What is Fractional Work?
Fractional work is part-time work, typically paid on a monthly retainer, and performed by experts in their field. In many ways it’s similar to full-time work, except the work is done on fewer hours per week and it costs less for companies.
Companies are turning to fractional leaders to run their marketing playbook, own their financial strategy, or manage their HR function (to name a few). These are companies that do not have the need for, or budget for, a full-time role.
And for fractional leaders, they get to build their own business as a solopreneur, working with several companies at a time. They get to do the things they are best at, and get to work with companies that would otherwise not be able to afford them.
Let’s break down the key components of fractional work in more detail.
Part-time Work
Fractional is a fancy word for “part-time”.
Instead of assuming every role requires a minimum of 40 hours, fractional engagements are custom-fit for the actual need the company has. Companies get expert-level output within a certain time commitment (usually 5 - 25 hours), and within a certain budget.
The Monthly Retainer
Most fractional execs bill on a monthly retainer, meaning a set $X,000 per month, for a time commitment like X hours per week or Y days per month. This structure reflects an ongoing, embedded relationship (not a one-off project).
Read more about the monthly retainer here.
Senior Experts Only
The term “fractional” implies someone who is an expert in their field. Often, folks have 10+ years of leadership and/or management experience in their domain.
There are fractionals in every field you can think of. This includes the obvious ones like marketing, finance, engineering, and sales. But every niche is covered too, like security, user research, supply chain, and public policy.
Responsibilities are comparable to full-time senior roles: setting strategy, managing a team, doing hands-on work, and delivering measurable results.
What Fractional Work is Not
- A replacement when you need someone full-time, i.e. 40 hrs per week, with full-time availability. If so, you should hire a full-time employee.
- A fit for a single, scoped deliverable. For this, you should hire a freelancer or project-based consultant.
- Task-oriented work performed by junior employees
Examples
- Fractional CMO: Owns positioning, pipeline, paid media, and lifecycle programs; manages vendors; reports weekly on growth metrics.
- Fractional CFO: Builds the operating model and cash plan, runs board reporting, sets controls, and guides hiring/spend.
- Fractional Engineering Leader: Sets architecture, leads sprints, mentors ICs, and enforces quality across the roadmap.
The Bottom Line
Fractional work is part-time, done by experts, embedded into the company.
It is for companies that want a lean team, keep burn low, need expert talent, and want to maintain flexibility.
It is for employees that are experts in their craft, and are willing to be self-employed in pursuit of the flexibility and money fractional work offers.
To read a more in-depth guide on what fractional work is, and isn’t, see our Playbook here.
Related FAQs
What is Fractional Jobs?
Fractional Jobs is the largest talent network for fractional leaders and the companies looking to hire them.
For fractional executives and other fractional talent, Fractional Jobs offers the Playbooks to break into fractional work successfully, the Tools to help you run your fractional business, and of course, the jobs. Every week we’re launching new jobs across 10+ function areas on our website and in our newsletter.
For startups, SMBs, and other companies that want to hire fractional talent, Fractional Jobs will help you find the perfect fractional for your need. You’ll tell us who you’re looking for, we’ll connect you to the best candidates, and you can hire them directly (we are not a middleman or an agency, and we don’t charge % markups).
Learn more about the benefits of letting Fractional Jobs help you hire fractional.
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Is fractional work done remotely or in-person?
Fractional work is most commonly done remotely. However, hybrid work and even on-site work can happen as well. It’s entirely up to both parties.
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How does a fractional job work?
A fractional job looks very similar to a full-time job, except it's for fewer hours per week, and paid on an hourly rate or monthly retainer instead of an annual salary.
A fractional job is generally held by an expert in their field, embedded into the company. They can provide strategic guidance, do hands-on work, manage a department (of full-time employees), hire and fire, and more.
However, doing fractional work involves so much more than just doing the fractional job itself. There are intricacies of self-employment, you’re looking for new clients more often, balancing multiple clients at once, the career progression looks different, and more.
Learn more about the ins and outs of how a fractional job works.
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What are the most common fractional roles?
The most common fractional roles are Fractional CFOs, Fractional CMOs, and Fractional CTOs, according to Fractional Jobs’ proprietary marketplace data.
However, fractional roles exist in just about every function area. Fractional Sales, Operations, Product, HR, Security, Design, Customer Success, Legal, you name it.
Some fractional roles are more popular than others today because certain company needs are more obvious than others to require outside expertise.
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How long does a fractional engagement typically last?
A fractional engagement can last anywhere from a few months to a few years, although the sweet spot tends to be 6 months to 2 years.
High-growth startups tend to need a fractional for less time, on average 6 months to 1 year, because as they grow the fractional need will more quickly turn into a full-time need.
Small businesses, since they grow more slowly, will often work with a fractional for 1 - 2 years.
In all cases, when the fractional relationship is coming to an end, it's common for the fractional to help the company hire the right full-time person. And, it’s not uncommon for the fractional to actually join the company full-time too!
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Who Wrote This Guide?
I’ve helped 100+ companies hire fractional execs and other fractional talent. I also spent a year as a Fractional Head of Product.
I intimately understand how fractional work works from both sides of the table. And this guide is meant to help everyone get up to speed on the fractional world, quickly.
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