Short answer: before you hire a fractional executive, write a one-page brief that answers six questions: what the problem is, what success looks like, which seat you’re filling, what authority it has, how much time it needs, and what the budget and constraints are. Send the same brief to two or three candidates and compare how they respond. The free template (a Google Doc) linked above has all six sections ready to fill in.
Most fractional hires that go wrong were set up to fail before the first day. The brief was a job title and a vague hope: “we need a COO” or “we need someone to sort out AI”. Each candidate then proposed a different job, the business picked the most persuasive person rather than the right one, and three months later nobody could say whether it had worked.
A one-page brief fixes most of that. It takes an hour, and it’s the most useful hour you’ll spend on the hire.
Why a brief matters more for a fractional hire
A full-time executive has time to work out what the job really is. A fractional executive working one or two days a week doesn’t. Every day spent discovering the brief is a large share of their month.
A brief also does three jobs that a conversation can’t:
- It makes the leadership team agree first. If the CEO and the board can’t fill in the success measures together, the problem isn’t ready for a hire yet.
- It makes candidates comparable. When everyone answers the same brief, you compare their thinking, not their sales pitch.
- It becomes the scorecard. The measures you write now are the ones you review at day 90.
How to hire a fractional executive: the six questions to answer first
1. What’s the problem, and how do you know?
Write it in one or two sentences, with evidence. “Revenue growth stalled at 4% for three quarters while the market grew 12%” is a brief. “We need to grow faster” isn’t.
If you can’t describe the problem yet, that’s useful to know. It usually means you need a short, fixed-scope diagnostic before you commit to a role.
2. What does success look like at day 90 and month 12?
Pick two or three measures, with today’s number and the target. Day 90 should show a first result. Month 12 is the outcome that justifies the role.
Good measures are things the business already tracks or can start tracking easily: win rate, launch cycle time, hours lost to manual handoffs, the share of AI pilots in production. I cover what a good first 90 days looks like in what a fractional CXO does in the first 90 days.
3. Which seat are you filling?
Name the role, who it reports to and who it works with. In a mid-market business it’s usually a fractional CRO or CMO for revenue, a fractional COO for operations, or a fractional Chief AI Officer for AI and automation. Be honest if you’re not sure. A revenue problem and an operations problem can look the same from the top. It’s fine to write “CRO or COO, not sure yet”, and let candidates tell you what they think.
If you’re weighing up roles, these may help: when to hire a fractional COO, when to hire a fractional CRO and does your company need a Chief AI Officer.
4. What authority will they have?
This is the question most briefs skip, and it’s the one that decides whether a fractional executive can deliver. Write down:
- what they can decide without asking, such as process changes or vendor choices under a set amount
- what needs approval, such as hiring or spending above that amount
- whether they manage people directly or lead through others
A fractional executive with responsibility but no authority becomes an expensive adviser. If you’re not ready to hand over decisions, an advisory retainer is the more honest arrangement.
5. How much time, and where?
Days a week, time on site, a start date and an initial term. One day a week suits strategy and a leadership rhythm. Two or three suit hands-on delivery or a turnaround. If the job needs someone every day, you’re describing an interim role, not a fractional one. I explain the difference in fractional vs interim executives.
6. What’s the budget, and what’s off limits?
Give a monthly range, excluding GST. You’ll save everyone time, and good candidates will tell you what that budget can and can’t buy. For typical Australian rates by role, see what a fractional executive costs in Australia, or run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Then add the context a newcomer can’t see: what you’ve already tried and what happened, anything that isn’t up for change, and the customers, systems or people that mustn’t be disrupted.
What’s in the one-page template
The free brief template turns the six questions into a page you can fill in and send:
| Section | What you write |
|---|---|
| The problem | One or two sentences, with evidence |
| What success looks like | Two or three measures, today’s number and the target, at day 90 and month 12 |
| The seat | Role, who it reports to, who it works with |
| Authority | What they can decide, what needs approval, the budget they control |
| Time and shape | Days a week, time on site, start date, initial term |
| Budget and constraints | Monthly range, what you’ve tried, what’s off limits |
It finishes with five questions to ask every candidate, so each conversation covers the same ground.
How to use the brief to choose
Send the same brief to two or three people. Ask each one to reply in writing, briefly, before you meet. A one-page response tells you more than an hour of conversation, because you can put them side by side.
Ask the same questions in every conversation:
- What would you do in the first 30 days?
- Which of our measures would you change, and why?
- What’s out of scope for you?
- How do you charge, and what’s the notice period?
- Who can we speak to about similar work?
Watch for these warning signs:
- They agree with everything in the brief. A good candidate will push back on at least one measure or assumption.
- They can’t say what they won’t do. Everyone has limits. Not knowing them is a risk.
- They want a long lock-in from day one. A short initial term and a clear notice period protect both sides.
- The fee depends on commission or a success fee. It can pull attention towards whatever pays out fastest.
- No references for similar work. The work should be recognisable, even if the client’s name stays confidential.
What I ask for, and what I agree to
When a CEO sends me a brief, the first conversation is about the measures and the authority, because those decide whether I can help. If the problem isn’t clear yet, I suggest a fixed-fee diagnostic first rather than a seat.
When we go ahead, my terms are simple. Fractional seats have a fixed monthly fee, agreed before we start, with no commission or success fee. There’s a three-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days’ notice either way. We review against the brief’s measures every 90 days. More on that in how I work.
The bottom line
The quality of a fractional hire is mostly decided before anyone starts. If your leadership team can agree the problem, two or three measures, the seat, its authority, the time and the budget on one page, you’ll get comparable proposals, a faster decision and a scorecard for day 90. If you can’t agree them yet, that’s your answer too: start with a short diagnostic, not a role.
Open the template, make your own copy (File, then Make a copy), fill it in with your leadership team, and send it to the people on your shortlist. If you’d like me to be one of them, send it to sam [at] samakbari [dot] com or book a 30-minute call and we’ll go through it together. You can also read how I work as a fractional COO, fractional CRO or CMO or fractional Chief AI Officer.
Common questions
How long does it take to hire a fractional executive?
With a clear brief and an agreed budget, often two to four weeks. That's about a week to talk to two or three candidates, and another to check references and agree terms. Without a brief, it usually takes longer, because the conversations keep redefining the role.
What should a fractional executive agreement cover?
The scope and the measures you agreed, days a week and time on site, the fee and expenses, the initial term and notice period, confidentiality and ownership of the work, how conflicts with other clients are handled, and insurance. Keep the measures in the agreement, not just the proposal.
Should a fractional executive be paid commission or a success fee?
I don't recommend it, and I don't work that way. A fixed monthly fee keeps the focus on the outcomes you agreed rather than on whatever pays out fastest. If you want accountability, review the engagement against the 90-day measures in the brief.
How many candidates should we talk to?
Two or three, all given the same brief. Fewer and you have nothing to compare. More and the process starts to cost more senior time than the role will save in its first month.
