500
Day rate range · typical (Exec Capital)
1–3
SME engagement · ongoing (Exec Capital)
50–60%
Part-time FD vs full-time · at 2 days/wk · FD Capital
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional FD
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with FD 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 Finance Director jobs on the board
Full-time · permanent as posted · last 3 months
Permanent finance director jobs
Full-time finance director roles, posted by the employer as full-time and listed as the posting states them. We recruit permanent finance directors as well as fractional and interim. Finance director recruitment.
- Full-timeFinance Director
Volvo Group · Warwick
Full-time · as posted - Full-timeSenior Finance Director
Sapiens · United Kingdom
Full-time · as posted - Full-timeHead of Finance
Daytona Motorsport · Esher
Full-time · as posted - Full-timeHead Of Finance
London Borough of Barnet · London
Full-time · as posted - Full-timeFinance Director
Spire Healthcare · Lichfield
Full-time · as posted
Live Fractional Finance Director Job Opportunities
Fractional recruitment works differently from a permanent search — shorter, scoped by days a week, and priced on the engagement. Send a FD 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.
Fractional finance director, a monthPermanent finance director, a month
At 3.9 days a week a permanent hire costs less.
At 2 days a week: fractional finance director £6,928 a month · permanent £13,231 a month
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 £109,500 Robert Half 2026 median salary. The full calculator below adds the months, the totals and the currency tabs.
Fractional finance director at 2 days a weekPermanent finance director
- The fractional finance director at 2 days a week never passes permanent inside 24 months.
Month 12: fractional finance director £83,136 · permanent £158,775
Our arithmetic, cumulative. Permanent = the salary’s 30% search fee in month 0, then salary ÷ 12 plus 15% employer NI each month. No published interim band for this seat, so no interim line. 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 FD.The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.
A fractional FD 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 FD.The work fills the week, and it has an end: a programme, a cover, a transaction.
An interim FD 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 FD after.The seat is full time and long term, and the need is now.
An interim FD holds it while the permanent search runs, so the seat is not left empty.
The route · Permanent
A permanent FD.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 a Fractional Finance Director?
A fractional Finance Director (FD) is a senior finance leader who works with SMEs and growth businesses part-time — Exec Capital describes the engagement as 1–3 days a week — providing hands-on senior finance ownership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.
They own board reporting, cashflow management, fundraising support, and finance team development.
FD vs CFO positioning: Finance Director is the standard senior finance title in UK SMEs, emphasizing hands-on as well as strategic capability.
At larger scale/PE/listed level, the same model is usually called a fractional CFO.
In SMEs the titles are largely interchangeable — the model is identical; scale and remit set the label.
04/ scope
What a Fractional FD Actually Does
Core responsibilities: Board & management reporting, cashflow forecasting & working-capital management, budgeting and 3-statement modelling, fundraising/investor reporting/debt facilities, margin & profitability analysis, audit & compliance coordination.
Finance function build: Finance systems & controls implementation, process optimization, finance-team mentoring (supporting FC/Finance Manager step-up), PE value-creation & exit preparation.
Engagements are ongoing and scale with business complexity.
How to hire a fractional Finance Director
To hire a fractional Finance Director, start with the brief: turnover, sector, and the days per week you need.
Check for an ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification and a track record across fundraising, finance function build and board reporting, then agree days, rate and IR35 position in writing.
Brief us and we come back with a shortlist of 3–5.
05/ 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 finance director: £600–£1,000 a day (FD Capital 2026).
Cost over 12 months
£83,200
104 working days · 2 d/wk · 12 mo · before tax
Fractional costs less over 12 months£75,575
Fractional finance director, 12 months£83,200
Fractional finance director, a month at 2 d/wk£6,928
Permanent finance director, same period£158,775
Fractional finance director, 12 months$110,232
Fractional finance director, a month at 2 d/wk$9,179
Permanent finance director, same period$210,361
Converted from £ at $1.3249 per £1 (Bank of England spot rate), 2 Oct 2026. A conversion, not a US market rate. Source ↗
Fractional finance director, 12 months€97,727
Fractional finance director, a month at 2 d/wk€8,138
Permanent finance director, same period€186,497
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 £109,500 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.
06/ 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.
Your companyAnother clientA third client
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Illustration only: one way a fractional finance director’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.
07/ 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 · 1 role · Fractional Finance Director
Engagement
- Fractional1
Days a week
- Stated in the posting1
- Not stated0
Day rate
- Verified rate0
- Estimated (est)1
- Rate not stated0
Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)
- Remote0
- Hybrid0
- On-site1
Newest posting on the board: 12 Oct 2026.
