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Permanent non-executive director · hiring brief

Hire a Non-Executive Director

Hire a Non-Executive Director: name the gap on the board the NED fills, the time and committees involved, and how you will test independence and fit.

Brief us on this role →How it works

Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 1 November 2026 · 4 sources linked below

  • 3–5on every shortlist
  • 5stages of vetting
  • IR35set out on every brief
Hire a Non-Executive Director: a technology leader taking a founder through a product roadmap (illustration)

In the press

The brief

Hire a Non-Executive Director: what must the role own?

The expertise the board lacks.

  • 01GapThe expertise the board lacks.
  • 02TimeBoard meetings and committee work a year.
  • 03CommitteesAudit, remuneration or nomination roles.
  • 04IndependenceConflicts to check.

Role reference: Institute of Directors: role of the non-executive director. The IoD sets out the role of the non-executive director: challenge, oversight and independence.

NED or adviser

Hire a non-executive director or an adviser?

A board seat brings duties.

Hire a non-executive director when you want independent oversight on the board, with director duties. Hire an adviser when you want expertise without a board seat.

Listed companies follow the UK Corporate Governance Code on independence; private companies can use it as a guide.

The working pattern

What changes when the non-executive director is permanent?

A non-executive director sits on the board without running the business: they challenge, advise and oversee. An adviser without a board seat is not a NED.

The illustrative brief: a growing business with an all-founder board. Investors ask for an independent board member with finance experience.

The appointment owns: The company appoints a NED to chair a new audit committee.

Another owner retains: Executives run the business; the NED oversees.

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

From brief to start

How do you hire a Non-Executive Director, step by step?

Hire a Non-Executive Director, in practice: 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 non-executive director 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
    Letter
    Appointment letter with time and term.
    You
  5. Before day one · 2
    05
    Induction
    Board papers, strategy and risks.
    You
  6. Before day one · 3
    06
    Committees
    Terms of reference.
    You
  7. Before day one · 4
    07
    Insurance
    Directors’ and officers’ cover.
    You

Assessment

How should you assess each candidate?

Hire a Non-Executive Director on evidence: put the same work in front of each candidate before comparing answers.

  1. Comparable work
    Ask about a board where they challenged management.
  2. Authority
    Test how they would handle a conflict of interest.
  3. Team
    Ask how they supported an executive without taking over.
  4. Handover
    Ask how they ended a previous appointment.

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.

Questions

Hire a Non-Executive Director: questions, answered

A brief to hire a Non-Executive Director begins with gap: The expertise the board lacks. 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?

  • iod.com
  • HMRC
  • legislation.gov.uk
  1. 1
    Institute of Directors: role of the non-executive director iod.com
  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

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  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