What is Fractional role?

Fractional role

A fractional role is a senior position held part-time for several companies at once, typically in leadership or specialised functions. It gives small companies access to senior experience they could not hire full-time, and gives the professional diversified income and risk.

It is the natural evolution of consulting for experienced profiles: instead of selling loose hours, you occupy a defined seat one or two days a week with accountability for outcomes. The key is capping the number of simultaneous clients and putting the scope in writing, since it tends to expand on its own.

Also called: fractional executive, part-time leadership

Related terms

International contractorAn international contractor is a self-employed professional who provides services to a company in another country and invoices for them, with no employment relationship. They handle their own taxes, contributions and time off, and in exchange usually command higher rates and more flexibility than an equivalent employee.
Total compensationTotal compensation is the complete package of an international remote role: base salary, variable pay, equity, learning and equipment budgets, time off and health cover. Comparing base salary alone across countries leads to the wrong conclusion almost every time.
Borderless businessA borderless business is one whose operations, clients and suppliers do not depend on a specific territory. It sells digital services or products, collects payment in several currencies, and keeps running if its owner changes country. Location stops being a constraint on the business model.