Fractional vs interim executive: what is the difference?
A fractional executive holds a standing part-time seat, one to three days a week with no end date, usually for several companies at once. An interim executive works full time for one company for a fixed stretch, covering a gap such as a departure, a crisis or a deal.
The three, defined
Fractional
A senior executive who runs the function one to three days a week, indefinitely. Not a consultant and not an advisor: they own a number, manage people, and sit in the leadership meeting. Most serve two or three companies at once. The full definition covers the seats and what each costs.
Interim
A full-time executive on a temporary contract, typically three to nine months. The classic triggers are a sudden departure, a turnaround, or a transaction that needs someone on it every day until it closes. What interim management actually covers goes through the engagement types, what they cost, and when the seat is better held part-time.
Full-time
The permanent hire, with salary, equity, notice periods and everything else that comes with employing someone. The right answer when the function genuinely needs leading five days a week, which usually arrives later than founders expect.
| Fractional | Interim | Full-time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time commitment | 1 to 3 days a week, ongoing | Full-time, temporarily | Full-time, permanently |
| Typical length | 6 months to years, open-ended | 3 to 9 months, defined end | Years |
| Cost shape | Day rate for days used; £4,600 to £11,500 a month at 2 days a week | Day rate, 5 days a week; £11,500 to £28,750 a month | Salary, employer NI, pension and a search fee; £128,821 to £196,321 in year one, before equity |
| What it solves | The company needs the seat's judgement, but not five days of it | A gap or a crisis: sudden departure, turnaround, a deal that needs a body on it daily | The function is big enough to need leading every day |
| Notice and exit | Days to weeks, by agreement | Contract end date | Notice periods, and often a settlement |
| Who employs them | Nobody; they contract with you directly and usually serve several companies | Usually engaged through an interim provider, sometimes direct | You do, with everything that carries |
What each costs, seat by seat
The same published day rate, bought three ways: fractional at 2 days a week, interim at 5, and a full-time hire in its first year, counting employer National Insurance, pension and a search fee on an assumed mid-market salary.
| Seat | Fractional, 2 days a week, per month | Interim, 5 days a week, per month | Full-time, year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFO | £6,133 to £11,500 | £15,333 to £28,750 | £189,571 |
| CMO | £5,367 to £9,967 | £13,417 to £24,917 | £176,071 |
| CTO | £6,133 to £10,733 | £15,333 to £26,833 | £196,321 |
| COO | £5,367 to £9,967 | £13,417 to £24,917 | £176,071 |
| Sales Director | £5,367 to £9,967 | £13,417 to £24,917 | £162,571 |
| Growth Lead | £4,600 to £8,433 | £11,500 to £21,083 | £128,821 |
| Product Lead | £5,367 to £9,200 | £13,417 to £23,000 | £155,821 |
| People Lead | £4,600 to £8,433 | £11,500 to £21,083 | £128,821 |
| CISO | £6,900 to £11,500 | £17,250 to £28,750 | £189,571 |
| Data Lead | £5,367 to £9,200 | £13,417 to £23,000 | £149,071 |
| General Counsel | £6,133 to £10,733 | £15,333 to £26,833 | £182,821 |
Monthly figures over billable weeks, from the bands on the day-rates page. The full-time column is an assumption shown as one; the calculator runs it on your own numbers.
When each one wins
Choose fractional when
- You need the judgement and the ownership, but the workload is one to three days a week. Most companies under about fifty people are here for most seats.
- You want the seat filled next week, without a four-month search.
- The budget is real but does not stretch to £128,821 or more for a full-time hire’s first year. Day rates for every seat are published here.
Choose interim when
- Someone senior just left and the function cannot run leaderless while you search.
- There is a crisis or a transaction that needs a full-time grip: a turnaround, an audit gone wrong, a deal in diligence.
- The engagement has a natural end date you can already name.
Choose full-time when
- The function has grown a team that needs managing every day.
- The seat’s work genuinely fills a week, every week, and has for months.
- You need someone whose entire professional attention belongs to this company.
When that is the answer, we find full-time executives too, with the fee published on the page rather than quoted on a call.
And consultants or agencies?
Neither holds the seat. A consultant delivers advice or a project and leaves the function to somebody else; an agency adds execution capacity on a channel or a build. Both are the right answer to some problems and the wrong one when the gap is ownership. Fractional executive, consultant, agency or part-time hire sets all four side by side.
Common questions
What's the difference between fractional executives and interim executives?
Commitment and purpose. A fractional executive holds a standing seat one to three days a week, often at several companies, with no end date. An interim executive works full time, 5 days a week, at one company for a fixed stretch of 3 to 9 months to cover a gap. The seniority and the day rate are usually the same.
Is interim or fractional cheaper?
Fractional, per month, because it buys fewer days. At 2 days a week the UK seat bands run £4,600 to £11,500 a month, against £11,500 to £28,750 for full-time interim cover at the same day rates. Per day they cost the same, and interim is the better buy only when the work genuinely fills the week.
Is part-time the same as fractional?
Not quite. A part-time executive is usually an employee with fewer days at one company, on the payroll with holiday and a pension. A fractional executive contracts through their own company and often holds the same kind of seat at two or three companies. The hours can be identical; the contract decides which it is.
Is a fractional CFO cheaper than an interim CFO?
Almost always, because you are buying fewer days. A fractional CFO at two days a week costs roughly half what a full-time interim does, sometimes less. But they solve different problems: if the work genuinely needs someone on it five days a week, fractional is the wrong tool, not the cheap one.
Is interim more senior than fractional?
No. Seniority is the same pool of people; the difference is the shape of the engagement. Many operators do both across their career: interim when a company needs cover, fractional as a standing seat across two or three companies at once.
Can a fractional executive be inside IR35?
Engagement structure decides that, not the label. Most fractional arrangements involve genuine independence: multiple clients, control over how the work is done, no employee-style integration. That said, IR35 status depends on the specific facts of each engagement, so take proper advice rather than relying on a label. This is general information, not tax advice.
Can a fractional hire become full-time?
Yes, and it happens often enough that it is worth planning for. Some companies use a fractional engagement as an extended working interview for the full-time seat. Agree upfront how that conversation would work; a good operator will not be offended by the question.
The bench is open to browse
Every operator verified, booked direct, with the rate published. Start from the seat you need, or brief us and we run the search. And if interim or full-time is the honest answer for you, we will say so.