Fractional Seat
When the organization needs senior operational leadership and can't yet justify the full-time hire — that's the Fractional Seat. A named role on the leadership team at a defined weekly cadence, doing the work of that role: running the operating rhythm, owning specific outcomes, attending the meetings, being accountable for the numbers.
What this looks like in practice
The Fractional Seat is most commonly structured as a fractional COO, VP of Operations, Head of Program Management, or Head of Transformation — depending on what the organization actually needs, not on a preset title.
The work is the work of that role. Not advisory from a distance. Not a monthly check-in with a slide deck. The Fractional Seat operates inside the leadership team's rhythm, owns defined outcomes, and carries the accountability that comes with the title.
When the organization is ready for the full-time hire, the engagement includes a clear hiring path — hiring criteria, onboarding plan, and a warm handoff that sets the new leader up to succeed rather than to start from scratch.
Why this engagement exists
Companies routinely need senior operational leadership 12 to 18 months before they can afford to hire it. The Fractional Seat closes that gap without forcing a bad hire or a premature one — and it leaves the organization better equipped to recruit well when the time is right.
No Fractional Seat engagement includes a non-compete. Clients are told this explicitly upfront. The flexibility to serve multiple organizations is a deliberate feature of the practice, and it is protected in every engagement.