Fractional and interim technology leadership
Senior technology and security leadership, without the full-time cost. This guide explains what these roles mean, when they make sense, and how to choose the right model for your organisation.
A fractional CIO (Chief Information Officer) is an experienced technology leader who works with your organisation on a part-time, retained basis. They take on the strategic and leadership responsibilities of a full CIO, but share their time across a small number of clients rather than working exclusively for one employer.
For organisations that need genuine senior technology leadership but cannot justify, or do not yet need, a full-time CIO at a six-figure salary, a fractional CIO provides the same quality of thinking, direction, and accountability at a fraction of the cost.
A fractional CIO is not a consultant writing a report from the outside. They embed within your leadership team, attend board and executive meetings, own the technology strategy, and drive delivery. The engagement is ongoing, typically measured in months or years, and the relationship deepens over time.
A fractional CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) follows the same model, applied specifically to information security and cyber risk leadership. Your organisation gains a senior security leader who sets policy, owns risk, engages with the board on cyber governance, manages vendors and incident response, and ensures you are aligned to frameworks such as Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, or NIST CSF.
Many mid-market organisations and charities face board-level scrutiny on cyber security, increasing regulatory pressure, and rising insurance requirements, yet cannot fund a full-time CISO. A fractional CISO closes that gap immediately.
At Starkhorn, the CIO and CISO capability is held by the same person. Daniel Jacobs combines more than 20 years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles, meaning your engagement covers both disciplines without the need to manage two separate relationships.
An interim CIO or CISO is a senior leader brought in on a full-time, fixed-term basis to fill a specific gap. Common situations include a technology director leaving when you need continuity while you recruit; a significant programme, merger, acquisition, or transformation that needs dedicated senior leadership; an urgent operational or security crisis that requires immediate full-time attention; or a need for independent leadership to assess the function before making a permanent appointment.
Interim engagements are time-bound by design. They carry a clear remit, a defined scope, and an exit that leaves the organisation stronger than it found it. Daniel’s work as interim CIO and CISO at VetPartners, a GBP 1.2bn BC Partners-backed veterinary group with 14,000 staff across nine Western European countries and 850-plus sites, is a live example of what an interim mandate looks like at scale.
The two models serve different purposes. The table below sets out the key differences to help you decide.
In practice, some organisations start with an interim engagement to address an immediate need, then transition to a fractional model for ongoing strategic leadership once stability is restored. Both approaches are available through Starkhorn.
| Fractional | Interim | |
|---|---|---|
| Time commitment | Part-time, typically 2 to 10 days per month | Full-time for the duration of the engagement |
| Duration | Ongoing retained relationship, often 12 months or more | Fixed-term, typically 3 to 12 months |
| Primary purpose | Ongoing strategic leadership and governance | Bridging a gap, driving a programme, or managing a crisis |
| Cost model | Monthly retainer based on days committed | Day rate, full-time equivalent |
| Best suited to | Organisations that need consistent senior leadership but not a full-time hire | Organisations with an immediate, time-bound need for full-time senior capacity |
| Relationship | Deepens over time as context builds | Intensive from day one, with a defined exit |
| Independence from permanent headcount | Yes | Yes |
| Area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Technology strategy | Setting a multi-year roadmap aligned to business objectives, not just IT priorities |
| Board and executive reporting | Translating technology risk and opportunity into language your board can act on |
| Cyber security and risk | Owning the security posture, managing incidents, and ensuring regulatory alignment |
| Vendor and supplier management | Negotiating contracts, holding suppliers to account, and reducing cost and dependency |
| Team leadership | Coaching internal technology managers, closing skills gaps, and building capability that stays after the engagement ends |
| Programme delivery | Providing senior oversight of technology investments, transformation programmes, and change initiatives |
| Digital and AI readiness | Assessing where your organisation stands and building a credible path forward |
The scope varies by organisation, but every engagement runs to a consistent approach. Starkhorn’s named method is Embed-to-Independence: Discover, Diagnose, Deliver, Sustain. The goal is not to create permanent reliance on external leadership. It is to build internal strength while delivering measurable results.
