Interim vs Fractional vs Permanent
Three distinct models, each right for a different situation. Understand the difference before you commit budget or time.
Organisations between 100 and 5,000 employees regularly face the same question: our technology leadership is missing, broken, or overloaded. What is the right fix?
The answer depends on what you actually need, not on what is cheapest or most familiar. Many organisations default to recruiting a permanent hire out of habit, when a faster, leaner option would serve them better. Others engage a contractor without understanding that interim and fractional mean very different things in practice.
Here is a plain account of all three models.
An interim technology leader steps in full-time, or close to it, for a defined period. They are there five days a week, embedded in your organisation, available to your board and leadership team, and accountable for outcomes.
Interim is the right model when you have an urgent gap such as a sudden departure, a resignation, or a capability crisis; when you are navigating a major programme such as a merger, acquisition, system overhaul, or transformation; when you need senior hands-on leadership now, not in three months after a recruitment cycle; and when the pace of change demands a full-time presence.
An interim engagement typically runs from three to twelve months. The day rate reflects full availability. The value is speed, commitment, and accountability at the point of maximum risk.
Starkhorn’s founding mandate was exactly this: Interim Group Technology Director at VetPartners, a GBP 1.2bn PE-backed veterinary group spanning nine Western European countries, 14,000 staff, and 850-plus sites. Briefed within 24 hours, embedded within days.
A fractional technology leader provides senior leadership on a part-time, ongoing basis, typically one to three days per week. They are not a consultant who delivers a report and disappears. They are a genuine member of your leadership team, present at the right moments, accountable for direction and outcomes.
Fractional is the right model when you cannot justify a full-time CIO or CISO salary at your current stage or size; when you need consistent, senior strategic leadership rather than a one-off engagement; when you want someone who knows your organisation, your team, and your risk environment over time; and when you are a not-for-profit or charity where budget is constrained but the technology and security agenda is serious.
Fractional is not a junior option. It is the same calibre of leadership, applied with discipline about where that time lands.
Starkhorn is currently providing fractional Associate Director of IT services to Alzheimer’s Society, a UK charity with a serious technology and security agenda. The engagement started in May 2026 and is ongoing.
A permanent CIO or CISO joins your organisation as a full-time employee. They build a team, own the agenda indefinitely, and are remunerated via salary, benefits, and often long-term incentives.
Permanent is the right model when you have sustained, full-time demand for technology leadership; when the organisation is large enough and stable enough to justify the total cost of employment; when you are ready to invest in a multi-year relationship with someone growing into the role and the culture; and when you have the time to run a proper recruitment process, typically three to six months.
The honest trade-off: a permanent hire takes longer, costs more in total employment terms (salary, NI, benefits, pension, management overhead), and carries risk if the fit is wrong. That is not an argument against it. It is an argument for being clear about when it is genuinely the right choice.
| Interim | Fractional | Permanent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Full-time or near full-time | Part-time, typically 1 to 3 days per week | Full-time employee |
| Typical duration | 3 to 12 months | Ongoing, often 12 months or more | Indefinite |
| Best for | Urgent gap, major programme, transformation, crisis | Sustained strategic leadership without a full-time salary | Long-term, full-time demand at appropriate scale |
| Cost model | Day rate | Retained monthly fee | Salary, NI, benefits, pension |
| Speed to start | Days | Days to weeks | 3 to 6 months typical |
| Starkhorn offers | Yes | Yes | No |
Start with five questions. Is this an urgent situation, or do you have runway to recruit? If urgent, permanent is not fast enough. Do you need someone five days a week, or would two days of exceptional leadership outperform five days of average? If the latter, fractional is sharper value. Is this a finite challenge with a clear end state, such as a merger, a compliance programme, or a system replacement? Interim is built for that. Is the technology and security agenda a constant, ongoing priority? If yes, fractional or permanent deserves serious consideration. Are you a not-for-profit where salary budgets are fixed but the risk and complexity is real? Fractional is typically the answer.
Many organisations move through more than one model. An interim engagement resolves a crisis and stabilises the function. A fractional arrangement follows to maintain momentum and continuity. A permanent hire comes later, once the organisation understands exactly what it needs.
Starkhorn offers both interim and fractional. You will always speak to Daniel directly. The person you brief is the person who does the work.
Daniel Jacobs brings 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles across mid-market and enterprise organisations. He is an author of a published book, holds PRINCE2 and ITIL Foundation, and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at Age UK.
