Fractional vs. Full-Time Chief of Staff: The Smart CEO's Guide
Every growing business eventually reaches an inflection point. The signs are typically twofold:
The team that successfully built the business to this stage needs different capabilities for the next phase of growth
Operational demands increasingly pull leadership away from strategic priorities, creating reactive decision-making instead of proactive strategy development
Does this resonate?
For many, the answer isn't a full-time Chief of Operations or another expensive executive. Instead, it's a role gaining momentum across scaling companies: the Chief of Staff.
The common result when CEOs hire a Chief of Staff? They reclaim bandwidth for valuation-driving activities while gaining a partner to handle execution details.
Fractional vs. Full-Time Chief of Staff: What’s the Difference?
A full-time Chief of Staff is typically embedded in the business 40-plus hours per week. They serve as a strategic partner to the CEO, helping drive alignment, lead cross-functional initiatives and clear roadblocks. It’s a high-impact role, yes, but also one with a high-commitment and heavy salary burden.
A fractional Chief of Staff offers the same value–alignment, execution and capacity creation–in a flexible, cost-efficient model. Most fractional engagements range from 10 to 25 hours per week, providing just enough lift at exactly the right moments. The model is ideal for CEOs who need leverage but aren’t ready to hire a full-time executive.
5 Signs You Are Ready for a Fractional Chief of Staff
In short, a fractional Chief of Staff is ideal for any CEO facing an inflection point. Common indicators include:
You have a team, but not the support to make the highest and best use of time, talent and resources on the team. A fractional Chief of Staff serves as the connective tissue, regularly encouraging momentum and outcomes with the team.
Departments operate in silos. Meetings lack purpose. Strategy execution falls flat. A fractional Chief of Staff brings structure and alignment without creating overhead.
You are scaling fast: new markets, new hires, new mergers and acquisitions. In periods of rapid growth, priorities shift weekly. A fractional Chief of Staff helps bring order to chaos, creating repeatable systems and owning special projects.
The CEO is working in the business, not on it. When every decision, fire or follow-up flows through the CEO, it is time to create capacity. A fractional Chief of Staff acts as an extension of the CEO, freeing up time and brainpower.
Your leadership team is not yet fully accountable. If initiatives stall, communication gaps persist, or metrics go unreviewed, a fractional Chief of Staff can provide the operational backbone that drives follow-through.
Why Choose Fractional Over Full-Time?
While full-time Chiefs of Staff can be powerful additions to a leadership team, fractional engagements offer unique advantages, especially during transitional growth stages. A fractional Chief of Staff can be brought on quickly, often within weeks rather than months, making it a fast and responsive solution. These roles also come without long-term commitment, allowing the engagement to scale up or down as needed. When it comes to budget, the role provides access to senior-level talent at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Perhaps most importantly, fractional Chiefs of Staff bring specialized expertise that can be tailored to a specific challenge, stage or initiative–all without the expectation of a permanent role.
What Does a Fractional Chief of Staff Do?
Align: Run leadership meetings, drive results and streamline communication
Execute: Lead cross-functional projects, manage vendors and streamline operations
Amplify: Free up CEO time, act as a sounding board and build internal trust
Real Stories from Vannin Clients
In just twenty hours a week, one of our fractional Chiefs of Staff rebuilt a company’s Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) process, hired a Head of Operations and prepared the executive team for a fundraise.
Another supported a founder-CEO through a leadership transition, established a meeting cadence across five business units, and created internal reporting processes – all within a three-month sprint.
The impact?
More clarity, better execution and a CEO back in their zone of genius.
Curious What a Fractional Chief of Staff Could Unlock for You?
Let’s talk. Whether you are exploring support for the first time or ready to scope the right fit, Vannin Chief of Staff can help you define the model that works best: fractional, full-time, or something in between. Get connected.
Vannin Chief of Staff, founded in 2020, is a premier talent partner with a focus on roles supporting the CEO. We have a proven track record of helping executives find the right talent, full-time or fractionally, and up-level their talent via our proprietary advisory program. Vannin Chief of Staff has served over 150 clients globally, including Shopify, Orange Theory, Cordis, Lilac Solutions, GRIN, Propelus, WALR, Wish for Wheels and more. Get details at vanninchiefofstaff.com.