How Does a Fractional Job Work, in Practice?
A fractional job is a part-time leadership engagement where you are hired for expertise to help the company level-up quickly. You work closely with a company, often over months or even years, without being a full-time employee.
On top of doing the actual work for your clients, fractional work also requires lead generation for yourself, client relationship management, and other elements of running your own business.
What the Work Actually Looks Like
Fractional roles are meant to be ongoing rather than project based. You are brought in to own a function or problem area, help set direction, and drive progress alongside the rest of the team.
The exact work varies by role, but the common thread is leverage. Companies expect you to apply judgment, pattern recognition, and experience quickly. You are not there to be a full-time employee, your goal is to move the business forward in a focused way.
How Communication Works
Because you are part time, communication matters more, not less.
Most fractional engagements rely on a predictable communication cadence, such as a weekly check in and regular written updates. This keeps everyone aligned on priorities, progress, and decisions without requiring constant availability.
These clear communication expectations not only help clients feel supported, but also help protect your focus time so that you can do good work.
Timing, Scope, and Pricing
Most engagements are scoped as ongoing support with certain focus areas, and with an expected-time commitment. Engagements will often evolve and change as the company grows.
Pricing usually reflects the ongoing structure, with hourly rates or monthly retainers being the most common models. As client relationships mature, most fractional professionals will end up working on a retainer basis.
Read more about hourly rates and monthly retainers.
Finding Fractional Work
Doing the work is only part of being fractional. You also have the responsibility of finding and maintaining clients. This is often considered the hardest part of the job.
Most fractionals rely on their network to find clients, especially in the beginning. We cover how to find your first few clients in our Playbook here.
As your fractional work progresses, you’ll also likely need to start doing other lead gen tactics like outbound, content marketing, and more, in order to attract a steady stream of clients.
Fractional Jobs (the site you’re reading this on!) is the talent marketplace for fractional work, with a job board filled with dozens of active fractional opportunities.
Managing Your Back Office
Fractional professionals are self employed. That means handling contracts, invoicing, taxes, and legal structure yourself.
Many fractionals eventually operate through an LLC, and some choose S Corp tax treatment once annual income surpasses $80,000. Services like Lettuce are often used to manage setup, payroll, and compliance so the administrative work does not become a distraction.
Read more about the tax benefits of fractional work here.
In Summary
A fractional job is not consulting and not traditional employment. It is part-time leadership with real responsibility, clear communication, and flexible structure.
When you understand how delivery, collaboration, pricing, and business ownership fit together, fractional work becomes a practical and sustainable way to apply your expertise on your own terms.
We cover how a fractional job works in practice, in much more detail, in our Playbook here.
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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