Starkhorn operates on a single principle: a CIO who pays for themselves. Every engagement is measured against commercial outcomes, risk reduction, and the organisation’s ability to stand on its own feet when the engagement ends. That method is called Embed-to-Independence: Discover, Diagnose, Deliver, Sustain.
Starkhorn is independent. No software reselling. No broker commission. No referral fees. The advice is always in your interest.
If you are weighing up which model fits your situation, a short conversation is the fastest way to get clarity. No obligation, no sales process.
The definitive guide to the models, the differences, and how engagements work in practice.
A plain explanation of the fractional model: what it is, who it suits, and how the time is used.
A short self-assessment to see where your technology leadership is missing, broken, or overloaded.
How quickly can an interim or fractional engagement start?
Starkhorn can typically be briefed within 24 hours and begin within a matter of days. There is no lengthy onboarding process or agency delay. You speak to Daniel directly and agree terms quickly.
Is fractional really the same quality as a full-time leader?
Yes. Fractional means a senior leader’s time is allocated with discipline, not diluted. The difference is availability, not capability. Starkhorn’s fractional engagements carry the same accountability for outcomes as interim ones. The current engagement with Alzheimer’s Society is a live example.
Can we move from interim to fractional within the same engagement?
Yes, and it is often the right progression. An interim mandate resolves an urgent situation or delivers a programme. A fractional arrangement then sustains the strategic momentum without the cost of a full-time presence. Starkhorn plans for that transition from the outset.
Do you work with not-for-profits and charities, or is Starkhorn mainly for commercial organisations?
Starkhorn works equally across PE-backed companies, privately-owned mid-market businesses, and not-for-profits and charities. The current fractional engagement is with Alzheimer’s Society. Non-profits often find fractional the most practical model given budget constraints, and Starkhorn structures engagements accordingly.
Not Sure Which Model Fits?
An interim CIO is a full-time leader hired for a fixed period to cover a gap or run a defined programme, then handing over and leaving. A fractional CIO works part of each week on an ongoing basis, giving senior leadership without a full-time cost. Choose interim for an urgent, time-boxed need; choose fractional for steady part-time capacity.
| Factor | Interim CIO | Fractional CIO |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement length | Fixed term, usually three to twelve months | Ongoing, reviewed periodically |
| Commitment | Full-time during the engagement | A set share of each week or month |
| Cost model | Day rate for a fixed period, full-time intensity | Pay only for the days used, lower total cost |
| Best for | Leadership gaps, transformations, integrations, turnarounds | Continuing senior guidance without a full-time post |
An interim CIO is a full-time leader hired for a fixed period to cover a gap or drive a defined programme, then handing over and leaving. A fractional CIO works part of each week on an ongoing basis, giving you senior leadership without a full-time cost. Interim solves a temporary gap; fractional gives lasting part-time capacity.
An interim CIO is an experienced technology leader brought in full-time for a defined period, often three to twelve months, to cover a vacancy, stabilise a function or deliver a specific programme such as a transformation or integration. The role is intensive and time-boxed, with a planned handover to a permanent successor at the end.
A fractional CIO is a senior technology leader who works a set portion of each week or month for your organisation on a continuing basis. You get experienced leadership on strategy, security and delivery without the salary of a full-time hire. It suits organisations that need real seniority but not a full-time post.
The two overlap heavily and many providers use the terms interchangeably. Fractional usually means a named leader giving you a fixed share of their week with genuine accountability. Virtual often describes a more advisory, remote service. The distinction matters less than the substance: who is accountable, how present they are and what they actually deliver.
An interim CIO is engaged full-time, so the total cost is higher while the engagement runs, typically on a day rate for a fixed period. A fractional CIO costs less in total because you pay only for the days used each week. The right comparison is value delivered per pound, not headline rate alone.
Choose an interim CIO when you have an urgent, time-boxed need: a sudden leadership gap, a transformation, a merger integration or a turnaround that demands full-time focus for months. Choose a fractional CIO when the need is ongoing but not full-time, and you want steady senior guidance and accountability spread across the year.
Yes. The right leader can step in full-time as an interim CIO to fix an urgent problem, then continue at a lighter, fractional cadence once stability returns. Starkhorn deliberately offers both models, across CIO and CISO, so you can move between them as your needs change rather than restarting with a new provider.