Cost depends on the number of days per month, the seniority of the engagement, and whether the scope covers CIO, CISO, or both.
Fractional engagements typically run from two to ten days per month. The monthly investment scales accordingly, and in most cases sits well below the cost of a directly employed technology or security director at senior level, before you account for employer National Insurance, pension, benefits, recruitment fees, and the risk of a poor hire.
Interim engagements, which are full-time, are structured differently given the full-time commitment but follow comparable senior day-rate norms for the UK market.
A well-matched fractional arrangement delivers equivalent strategic leadership at a fraction of the cost of a full-time appointment, with no recruitment risk and no notice period. As Daniel’s signature line puts it: a CIO who pays for themselves.
Starkhorn operates with strict independence: no software reselling, no broker commission, no referral fees. The advice is always in your interest.
| Consider fractional or interim technology leadership when |
|---|
| Your organisation is growing but the IT function has not kept pace with strategic demands |
| You have a technology director vacancy and need continuity or independent scrutiny before hiring permanently |
| Your board is asking questions about cyber security, AI, or digital risk that the business cannot currently answer with confidence |
| You are facing a merger, acquisition, or restructure that involves significant technology decisions |
| An audit, regulator, insurer, or funder has raised concerns about your technology or security governance |
| You need to deliver a transformation programme and do not have the senior capacity to lead it |
| You are a charity or non-profit whose technology needs have outgrown what a part-time IT manager can provide |
Starkhorn works with organisations from 100 to 5,000 employees and GBP 30m to 4bn in turnover. This includes PE-backed and privately-owned mid-market businesses and non-profit organisations including charities. Current live engagements include Alzheimer’s Society, where Daniel serves as fractional Associate Director of IT, ongoing from May 2026.
Yes. Charities and non-profits face the same technology and security pressures as commercial organisations, often with fewer internal resources and greater scrutiny from regulators, trustees, and funders.
Fractional CIO and CISO leadership gives charities access to board-level technology expertise at a cost that fits a non-profit budget. Starkhorn’s current fractional engagement with Alzheimer’s Society is a working example of this model in practice, alongside earlier work with organisations such as Age UK.
| Trigger |
|---|
| Trustees or funders requiring evidence of cyber security controls |
| Charity Commission or regulator expectations around data protection and governance |
| Legacy systems that are constraining mission delivery |
| Staff growth or service expansion that has outpaced IT capacity |
| Cyber insurance renewals requiring demonstrable security improvements |
One of the practical advantages of working with Starkhorn is speed. As a solo practitioner, Daniel can be briefed within 24 hours and in most cases can begin within days of an agreement being reached. There is no large firm onboarding process, no handoff to a junior team member, and no delay while a practice head assembles a team.
The person you speak to is the person who does the work. That matters when you are facing an urgent vacancy, a security incident, a board deadline, or a programme that cannot wait.
What is the difference between a fractional CIO and a technology consultant?
A technology consultant typically delivers a defined piece of work, such as a strategy document, an audit, or a project, and then leaves. A fractional CIO takes on ongoing leadership responsibility. They are accountable for outcomes, not just outputs. They attend your board, manage your suppliers, lead your team, and remain engaged as your business evolves. The relationship is sustained, not transactional.
Can a fractional CIO also cover security and act as a CISO?
Yes, and this is common at mid-market level. A combined CIO and CISO engagement means your technology strategy and your security posture are owned by the same senior leader, ensuring alignment rather than friction between the two disciplines. At Starkhorn, Daniel holds both capabilities, so there is no need to manage two separate advisers or pay two separate retainers.
How does a fractional engagement work in practice? Will you attend our offices?
A typical Starkhorn fractional engagement combines regular on-site presence, remote working, and attendance at board or leadership team meetings as required. The cadence is agreed at the outset and adapts as the engagement matures. On-site days are used for leadership meetings, team contact, and high-priority decisions. Remote days cover programme oversight, vendor management, reporting, and strategic work.
We already have an IT manager or Head of IT. Do we still need a fractional CIO?
