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Permanent executive · hiring brief

Permanent Executive Hire

Permanent Executive Hire: brief the seat, search beyond active candidates, assess every candidate the same way and agree authority before the offer.

Brief us on this role →How it works

Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 28 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below

  • 3–5on every shortlist
  • 5stages of vetting
  • IR35set out on every brief
Permanent Executive Hire: leadership meeting in a Covent Garden office (illustration)

In the press

The brief

Permanent Executive Hire: what must the role own?

Describe the role and reporting line.

  • 01SeatDescribe the role and reporting line.
  • 02DecisionsList the decisions it owns.
  • 03PackageSet the range before search.
  • 04AssessmentAgree criteria up front.

Role reference: Acas: recruitment. Acas sets out the fair recruitment process employers must follow for any permanent hire.

The working pattern

What changes when the executive is permanent?

A permanent executive hire fills a seat for years. Weigh it against fractional or interim when the need is part-week or time-bound.

The illustrative brief: a first permanent executive team. A company moving from founders to an executive team.

The appointment owns: It hires one permanent executive at a time, starting with the seat with the most risk.

Another owner retains: The board approves each appointment.

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

From brief to start

How do you make a permanent executive hire, 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 executive 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
    Offer
    Confirm terms and authority.
    You
  5. Before day one · 2
    05
    Access
    Provide information.
    You
  6. Before day one · 3
    06
    Introductions
    Introduce the team.
    You
  7. Before day one · 4
    07
    First 90 days
    Agree the plan.
    You

Assessment

How should you assess executive candidates?

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

  1. Evidence
    Ask for decisions owned at the level.
  2. References
    Take references from a CEO or chair.
  3. Consistency
    Use the same tasks for each candidate.
  4. Fairness
    Follow a fair process.

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

Permanent Executive Hire: questions, answered

A brief to make a permanent executive hire begins with seat: Describe the role and reporting line. 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?

  • acas.org.uk
  • HMRC
  • legislation.gov.uk
  1. 1
    Acas: recruitment acas.org.uk
  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