08/ rates by stage
FD rates by engagement type
Exec Capital publishes £500–£1,400/day typical, up to £1,800/day at CFO/PE-backed/listed level — rates scale with complexity and seniority
Engagement TypeDay RateFocus
SME / growth stage£500–£900 (Exec Capital)Hands-on + strategic
PE-backed / fundraising£800–£1,400 (Exec Capital)Transformation/transaction
CFO-level complex£1,200–£1,800 (Exec Capital)M&A/listed/advisory
09/ timing
When to hire a fractional Finance Director
Common scenarios where part-time senior finance leadership delivers maximum value for SMEs and growth businesses
Scenario 01
Growing SME
SME
growth stage — need board-level finance capability without full-time hire
Scenario 02
Fundraising active
Investment
readiness — investor deck, financial model, due diligence preparation
Scenario 03
Finance function build
Systems
& controls — implementing finance systems, mentoring FC/Finance Manager
Scenario 04
Board reporting gaps
Management
information — monthly board packs, KPI dashboards, variance analysis
10/ vetting
How vetting and shortlisting work
Our structured 5-stage process for matching Finance Directors with SMEs needing senior finance leadership
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify FD 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
11/ the engagement
Engaging a fractional FD — scope, cadence and checks
A fractional FD takes the Finance Director seat for an agreed number of days, usually alongside other clients, and does the job rather than advising on it from outside.
That is the difference from your external accountant, who works on the year already filed.
It is also different from a part-time finance director, who is normally employed on a reduced-hours contract; a fractional FD usually invoices through their own company, which is a different employment status with different obligations on each side.
And if the seat needs someone full-time for a fixed term — cover for a departure, a transaction or a turnaround — you are hiring an interim finance director instead.
Settle the scope before the days.
ICAEW's finance function framework groups finance work into accounting, compliance, management and control, strategy and risk, and funding.
A fractional FD normally owns the planning, strategy and funding work and oversees the accounting and compliance beneath it; if the real gap is the close and the controls, a fractional financial controller may be the better first hire.
Then check the person.
Confirm a chartered qualification at source through ICAEW membership verification or the ACCA member directory, and read their directorship history on Companies House.
Finally, the contract.
Where the FD works through their own company, medium and large private-sector clients make the IR35 status determination and issue a status determination statement; for small clients it stays with the FD's company.
Status turns on how the engagement runs in practice, so test it with HMRC's CEST tool.
We set out the IR35 position on every brief and do not promise an outcome.
12/ services
What fractional finance director services should cover
Fractional finance director services vary more than the title suggests.
Some are delivered by a firm, with the named FD overseeing a team; others are one individual in the seat.
Either way, write down what you are buying.
The British Business Bank's guide to small business finance management is a useful baseline: monthly management accounts with your KPIs, profit and loss, cash position and balance sheet.
On top of that baseline, a fractional FD should own a rolling cash flow forecast (the British Business Bank's cash flow forecast guide shows the mechanics), the annual budget, the board pack, and the numbers a lender or investor will ask for — the business plan, forecasts and financials set out in getting your business ready for finance.
One thing no service transfers: the board's legal duty.
GOV.UK is plain that directors can hire people to manage records and accounts day to day but remain legally responsible for the company's records, accounts and performance.
A good fractional FD makes that duty easier to discharge; it does not move it.
We do not sell FD services ourselves.
Brief us and we come back with a shortlist of 3–5 independent fractional FDs, each through our five-stage vetting.
If the brief is really about fundraising or a transaction, compare fractional CFO candidates too.
13/ the portfolio model
Portfolio finance director — one FD, several businesses
A portfolio finance director holds the finance seat at several businesses at once, each for an agreed share of the week.
It is the same arrangement as a fractional FD seen from the other side: the portfolio describes the FD's career, and "fractional" describes what each client buys.
For the business, the practical questions are how many other clients the FD carries, which days are yours, and how they will answer a lender or auditor between those days.
Put the answers in the engagement letter.
For finance leaders, fractional FD roles and part time FD jobs are the building blocks of a portfolio.
The board on this page lists current fractional finance director jobs from our jobs feed, with a rate shown only where the posting states one.
Before adding a second or third client, clear any conflicts with each board, and check how each engagement is set up — through your own company or on a reduced-hours contract — because employment status follows how each one actually runs.
14/ part-time fd services
Part-time FD services — hiring part time finance directors
Read this sectionClose this section
Part-time FD services come in two shapes.
