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fractional executive recruitment

Hire Fractional Chief of Staff

Hire Fractional Chief of Staff: give a senior operator a continuing CEO-office remit on agreed days, with named owners for decisions and urgent work between those days.

Brief us on this role →
Chief of Staff briefChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Days

Choose the recurring days around the CEO and leadership meeting cycle.

Hire Fractional Chief of Staff: what must the role own?

Choose the recurring days around the CEO and leadership meeting cycle.

DaysChoose the recurring days around the CEO and leadership meeting cycle.
PrioritiesSet which cross-team priorities the chief of staff tracks, not every task in the business.
AuthoritySay when the seat can speak for the CEO and when it must return for a decision.
CoverName who receives new issues and handles time-sensitive decisions between working days.

Role reference: Chief of Staff Association: the role’s strategic purpose. The Association’s practitioner account describes priority setting, information flow and strategic work with the CEO, with role clarity and authority.

What changes when the Chief of Staff is fractional?

A fractional chief of staff is an external executive with a recurring remit. The arrangement works when the CEO needs senior prioritisation and follow-through for part of each week and can name a cover path for the remaining days.

fractionalChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Days

Agree the recurring days and which decisions cannot wait for the next scheduled session.

How would this work in a real brief?

The hiring decision becomes clearer when the work and its boundary are written down together.

Illustrative brief · a founder with a small leadership team

A founder runs a weekly leadership meeting, but commitments drift between it and the next. The work needs senior attention for set days, not a full-time seat.

The fractional chief of staff prepares the meeting, keeps the decision record and helps leaders resolve cross-team dependencies.

The appointment owns

The fractional chief of staff prepares the meeting, keeps the decision record and helps leaders resolve cross-team dependencies.

Another owner retains

The founder keeps strategy and final approvals; leaders deliver their own commitments, with a named contact holding urgent items between days.

How should you assess Chief of Staff candidates?

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

The evidenceChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Cadence

Ask for an example of running a leadership rhythm on limited days.

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

Does this hiring pattern fit the work?

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

How much of the week does the work fill?
Is this a defined assignment with an end?
For a continuing part-week role, is this an employee?

The working pattern · fractional

A fractional Chief of Staff

An external executive owns a continuing remit on agreed days. Set the decision rights and cover between those days.

Read the fractional Chief of Staff hiring brief →

What must happen before the Chief of Staff starts?

Agree days, executive meetings and how a missed day is covered.

A clear startChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Working pattern

Agree days, executive meetings and how a missed day is covered.
  1. 1

    Working pattern

    Agree days, executive meetings and how a missed day is covered.

  2. 2

    Mandate

    Introduce decision and information rights to the leadership team.

  3. 3

    Record

    Share priorities, meeting notes and a decision log.

  4. 4

    First cycle

    Choose one cross-team commitment to follow from decision to delivery.

A useful Chief of Staff brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.

What should the brief say?

Hire Fractional Chief of Staff begins with days, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

15 minutes · video or phone

Brief us on a Chief of Staff

Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.

  1. 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
  2. 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
  3. 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
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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
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