FractionalQuestAsk about this roleSign inDiscuss the brief

Executive support · part-week hiring

Hire a fractional executive assistant

Write down the leader, the work, the days and the access. Then compare people against one brief. Fractional Quest can source a named executive assistant for a contract or permanent part-time role.

Build the brief →Discuss the role

Is there a fractional EA role available now?

Yes. Our confidential sustainability charity mandate starts in October 2026, with two to three days equivalent each week and one London day each month.

See the confirmed open role and application route →

Weekly capacity

2–3 daysFlexible equivalent

London

1 dayEach month

Start

October2026

What should a fractional executive assistant own?

Name the decisions and handovers first, then the hours and location.

A fractional executive assistant takes responsibility for a defined executive-support scope across agreed days, with permission to act on the principal’s behalf only where the brief allows it.

For the shorter working-pattern guide, read fractional EA roles and jobs.

See the hire a fractional EA guide when the other wording better fits your search.

One seatA written brief

Part 01 / 04

Principal

Name the person whose calendar, travel and priorities the EA supports.

How does a real executive assistant brief combine remote and London work?

Our current sustainability charity brief asks for two to three days of flexible work each week and one London day each month.

The client is a confidential sustainability charity, and experience in the sustainability category is preferred rather than required.

It is open to a contract or permanent part-time arrangement, and the pay has not been stated.

Read the available role and submit a LinkedIn URL through Fractional Quest.

  1. October 202601

    Start

    The charity wants the person to start in October.
  2. Each week02

    Flexible capacity

    The work is equivalent to two to three working days.
  3. Each month03

    London day

    One working day is in London.

How should a fractional executive assistant handle access?

Decide who grants access, who can delegate work and where the handover is recorded.

Executive support can touch private correspondence, meeting records and personal data; the brief should identify exactly which accounts and files the assistant needs.

The ICO explains controller and processor responsibilities, which depend on the actual relationship and processing.

Clear accessBefore day one

Part 01 / 04

Diary

Agree calendar permissions and who can change commitments.

Should this be a contract or a permanent part-time role?

Choose the arrangement from the real working relationship, then document it.

A named assistant can be recruited into either arrangement; the live charity brief explicitly accepts contract or permanent part-time terms.

Acas says employment status depends on the agreement and how work happens.

If the person works through an intermediary, read HMRC’s off-payroll working guidance before settling the contract.

One part-week EA seat

Contract

Specify the services, access, working pattern and review point.

Check tax status where an intermediary is involved.

Permanent part-time

Specify the employed hours, location, reporting line and employment terms.

Employment rights follow actual status.

How many days of support are enough?

Start with the work that must happen every week and the moments that need the EA in person.

The charity example calls for an executive assistant who can work flexibly across the week and attend in London once a month.

The access and escalation rules should also cover the days when the assistant is away from the organisation.

DaysA week with edges

Part 01 / 04

Recurring work

Count diary, travel, meeting and follow-up work that returns each week.

What would your chosen working pattern cost?

Enter the proposed day rate and working weeks to calculate the fee for your own brief.

Use the proposed candidate rate rather than a generic executive assistant benchmark; the fee calculation is only your input multiplied by working time.

For sourced salary and contract reference points, use our fractional executive assistant salary and interim executive assistant salary pages.

Enter a proposed day rate and working weeks to calculate fees.

Your inputs only. This is contract fee arithmetic before VAT, tax and any employer costs; it is not a quoted market rate or a permanent salary.

What should you test in an executive assistant shortlist?

Give every candidate the same practical brief and ask who will do the work.

Ask each person to explain a real handover, a change to an executive diary and a moment when they declined to act without authority.

Our vetting process and the EA interview questions help keep the comparison consistent.

Same testEvery candidate

Part 01 / 04

Priorities

Ask how they would protect the principal’s time in a crowded week.

What should happen after you decide to hire?

Write the brief, settle the engagement, compare candidates and agree a first-month handover.

For the detailed role, read the available charity executive assistant mandate; the fractional EA jobs board carries the wider part-week category.

If you are hiring, tell us the weekly pattern and who the EA will support.

  1. 1

    Write the brief

    Name the principal, scope, days, location and access.

  2. 2

    Choose the arrangement

    Set contract or permanent part-time terms and check the applicable status.

  3. 3

    Compare the shortlist

    Use the same exercise and reference questions for each candidate.

  4. 4

    Set the handover

    Agree the first priorities, permissions and review point.

The right brief makes part-week support possible.

The brief begins with scope, days and access.

We can turn those decisions into a shortlist for a named executive support seat.

The shorter EA working-pattern page gives the adjoining view.

Discuss an EA brief →

On the board · last 3 months

Fractional EA jobs on the board

1 on the board · 1 confirmed open
Browse every role on the board →

What do hiring teams ask?

The days, work and employment arrangement belong in the brief before a candidate search begins.

Can we hire for two or three days a week?

Yes. The current charity brief uses that pattern, but your own workload should set your days.

Can the EA work remotely?

Yes, if the work allows it. Specify any in-person commitments; the current charity role includes one London day monthly.

Is fractional the same as part-time employment?

Fractional describes the share of a week. Contract and permanent part-time are different arrangements; actual employment status depends on the agreement and how the work happens.

Where can candidates see fractional EA jobs?

Use the fractional EA jobs board or the executive assistant service and roles page. Browse the EA jobs board.

This page owns the spelled-out hiring query; the short-form hire page covers the working-pattern search.

For hiring managers

Bring the brief. We bring the shortlist.

Sign up now →Book a call

  1. A shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position
  2. Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary or permanent — and non-executive directors
  3. Every candidate through our five-stage vetting
  4. Your briefs and their candidates, in one room
Fractional Quest logo — how to hire a fractional executive assistant, hire a fractional executive assistant