Some firms supply part time finance directors from a team and put one named FD in charge, and some describe themselves as a partnership for fractional FDs, sharing cover and a brand; others are one individual invoicing through their own company.
Either way you are hiring a part time financial director for the same work — management accounts, the cash forecast, the board pack and the lenders — so compare the named person, not the firm.
A fractional finance director for SMEs usually starts with the cash forecast and the monthly close, because those are what a lender or investor asks for first.
If you would rather hire part time FD support as an employee on fixed days, see part-time finance director jobs, which covers how to hire part time finance director roles on a reduced-hours contract.
If the seat needs someone full-time and permanent, we take permanent briefs too.
Whichever it is, you get a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
Practical guide · Updated
A finance director brief should connect reliable reporting with business decisions. Understand team dependencies, reporting commitments and portfolio boundaries before comparing the advertised working pattern.
The working brief · 01
Connect the forecast to an actual choice
A finance director’s work should make an important business decision easier to assess.
- 1
Understand the inputs
Ask which sales, collection and payment assumptions drive the cash view. Separate an agreed customer commitment from an assumption that has not been tested.
- 2
Expose the alternatives
Show leadership how a proposed hire, order or investment changes the cash position under different assumptions. Keep the uncertainty visible instead of presenting one forecast as a promise.
- 3
Record the decision
Name who owns the chosen action and when its assumptions will be revisited. The value is the decision process supported by the figures, not the size of the spreadsheet.
The working brief · 02
Agree who prepares and who decides
A part-week director relies on a clear division of finance work.
The decision
Financial control
Name who reconciles accounts, manages the close and investigates differences. Weak records cannot be fixed simply by adding a more senior presentation layer.
Director decisions
Define responsibility for planning, management reporting and explaining finance to leadership. Directorship and statutory responsibilities need their own explicit agreement rather than being inferred from an FD job title.
The working brief · 03
A growth plan that needs a cash decision
Fictional worked example: a business plans to buy stock before it receives payment from customers.
- Stage 101
Build the timing picture
The fictional FD brings the purchase plan, payment dates and expected customer receipts together. Unknown collection dates remain assumptions rather than becoming confirmed cash. - Stage 202
Compare possible actions
Leadership considers changing the buying schedule, negotiating payment timing or changing the growth plan. The FD shows how each option affects the cash picture without claiming one is universally correct. - Stage 303
Assign the follow-through
The chosen option has an owner and an assumption review. The example ends with an accountable decision; it does not invent a financing approval or a business result.
The working brief · 04
Demonstrate finance judgement
Candidates can show how their work changed a decision without disclosing confidential accounts.
- 1
Describe the finance base
Explain the company’s reporting maturity, finance team and your decision authority. Distinguish overseeing the close from personally building it.
- 2
Reconstruct an important choice
Use a fictionalised management paper to show the alternatives, assumptions and risks you presented. Label any reconstructed figures as illustrative rather than real company results.
- 3
Clarify your accountability
Explain who approved the decision and how you monitored its assumptions. GOV.UK distinguishes accounting records from annual accounts; your example should be clear about which work you owned.
The working brief · 05
Match the engagement to the finance rhythm
Portfolio work requires compatible reporting demands and clear availability.
The decision
Fractional
An established finance team can support scheduled senior oversight. Align the director’s days with reporting and decision meetings, and agree an escalation route for urgent cash questions.
Interim
A vacancy, reporting problem or concentrated change may need temporary fuller cover. Plan handover around forecasts, controls and unresolved assumptions as well as files.
Permanent
Ongoing internal finance leadership may justify a permanent seat. Part-time employment can suit a stable workload; daily decision demands may need fuller coverage. Choose from the work rather than the label portfolio FD.
The working brief · 06
Interview around an uncertain forecast
A useful assessment tests assumptions, communication and decision authority.
- 1
A disputed receipt date
Ask how they would handle a cash forecast that relies on a customer paying sooner than the evidence supports. Look for a transparent assumption and a route to verify it.
- 2
A proposed investment
Ask what they need before advising leadership on a purchase or hire. The candidate should explain the alternatives and uncertainty rather than producing confidence from incomplete records.
- 3
A board question
Ask how they would explain a variance to a non-finance director. Assess whether they connect the numbers to an action while distinguishing facts from forecast judgement.
The working brief · 07
Make portfolio work operationally possible
Several clients can bring competing reporting demands and sensitive information.
The decision
Compatible deadlines
Ask candidates how they plan around reporting meetings and close demands across their current work. Agree availability directly rather than assuming portfolio experience guarantees spare capacity.
Separated information
Agree systems, access and handling rules for each company’s financial information. Examples from another client should be anonymised and shared only where permitted.
