Fractional Talent Officer: How it works

A Fractional Talent Officer (FTO) is a way for established founder-owned tech SMEs to bring order to hiring without adding full-time headcount.

Since 2018, Feather Grey Consulting has partnered with founder‑led teams to hire people who align with your values, strengthen your culture, and drive real growth. Not an agency on commission — a trusted partner who works as an extension of your team.

I work directly with every client so hiring stays disciplined without losing what makes your culture yours.

The problem most founders won’t admit

You built the business to serve customers and ship product, not wrestle with CVs. Yet interviews land between sales calls, job specs vary by manager, and offers stall. Hiring becomes everyone’s side job and nobody’s actual job. Growth slows and culture takes the hit.

What a Fractional Talent Officer does

A Fractional Talent Officer (FTO) is a part‑time senior talent leader who owns the discipline of hiring for your business.

Not a recruiter on a fee. Not a one‑off consultant who hands over a deck. An FTO designs the system, embeds it with your team, and runs it for a set number of days per month.

Outcome: consistent hiring and less founder time in the details.

What you get (aligned to our service)

• Scalable recruitment strategy. A planned approach aligned to your growth goals so you’re ready to bring in the right people.

• Stronger employer brand. Clear, consistent messaging that attracts candidates who genuinely want to join.

• Streamlined hiring process. A simple, efficient process from role design to offer that reduces time‑to‑hire.

• Cost‑effective leadership support. Strategic recruitment guidance at a fraction of an in‑house senior salary.

• Immediate access to expertise. Direct support from a seasoned recruitment professional to improve decisions fast.

  
  

Who it’s for

Best for established, founder‑led B2B tech SMEs where:

• Founders or heads of department are stuck in recruitment admin.

• Multiple roles are open with no clear process owner.

• Hiring quality varies by manager and interview.

• Hiring comes in waves tied to product or project cycles.

• You want senior capability without adding a permanent TA salary and on‑costs.

  
  

Clear signals you need an FTO

• No hiring plan. Roles appear ad hoc. Managers “need someone yesterday.”

• Weak employment value proposition (EVP). Your EVP is undefined or generic, so good people pass.

• Slow throughput. CV to offer takes weeks because decisions stall.

• Inconsistent interviews. Different managers ask different questions and score differently.

• Offer wobble. Candidates go cold late on because comms are patchy or packages are unclear.

• Common UK example. Gaps of two weeks between panel interviews lead to drop‑offs; good candidates accept elsewhere.

  
  

What Feather Grey’s FTO actually does

Owns the hiring plan. Convert growth goals into a 12‑month hiring calendar with priorities, budgets, and owners.

Builds the hiring playbook. Standard roles, scorecards, interview kits, and decision rules — a single set of templates and rules.

Strengthens your employer brand. Clear employment value proposition (EVP) with proof points. Fix job ads, careers page, and onboarding narrative.

Improves sourcing. Blend targeted direct sourcing with the right partners. No unfocused outreach.

Trains interviewers. Short, practical sessions so every interviewer knows what “good” looks like and how to score it.

Keeps the pipeline moving. Weekly hiring check‑in, agreed response times (SLAs) for feedback, and visible time‑to‑hire.

Supports better decisions. Immediate access to expertise for offers, packages, and closes.

First 90 days: the playbook

Weeks 1–2: Assess and stabilise

• Audit current roles, process, partners, tools, and data.

• Triage live vacancies. Remove obvious friction.

• Agree metrics: time‑to‑hire, quality‑of‑hire metrics (retention, probation pass), offer acceptance rate, hiring‑manager time saved.

  
  

Weeks 3–6: Design and embed

• Publish a simple hiring policy with clear roles and responsibilities.

• Create role scorecards and interview kits.

• Improve job adverts and the careers page copy.

• Launch a weekly hiring rhythm (20‑minute stand‑up).

  
  

Weeks 7–12: Deliver and optimise

• Fill priority roles with the new process.

• Train interviewers. Coach hiring managers.

• Tighten sourcing channels and partner terms.

• Produce a month‑end snapshot: what filled, what’s next, and blockers.

  
  

How an FTO differs from other models

Vs. a consultant: Consultants advise then leave. An FTO advises and operates within your team.

Vs. embedded recruitment: Embedded teams fill roles. An FTO builds your internal discipline so the next hires are easier and cheaper.

Vs. hiring a Head of Talent: Ideal when you have constant volume. If hiring is cyclical, fractional gives senior impact without permanent cost.

UK timing: make the budget work for you

The UK tax year runs April to April. Many SMEs lock budgets in January–March and review headcount again in September after summer. If you want hiring discipline in place before Q2, start your FTO engagement in December or January so the plan and kits are live before budgets land. If you plan an autumn build‑out, start in July to avoid the September scramble.

What it costs vs. what it saves

A full‑time Head of Talent plus on‑costs often lands in the high five figures. A fractional model is a set monthly fee aligned to scope and hiring volume.

The savings are real, and the larger benefit is reclaimed founder time and more consistent hiring.

Risk control and governance

• Clear agreed response times (SLAs) and decision rights.

• Written monthly snapshot with metrics and next actions.

• Candidate data handled to UK GDPR standards with sensible retention.

• Vendor terms reviewed to avoid overpaying for speed.

  
  

What good looks like after three months

• A live hiring plan and a simple scorecard for every role.

• Interviewers trained with consistent questions and scoring.

• Pipeline meetings reduced to quick, focused check‑ins.

• Time‑to‑hire down; offer acceptance up.

• Noticeably less founder time tied up in hiring.

“Where others couldn’t get it right, Feather Grey did — because they learned our culture first.” — Founder, B2B tech SME

Common questions

Will you replace my recruiters? No. We design the system and run it. We will use in‑house resource and external partners where they add value.

Do you work on commission? No. We work on a fixed monthly retainer aligned to scope and hiring volume. There is no conflict of interest — our incentives match yours: fill roles well and improve the system.

Do we need an applicant tracking system (ATS)? If you have one, we tidy it. If not, we set up a simple, compliant workflow that fits your scale.

How many days per month? Depends on hiring volume. Typical ranges are 2–6 days per month, flexed around peak periods.

When to not use a fractional model

If you hire constantly across multiple locations, a permanent Head of Talent may be better value. If you only hire once a year, simple on‑demand support may suffice. Fractional works best in the messy middle.

How Feather Grey runs a fractional engagement

1. Scoping call. Map hiring goals, live roles, and current pain. Capture culture non‑negotiables and decision rights. Define what success looks like.

2. 90‑day plan. Publish a simple hiring calendar with priorities, owners, agreed response times (SLAs), and metrics (time‑to‑hire, offer acceptance, hiring‑manager time saved). Identify quick wins for EVP and process.

3. Delivery. Embed the hiring playbook: scorecards, interview kits, and a weekly 20‑minute stand‑up. Triage live roles, improve job ads and the careers page, tighten sourcing, and coach interviewers.

4. 90‑day review. Snapshot results and blockers. Agree the next phase: extend, taper, or hand over with tidy documentation and training.

You get more than recruitment. We act as a partner who knows your business inside out and works as part of your team so you receive the time, care, and focus your business deserves.

Get your time back, protect your culture

Hiring shapes culture. Keep it intentional. If hiring keeps slipping between meetings, a Fractional Talent Officer puts a simple system in place and gives you time back.

Prefer a quick call? Speak with Debbie Wyatt.

Start a conversation about whether a fractional model could free up founder time and steady your hiring for the next quarter.Email hello@feathergreyconsulting.com or call 07899 845 311 to start the conversation.