CFO Services — Finding the Right Solution for Your Business

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As the CFO role has evolved, so have the ways businesses access that level of expertise. The right model depends on stage, budget, duration of need, and whether the requirement is ongoing or project-specific.

Fractional CFO

A fractional CFO works across multiple businesses simultaneously, typically one to three days per week with each client. The model works well for companies that need strategic finance leadership but do not have the volume of work or the budget for a full-time appointment.

Common situations: early-stage businesses building their finance function, SMEs whose FD has left and whose needs do not yet justify a full-time replacement, PE-backed companies needing CFO-level oversight without a full-time headcount.

FD Capital places fractional CFOs across a wide range of sectors and business sizes. Day rates typically run from £600 to £1,200 depending on seniority and time commitment.

Interim CFO

An interim CFO takes on a full-time or near full-time engagement for a fixed period — typically three to nine months. The model suits businesses facing a defined event or transition: a sudden departure, a fundraising round, an M&A process, a restructure, or a period of distress requiring hands-on financial leadership.

Unlike a fractional engagement, an interim CFO is embedded in the business. They attend board meetings, lead the finance team, and carry the statutory and reporting responsibilities the role demands. They are accountable in the same way a permanent CFO would be.

Our interim CFO placements typically move quickly — we can introduce candidates within 48 hours for urgent requirements. Day rates run from £700 to £1,500 depending on complexity and sector.

Permanent CFO

A permanent CFO joins the business on a full-time employed basis. This is the right model when the business has reached a scale where it needs dedicated senior finance leadership, or when the complexity of the role warrants a long-term commitment from both sides.

Permanent CFO recruitment is a more structured process than fractional or interim placement. It involves a formal brief, a structured search, longlisting, assessment, and offer management. Done well, it takes six to twelve weeks.

FD Capital runs permanent CFO search alongside our interim and fractional practice. Many of our clients run a dual track — an interim CFO to cover the immediate gap while the permanent search runs in parallel.

Family offices have a distinct set of CFO requirements — combining investment portfolio oversight with principal relationship management — which our family office CFO practice covers specifically.

Most businesses know they need CFO-level support. Fewer are certain which model is right before they speak to us. These questions help narrow it down.

• Is the need ongoing or project-specific? Ongoing requirements with no defined end point suit fractional or permanent. Defined events — a fundraise, a gap, a restructure — suit interim.
• How much CFO time do you actually need? If the honest answer is one or two days a week, fractional makes more sense than interim or permanent. If you need someone embedded five days a week, interim or permanent is the right model.
• How quickly do you need cover? Interim and fractional placements can move in days. Permanent searches take weeks.
• What is your budget? Fractional and part-time models cost less than interim day rates; interim day rates are typically lower than the total cost of a permanent salary plus benefits and on-costs.
• Do you need someone to manage a finance team? Interim and permanent CFOs carry full management responsibility. Some fractional CFOs do too, depending on the arrangement.

If you’re still deciding, a part-time CFO may also be worth considering — a committed, regular engagement that sits between fractional and full-time interim in terms of time and cost.

Where CFO services need to be delivered entirely remotely on an ongoing basis, a virtual CFO provides the equivalent leadership without any on-site requirement.

FD Capital is a specialist recruiter focused entirely on senior finance leadership. We do not place junior finance staff or operate as a general finance agency. Our practice covers fractional, interim, and permanent CFO and FD appointments across the UK.

• Speed: we maintain an active network of pre-vetted CFOs available for fractional and interim work. For urgent requirements we can introduce candidates within 48 hours.
• Specialism: every search is handled by a consultant who has worked in or alongside senior finance roles. We understand what good looks like and we brief candidates properly.
• Breadth of network: our CFO community spans FTSE-listed experience through to PE-backed scale-ups and founder-led SMEs. We can match seniority and sector experience to your specific situation.
• Dual-track capability: if you need an interim appointment now and a permanent search running in parallel, we manage both from a single point of contact.
• No success fee on fractional: our fractional and interim model is fee-based at placement. We do not charge ongoing management fees.

For businesses that want financial leadership delivered as a fully managed function rather than a retained individual, our CFO as a service model covers this arrangement.

What is the difference between CFO services and CFO recruitment?

CFO services is a broad term. Some firms use it to describe outsourced finance functions — bookkeeping, management accounts, and CFO-level oversight bundled together. FD Capital does not offer that service. We are a recruiter: we find and place CFOs in your business, whether fractional, interim, or permanent. The CFO works for you, not for us.

Can you place a CFO quickly if we have an urgent gap?

Yes. For interim and fractional requirements we typically have candidates available within 48 to 72 hours of taking a brief. We ask for a short call to understand the situation, seniority level, sector, and immediate priorities before introducing anyone.

Do you handle the brief-to-handover process or just the placement?

We handle the placement and the ongoing relationship throughout the engagement. For interim appointments we remain in contact with both the client and the CFO through the assignment and support the handover at the end. We do not disappear after the introduction.

What if we start with a fractional CFO and then want to go permanent?

This happens regularly. A fractional CFO provides a useful extended interview — you see how they work, how the team responds to them, and whether the brief is actually what you thought it was at the start. We can manage the transition to a permanent appointment, including whether the fractional CFO is the right candidate for the permanent role.

What sectors do you cover?

We place CFOs across most sectors — technology, SaaS, financial services, professional services, private equity-backed businesses, manufacturing, e-commerce, and not-for-profit. We also cover education and healthcare on a selective basis

Begin the recruitment process by contacting our specialist FD recruitment team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or by calling us at 020 3287 9501 for a no-obligation consultation.

Have one of our specialists call you back to discuss your hiring needs.