← Glossary
Fractional leadership

Fractional Executive

Also known as: fractional leader

A fractional executive is a senior leader (COO, CFO, CMO and so on) who works with a business part-time, sharing their time across a small number of clients.

Key takeaways
  • A fractional executive is a senior leader, COO, CFO, and so on, working part-time across a few clients.
  • It gives smaller companies access to leadership they could not afford or do not yet need full-time.
  • It is ongoing, not a one-off project, so the executive builds real context and accountability.

Fractional executives give smaller and growing companies access to leadership they could not afford, or do not yet need, full-time. The arrangement is ongoing rather than a one-off project, so the executive builds real context and accountability rather than parachuting in with advice.

The fractional model has grown because the gap between needing senior operational leadership and being able to hire it full-time is where a lot of businesses get stuck. A fractional COO is the operations-focused version of this role.

Learn how the engagement models work on the How I work page.

Commonly confused with

Interim executive

Interim is full-time but temporary. Fractional is part-time and ongoing.

Frequently asked

What is the difference between a fractional executive and a consultant?
A consultant advises and usually hands over a plan. A fractional executive takes a seat in the leadership team and owns outcomes on an ongoing basis.
What roles are commonly filled fractionally?
COO, CFO, CMO, CTO, and similar. A fractional COO is the operations-focused version.
Related terms
Fractional COOFractional PMInterim COORetainer

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