Urgent decisions
Name who handles cash or approval questions when the FD is with another company. A part-week brief needs a functioning finance team and escalation route.
The working brief · 08
Transfer the financial assumptions
A successor needs to understand the judgement behind the reporting.
- Stage 101
List what remains open
Record forecast assumptions, reporting issues and upcoming decisions. Distinguish agreed budgets from scenarios being considered. - Stage 202
Introduce the decision owners
Walk through the reporting rhythm with leadership and the finance team. Clarify who prepares information, who reviews it and who can approve changes. - Stage 303
Transfer evidence and access
Confirm that the successor can reach the supporting records and relevant advisers. Preserve company information within approved systems and retire access when responsibilities end.
15/ questions
Fractional FD FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional FD.
Exec Capital puts UK fractional FD day rates at £500–£1,400 typical, scaling with experience and engagement complexity. SME/growth stage: £500–£900/day. PE-backed/fundraising: £800–£1,400/day. CFO-level complex: £1,200–£1,800/day (Exec Capital). Monthly retainer: FD Capital puts 2 days a week at about £3,500–£6,000 a month.
Finance Director is the standard senior finance title in UK SMEs, emphasizing hands-on + strategic capability. CFO typically used at scale-up/PE/listed level with broader external/strategic remit. In SMEs the titles are largely interchangeable — same model, scale and remit set the label. Both provide board-level financial leadership part-time.
It depends on how each engagement runs in practice. HMRC looks at control, substitution and mutuality of obligation, and a medium or large client makes the status determination. Many FDs operate through their own limited company.
1–3 days per week is how Exec Capital describes the engagement. FD Capital's retainer guide by days: 1 day/week: board reporting, strategic advisory (about £2,000–£3,200/month). 2 days/week: hands-on finance leadership (about £3,500–£6,000/month). 3+ days: transformation/transaction leadership (about £6,000–£10,000/month).
Professional qualification: ACA, ACCA, or CIMA typically required. Experience: substantial finance leadership, including SME/growth company experience. Track record: fundraising, finance function build, board reporting, systems implementation. Many have Big 4 training plus commercial finance experience.
Yes — this is a core capability. FDs typically support: financial model development, investor deck creation, due diligence preparation, data room setup, management presentations, and post-investment board reporting. Many have direct VC/PE experience and existing investor networks.
Submit a brief with turnover, sector and the days per week you need — we come back with a shortlist of 3–5 fractional FDs. As an external anchor, FD Capital's 2026 pricing guide puts fractional FDs at £600–£1,000/day typical (£550 SME generalist to £1,200 turnaround specialist), or £30,000–£70,000 a year at 1–2 days a week — against £110,000–£180,000 total employer cost for a permanent FD. For consistent-days engagements see part-time finance director jobs.
A fractional FD holds the Finance Director seat for an agreed number of days, usually through their own company and often alongside other clients. A part-time FD is more often employed by one business on a reduced-hours contract. The seat is the same; the employment status differs, and with it the tax position. For a fractional FD working through their own company, a medium or large client makes the IR35 status determination, and HMRC's CEST tool helps test it. For employed reduced-hours roles see part-time finance director jobs.
In practice, yes. A portfolio FD holds the Finance Director seat at several businesses at once, each on agreed days; "portfolio" describes the FD's career and "fractional" describes what each client buys. Ask how many other clients they carry, which days are yours and how they handle conflicts, and put the answers in the engagement letter.
Finance director recruitment for a permanent seat is a search for one long-term employee on a salary. Part time FD recruitment is usually a search for a fractional FD on a day rate, or an employee on a reduced-hours contract, and the questions change: which days, how many other clients, and the IR35 position. We take both. Whether you want to hire a finance director permanently or part-time, you get a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position.
Yes. We shortlist across the UK, for hybrid or remote engagements as well as on-site ones. A fractional finance director London businesses bring in usually mixes on-site days with remote ones: the board pack and the cash forecast do not need the FD in the building every day. The same applies if you are looking for part time FD services Oxfordshire-wide, or a fractional financial director UK-wide outside the big cities — brief us with turnover, sector, days a week and which of them are on site. Every fractional finance director UK brief ends in a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
At minimum: monthly management accounts, a rolling cash flow forecast, the budget and the board pack — the baseline the British Business Bank sets out in its small business finance management guide. Most fractional finance director services also cover lender and investor preparation and oversight of the bookkeeper or controller. Agree the list in the engagement letter. The directors stay legally responsible for the company's records and accounts whoever does the work.
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.
