Part-time head of finance · Set days · Part-time vs fractional
Part-time head of finance · what one does, how many days, when it fits
A part-time head of finance runs a company’s finance function on fewer days than a full-time week, usually as an employee of one company on a set pattern of days. They own the month-end, the management accounts, the budget, cash and the finance team, and report to the CEO, a finance director or the board. The job is whole; the week is shorter.
This page covers what the role involves, how the days fall, how part-time differs from fractional, interim and full-time, and when it fits. Open roles are on head of finance jobs. To hire a part-time head of finance, send us the brief. We recruit part-time, fractional, interim, temporary and permanent finance leaders.
How a brief runswhat we undertake
- 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
- 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
- 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
- 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
- 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief
Shortlist3–5
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire a part-time head of finance
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Head of Finance candidates, their day rates and availability.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We scope the role and the days a week
- 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
- 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Part-time head of finance jobs on the board
No Part-time head of finance roles on the board in the last three months. Showing finance leadership roles instead.
- FractionalSyndicatedFractional CFO
Amitours · United Kingdom
Rate not statedUnited Kingdom - InterimSyndicatedInterim Finance Director
Pragmatic Semiconductor · Cambridge
est £1,400/day5 d/wk - InterimSyndicatedInterim Finance Director
Juro · United Kingdom
£800–£1,000/dayUnited Kingdom - FractionalSyndicatedFractional Finance Directors
PWF Associates Limited · Manchester
est £750/dayManchester
Current head of finance and finance leadership roles
Fractional Quest is a fractional recruitment agency: send a Head of Finance brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.
01/ the role
What is a part-time head of finance?
A part-time head of finance is the senior finance manager of a business, employed for an agreed number of days each week. “Part-time” describes the hours, not the seniority: the person runs the finance function in full, on set days, and is on the payroll like any other employee. Most work for one company, and the contract fixes which days they are in.
The work is the work of a head of finance: the month-end close, management accounts, budgets and forecasts, cash, controls and the finance team. ICAEW’s summary of finance careers puts the CFO or finance director at the top of the function, setting its direction; a head of finance usually runs it, either a level below that seat or as the most senior finance person in a smaller company.
Head of finance or finance director?
The titles overlap, and companies use them loosely. The useful test is the board. A head of finance runs the function and reports to the CEO, a finance director or a CFO; a finance director usually sits on, or reports directly to, the board and answers for the numbers there. If the part-time seat is the board-level one, see part-time finance director; if it is a CFO seat with investors and funding in scope, see part-time CFO.
Part-time is not the same as fractional
A fractional head of finance also works part of the week, but usually under a contract for services, through their own company, often for more than one client. A part-time head of finance is usually an employee of one company, with a payslip, a pension and employment rights. GOV.UK sets out that part-time workers should get the same treatment as comparable full-time workers on pay rates, pension, holidays and training. For the contract route, see fractional head of finance.
02/ scope
What the role covers, and how the days fall
Fewer days does not mean less of the job. It means the job has to be organised around the days. In most companies the week covers five things.
Month-end and management accounts
The close, the reconciliations and the management accounts, delivered by a set working day each month. A part-time head of finance sets the close timetable so the critical steps land on the days they work.
Budget, forecast and cash
The annual budget, a rolling forecast and a clear view of cash. The British Business Bank’s guide to small business finance management is a fair floor: a current plan and forecast, someone chasing late payers, a budget compared with actual performance, and regular management accounts.
Team, systems and controls
Leading the finance team, the accounting system, approvals and the controls that keep the numbers right. The team runs the daily transactions; the head of finance decides how they are run and reviews the output.
Audit, tax and the bank
The relationships with the auditors, tax advisers and lenders: the audit file, the year-end timetable, the covenant reporting. These are scheduled work, which suits a fixed pattern of days.
Cover on the other days
Part-time works when someone handles the day-to-day questions on the days the head of finance is out: a finance manager, a senior accountant or a capable bookkeeper. Agree in writing what can wait, what goes to the deputy and what needs a call.
03/ comparison
Part-time, fractional, interim or a full-time head of finance
Four ways to fill the seat. They differ in the days, the length and above all the contract.
04/ timing
When a part-time head of finance fits
Part-time fits when the finance work is steady and predictable, needs a senior owner, and does not fill five days. These are the usual cases.
Scenario 01
The bookkeeper has been outgrown
The business needs management accounts the board can rely on, a budget and a forecast, but not a full-time finance leader to produce them.
Scenario 02
The work runs to a calendar
Month-end, payroll, VAT and board deadlines fall on known dates, so the days can be fixed around them and the team covers the rest.
Scenario 03
The best candidate wants fewer days
Many experienced finance leaders want a shorter week. Offering it opens a field of candidates a five-day advert never reaches.
Scenario 04
After an interim or fractional stint
A turnaround or a new system is done, the function is stable, and the company wants a permanent employee on fewer days to run it.
05/ vetting
How we vet part-time heads of finance
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify Head of Finance tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING - 02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING - 03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY - 04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5
06/ pay
What a part-time head of finance earns pro rata to the days
A part-time head of finance is normally paid a salary pro rata: the full-time rate for the role, in proportion to the days worked. The full-time reference point most easily checked is advertised pay. IT Jobs Watch gives a median Head of Finance salary of £85,000 in permanent job ads posted in the six months to 25 September 2026, and £90,000 in London. Those are salaries advertised for permanent roles, not part-time pay and not what was finally agreed.
Part-time workers should get the same pay rates, pension opportunities and holidays as comparable full-time staff, with some benefits applied pro rata, as GOV.UK sets out. Holiday is pro rata too: GOV.UK’s holiday entitlement guide explains how a part-time worker’s statutory leave is worked out. Our head of finance salary page sets out full-time pay in more depth, each figure sourced. Every shortlist we send states each candidate’s pay or day rate.
07/ part-time vs fractional
Part-time or fractional: the contract, not the seniority
The days can look the same. The difference is the relationship. A part-time head of finance is your employee: on the payroll, under your policies, usually working only for you. A fractional head of finance runs the same function part of the week as an independent, invoicing for the days and often working for other companies too. An interim head of finance is different again: usually full-time, for a fixed period such as a vacancy, a system change or a turnaround, and then gone.
The contract changes what you manage. An employee brings employment rights and the right to request flexible working, including changes to their hours and days, from their first day. A fractional working through their own company brings the off-payroll working rules (IR35) into view instead; status depends on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests. If you want the contract route, see fractional head of finance jobs.
08/ hiring
Hiring one: the short version
Start with the finance calendar: when the close runs, when the board pack is due, when payroll and VAT fall. That sets the days. Then write down what the role owns, who it reports to and who covers the other days. The head of finance job description is a starting point.
Check the qualification with the body that awards it. In the IT Jobs Watch sample above, ACCA was named in 25.29% of head of finance ads and CIMA in 24.14%: see the ACCA qualification and CIMA’s CGMA Professional Qualification. Ask how the candidate has run a month-end on fewer than five days before, and take references from the people they reported to.
To hire a part-time head of finance through us, send the brief. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting. If the brief turns out to suit a contract better, the fractional hub explains how to hire a head of finance that way.
09/ questions
Part-time head of finance FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in a part-time head of finance.
Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5
Bring the brief. We architect the team.
A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