Often, yes. An IT manager or Head of IT typically focuses on operational delivery: keeping systems running, managing support, and handling day-to-day requests. A fractional CIO operates at board and executive level, setting strategy, owning risk, and connecting technology decisions to business objectives. The two roles are complementary. A fractional CIO frequently supports and develops the internal team rather than displacing them.
What frameworks and standards does Starkhorn work to?
Starkhorn works across the main frameworks relevant to UK mid-market and non-profit organisations, including Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, and UK GDPR. Daniel holds PRINCE2 and ITIL Foundation certifications and is the author of a published book, bringing more than 20 years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles to every engagement.
How do I know if my organisation is the right size or type for Starkhorn?
Starkhorn works with organisations of 100 to 5,000 employees and GBP 30m to 4bn in annual turnover. This covers PE-backed and privately-owned mid-market businesses and non-profit organisations including charities. If you are smaller or larger, the honest answer is that a different model may serve you better, and Starkhorn will say so. Free tools including the Technology Health Check and Technology Leadership Gap assessment are available on the site to help you assess your current position before any conversation.
A structured review of where your technology function stands today, covering strategy, delivery, and risk.
Find out whether your organisation needs fractional, interim, or full-time technology leadership.
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The definitive guide to interim and fractional technology leadership, with answers to the questions buyers ask most.
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A fractional CIO is a senior IT leader who works with an organisation part time, giving it experienced technology and security direction without the cost of a full-time hire. They set strategy, govern risk, lead teams and steady delivery, typically across several days a month, scaling involvement up or down as the business needs change.
SMEs often say “fractional CTO” when they actually need a fractional CIO: someone to lead IT, security, infrastructure and suppliers across the business. A true CTO role centres on product and software engineering, building the technology you sell. That product-engineering work is different and is not what Starkhorn does. If your need is IT and security leadership rather than building a software product, a fractional CIO is the right fit.
| Model | Commitment | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional CIO | Ongoing, part time, a few days a month | Steady senior leadership as you grow |
| Interim CIO | Full time, fixed term | A gap, transformation or turnaround |
| Virtual CIO | Remote, advisory oversight | Lighter-touch guidance and assurance |
| Full-time CIO | Permanent executive headcount | Large, technology-intensive organisations |
A fractional CIO is an experienced chief information officer who works for your organisation part time, usually a few days a month. You get senior technology and security leadership, strategy, governance and team direction, at a fraction of a full-time salary. It suits growing firms that need real CIO judgement but not a permanent executive headcount.
A fractional CIO sets technology strategy, governs cyber and data risk, leads IT teams and suppliers, controls budgets and steadies delivery. They translate business goals into a practical roadmap, fix underperforming functions and report to the board in plain language. The remit flexes with your needs, from hands-on turnaround to lighter ongoing oversight.
The fractional CIO role is a part-time executive engagement covering the full responsibilities of a chief information officer: strategy, security, governance, team leadership, vendor management and board reporting. It is ongoing rather than a fixed project, scaling from one day a month to several. The aim is durable capability, not permanent reliance on the individual.
A fractional CIO is typically a seasoned technology leader with broad sector experience who chooses to serve several organisations part time. At Starkhorn this is Daniel Jacobs, with 20+ years in technology and security, 15+ of them in leadership roles, across PE-backed VetPartners, Jardine Motors Group, Alzheimer’s Society and Age UK as a Non-Executive Director.
A fractional CIO costs far less than a full-time chief information officer because you pay only for the days you use, scaling the commitment to your needs. Pricing depends on scope, seniority and how many days a month you require. For Starkhorn’s current engagement models and indicative ranges, see the dedicated pricing page.
A fractional CIO and a virtual CIO overlap heavily, and many providers use the terms interchangeably. Fractional usually means a part-time executive embedded in your leadership, often with on-site presence. Virtual leans towards remote, advisory oversight. The substance matters more than the label: check the seniority, accountability and hands-on involvement you are actually buying.
Hire a fractional CIO when technology decisions outgrow your current team, when growth, a merger or a security scare exposes a leadership gap, or when a full-time CIO is not yet justified. It also fits boards needing credible technology assurance. If you face a fixed, time-boxed mandate instead, an interim CIO may suit better.