The appointment owns
The fractional CIO reviews the options on agreed days and records recommendations and delegated decisions in a visible systems plan.
fractional executive recruitment
Hire Fractional CIO
Hire Fractional CIO: give a senior information-systems leader a recurring, limited-day mandate with a named owner for decisions between their working days.
Brief us on this role →CIO briefChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Strategic decision
Choose the systems, supplier or investment decisions that need senior judgement each cycle.
Part 02 / 04
Working rhythm
Set days around leadership meetings, architecture reviews and supplier decisions.
Part 03 / 04
Daily owner
Name the IT or operations lead who runs services and responds between the CIO’s days.
Part 04 / 04
Escalation
Write which incidents need immediate contact and which decisions can wait for a scheduled review.
Hire Fractional CIO: what must the role own?
Choose the systems, supplier or investment decisions that need senior judgement each cycle.
Strategic decisionChoose the systems, supplier or investment decisions that need senior judgement each cycle.
Working rhythmSet days around leadership meetings, architecture reviews and supplier decisions.
Daily ownerName the IT or operations lead who runs services and responds between the CIO’s days.
EscalationWrite which incidents need immediate contact and which decisions can wait for a scheduled review.
Role reference: SFIA 9: strategic planning. SFIA describes aligning plans and resources with organisational objectives. This is a responsibility reference, not a universal CIO job description.
What changes when the CIO is fractional?
A fractional CIO is an external executive engaged for an ongoing part-week remit. The brief must separate strategic decisions from the daily service desk, delivery and incident response.
fractionalChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Days
Agree the recurring days and which decisions cannot wait for the next scheduled session.
Part 02 / 04
Authority
Give the leader clear decision rights on those days, rather than an advisory title without ownership.
Part 03 / 04
Cover
Name who handles urgent work between the agreed days.
Part 04 / 04
Review
Review the scope when the workload changes; do not assume the original pattern will always fit.
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 charity with several technology suppliers
The operations team can keep services running, but supplier renewals and a data migration need recurring senior judgement.
The fractional CIO reviews the options on agreed days and records recommendations and delegated decisions in a visible systems plan.
Another owner retains
The operations lead handles daily service issues, the data-protection lead retains their specialist duties and the chief executive approves reserved spend.
How should you assess CIO 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
Part-week judgement
Ask how a previous limited-day remit kept decisions moving without making every issue wait.
Part 02 / 04
Systems trade-off
Give the same estate and supplier notes to each candidate and ask what they would stop.
Part 03 / 04
Cover design
Ask who should own a service interruption on a non-working day.
Part 04 / 04
Evidence record
Ask what decision log the candidate would leave for the operating team.
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.
The working pattern · fractional
A fractional CIOAn external executive owns a continuing remit on agreed days. Set the decision rights and cover between those days.
What must happen before the CIO starts?
Agree the working pattern, review cadence and urgent contact route.
A clear startChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Days
Agree the working pattern, review cadence and urgent contact route.
Part 02 / 04
Information
Share the estate map, contracts, planned changes and known risks.
Part 03 / 04
Authority
Tell teams which decisions the fractional CIO can make and which need approval.
Part 04 / 04
First cycle
Run one supplier or systems choice through the agreed decision log.
- 1
Days
Agree the working pattern, review cadence and urgent contact route.
- 2
Information
Share the estate map, contracts, planned changes and known risks.
- 3
Authority
Tell teams which decisions the fractional CIO can make and which need approval.
- 4
First cycle
Run one supplier or systems choice through the agreed decision log.
A useful CIO brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.
What should the brief say?
Hire Fractional CIO begins with strategic decision, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
15 minutes · video or phone
Brief us on a CIO
Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.
- 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
- 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
Pick a day that suits · live availability
