Fractional · For PE-backed, VC-backed and mid-market companies
Fractional executive leadership — senior judgment, without the full-time seat.
A fractional executive is a senior leader — CFOs, COOs, CIOs, CTOs, CMOs, CROs, CCOs, CHROs, CPOs, general counsel, CISOs, chief data and AI officers, and board directors — who works with your company part-time on an ongoing retainer, typically alongside one or two other clients. You get executive-level judgment and execution without the ramp or commitment of a full-time hire. Seat & Signal™ is designed to match you with two to three curated candidates within days.
When it fits
When is fractional the right model?
- The work is real but not full-time. You need a CFO ten hours a week, not fifty — and a full-time hire would spend most of the week inventing work.
- The stage will outgrow the hire. The leader you need at 20 people is not the leader you will need at 200; fractional lets the seat evolve with the company.
- A function has no senior owner. Finance run by the founder, marketing run by whoever is free — a fractional executive installs the discipline without the payroll shock.
- A milestone needs senior hands. A raise, a year-end close, a pricing overhaul, a first sales team — bounded work that demands judgment earned elsewhere.
Deciding between this and a full-time transition leader? Read interim vs. fractional — they solve different problems, and a full-time seat for a defined period is interim executive leadership. Not sure it is time yet? See when to hire a fractional executive.
The bench
Roles we match.
Senior-level executives — CFOs, COOs, CIOs, CTOs, CMOs, CROs, CCOs, CHROs, CPOs, general counsel, CISOs, chief data and AI officers, and board directors, and the seats one level below — moving into fractional and portfolio careers. References available on request. Members are reviewed before being presented, and every introduction arrives with written reasoning for the fit. Our review is not a background check, credential verification, or prediction of performance; companies complete their own diligence before engaging an executive.
The process
Brief to engagement, in three steps.
- Brief. A discovery call defines the role, scope, stage, and budget. If we cannot serve the mandate well, we say so on that call.
- Slate. Two to three curated candidates, designed to arrive within days, each with written reasoning for the fit.
- Engagement. You contract directly with the Executive at their rates. Our fees depend on the role and are quoted in writing before work begins; the amount, payment timing, conversion and other terms are stated in the engagement agreement. We take nothing from the Executive’s fees.
Questions
Common questions.
Who pays for a fractional search?
The company does. Seat & Signal’s fees depend on the role and are quoted in writing before work begins; the amount, payment timing, conversion and other terms are stated in the engagement agreement. Executives never pay for matching or placement.
How fast do slates arrive?
Fractional slates are designed to arrive in days — members have already been reviewed, so search time is fit-finding, not sourcing.
Who employs the Executive?
You contract directly with the Executive or the Executive’s firm. Seat & Signal is not a staffing agency or employer of record, and is not a party to the engagement.
Have a seat that needs senior judgment?
A short conversation about the role, the stage, and what success looks like in 90 days.
Seat & Signal does not provide legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. Information on this page is general and for informational purposes only; the specific terms of every engagement are set out in the signed agreement.