FractionalQuestAsk about this roleSign inBook a call

Fractional head of sales · hiring brief

Hire a Fractional Head of Sales

Hire a Fractional Head of Sales: give an experienced sales leader a recurring part-week mandate to build and run the sales team, the process and the forecast, before the company needs a full-time head of sales.

Brief us on this role →See head of sales roles

Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below

  • 3–5on every shortlist
  • 5stages of vetting
  • IR35set out on every brief
Hire a Fractional Head of Sales: a marketing leader walking her team through campaign concepts (illustration)

In the press

The brief

Hire a Fractional Head of Sales: what must the role own?

Name the sales process the head of sales builds: stages, qualification and the handover from marketing.

  • 01The processName the sales process the head of sales builds: stages, qualification and the handover from marketing.
  • 02The teamSay who the head of sales manages, hires and coaches.
  • 03The forecastAgree the forecast the head of sales signs and how often.
  • 04Between daysName who handles a live deal decision when the head of sales is not working.

Role reference: Institute of Sales Professionals: sales capability framework. The ISP framework describes sales capability by level, a common reference for what a sales leader should be able to do and coach.

On the board · last 90 days

Which head of sales roles are on the board?

Fractional head of sales roles first, then the seat in any engagement and the wider function when the board runs short.

Roles

See every role on the board →

Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.

The working pattern

What changes when the head of sales is fractional?

The fractional head of sales leads the team on agreed days rather than selling for it. Founders must say which deals the head of sales runs, which they keep, and who coaches the team between days.

The illustrative brief: a founder-led company with its first three salespeople. The founder still closes every deal, the three salespeople have no shared process and the pipeline lives in the founder’s head.

The appointment owns: The fractional head of sales builds the process, runs the weekly pipeline review and coaches the team on two days a week.

Another owner retains: The founder keeps the largest accounts and pricing exceptions.

The case is illustrative; it does not describe a Fractional Quest placement.

From brief to start

How do you hire a Fractional Head of Sales, step by step?

The first three steps are ours; the last four are what has to be true before the first day. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date.

  1. Day 0
    01
    The 15-minute call
    What the head of sales must own, the working pattern, the start date and the budget.
    You and us
  2. Week 1
    02
    Scope agreed in writing
    The outcome the seat exists for, the days, and how the engagement will run for IR35.
    Us
  3. Weeks 1–3
    03
    Search, references, shortlist
    We approach people who aren’t looking, verify tenure, take references ourselves and return three to five.
    Us
  4. Week 4
    04
    Days
    Agree the recurring days and the weekly pipeline review.
    You
  5. Before day one · 2
    05
    Data
    Give access to the CRM and the last two quarters of deals.
    You
  6. Before day one · 3
    06
    Team brief
    Tell the team who they report to and when.
    You
  7. Before day one · 4
    07
    First cycle
    Review the first forecast and whether the days held.
    You

Assessment

How should you assess head of sales candidates?

Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.

  1. A team built before
    Ask for a sales team the candidate built from a few people and what it delivered.
  2. Coaching
    Ask the candidate to coach a recorded call in front of you.
  3. Part-week discipline
    Test a deal decision that arrives on a non-working day and ask who acts.
  4. Capability
    Ask how the candidate would assess the team against a framework such as the ISP’s.

Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.

Vetting

What happens before anyone reaches your shortlist?

Five stages before a candidate reaches a shortlist of three to five.

  1. Pedigree screen
    Tenure
    We verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
  2. Mandate fit
    Fit
    Fit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
  3. Reference deep-dive
    Verify
    We take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
  4. Shortlist
    Shortlist
    Three to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
  5. Kick-off
    Start
    Scope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.

The full process is on how we vet.

The right pattern

Does this hiring pattern fit the work?

Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.

Questions

Hire a Fractional Head of Sales: questions, answered

Hire a Fractional Head of Sales begins with the process: Name the sales process the head of sales builds: stages, qualification and the handover from marketing. Then a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

Read next

Related hiring and role pages

Sources

Where does every reference on this page come from?

  • the-isp.org
  • HMRC
  • legislation.gov.uk
  1. 1
    Institute of Sales Professionals: sales capability framework the-isp.org
  2. 2
    Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRC
    Status depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
  3. 3
    Check employment status for tax (CEST) HMRC
    HMRC’s own status check for each engagement.
  4. 4
    Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.uk
    The law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.

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