What does a part time FD do?

A part time finance director provides senior financial leadership a few days a month. The role covers board reporting, cash management, budgeting and forecasting, commercial decision support, funding and bank relationships, and leading the finance team you already have. It gives a smaller business the same calibre of finance thinking as a large one, at a fraction of the cost of a full time hire.

What a part time FD is

A part time finance director, sometimes called a fractional FD or a portfolio FD, is a senior finance professional who works with several businesses at once and gives each one a defined amount of time every month. They usually bring 15 to 25 years of experience, have held full time FD or CFO roles, and know how to turn financial information into commercial decisions.

The role sits above a financial controller or bookkeeper. The controller or bookkeeper produces the numbers. The FD works out what they mean, what they imply for the business, and what the managing director should do about it.

Core responsibilities

Not every engagement covers everything below. Scope gets agreed at the start and refined as the business grows. A typical engagement includes most of these.

1. Board reporting and management information

The FD owns the monthly board pack. That means management accounts you can trust, a narrative that explains performance, a cash view that matches reality, and commentary that turns numbers into decisions. A good FD does not hand over a pack. They walk the managing director and the board through it and answer the hard questions.

2. Cash management

Running or sense checking the 13 week rolling cash view, flagging pinches early, and making sure the business has the funding facilities it needs. Cash is the single area where a part time FD earns the fee many times over, because it is where the damage of poor visibility lands fastest.

3. Budgeting and forecasting

Building the annual budget, managing the reforecast cycle, and keeping the budget alive rather than letting it become a document written in January and ignored by March. A part time FD will also model scenarios for significant decisions such as a new hire, a new service line or a change in pricing.

4. Commercial decision support

Working alongside the managing director on pricing, customer profitability, supplier negotiations, make or buy decisions and investment cases. This is where senior experience makes the biggest difference, because the FD has usually watched the same decision play out in other businesses and can bring that perspective to yours.

5. Funding and bank relationships

Preparing the business for bank lending, investment or acquisition finance. That covers the financial side of a lending proposal, the model, the ratios, and the conversations with banks and investors.

6. Finance team leadership

Setting direction for the bookkeeper or financial controller, reviewing their work, raising the bar on what they produce, and coaching them. In smaller businesses the part time FD effectively runs the finance function. In larger ones they mentor the controller.

7. Governance and compliance

Making sure filings, audit preparation and tax planning stay on track. The detail usually sits with an accountant or the controller, but the FD owns the oversight.

Part time FD, financial controller and bookkeeper compared

The three roles get confused constantly. They are genuinely different.

Role	What they do	Typical focus	Cost
Bookkeeper	Records transactions, reconciles the bank, processes invoices, files VAT	Accuracy of the underlying data	£25 to £50 an hour
Financial controller	Produces management accounts, runs month end, manages the bookkeeper, owns the numbers	Reporting and control	£55,000 to £85,000 full time equivalent
Part time FD	Strategic finance, board reporting, cash, funding, commercial decisions	Decisions and strategy	£800 to £1,500 a day, typically two to four days a month

In a well run business all three roles exist in some form. In smaller ones the controller role is often filled by the FD alongside a bookkeeper. The exact shape depends on size and complexity.

When to bring one in

There are four moments when most owners realise they need one.

• Decisions are being made on gut feel, because the numbers arrive too late or nobody quite trusts them.
• Growth has stalled or turned unpredictable, and the managing director cannot see the commercial reason in the data.
• A major event is coming. A refinance, an investor conversation, a significant new contract, or preparation for sale.
• The finance team needs leadership, because the bookkeeper or controller has hit the ceiling of what they can do alone.

If any of those feel familiar, a part time FD is usually the right next step. You do not need a full time hire to solve any of them.

How it works in practice

A typical engagement runs like this.

First four weeks. The FD gets under the bonnet. They review the last 12 months of accounts, meet the team, understand the business model, and produce a short report on what they can see. This stage is sometimes called a finance function review.

Month two onwards. A settled monthly rhythm. Review the month end output, prepare the board pack, chair the finance meeting with the managing director, update the cash view, and work through whatever strategic priorities have been agreed.

In between. Calls, emails and short meetings as decisions come up. A good part time FD is available within reason, not only on contracted days.

Most engagements settle at two to four days a month after the initial stage. Some clients step up to five or six days during a specific project, then come back down.

Typical cost and commitment

Part time FDs in the UK typically charge between £800 and £1,500 a day depending on experience and sector. A monthly commitment of two to three days lands between £2,000 and £4,500 a month. A typical engagement runs for 12 months initially with a rolling arrangement after that, though shorter project based work is common around a specific event such as a funding round.

A full time FD in the same market would cost £100,000 to £150,000 a year plus benefits, pension and employer National Insurance. A part time FD gives you the same seniority of thinking for a fraction of that, because you are buying output rather than presence.

What to look for

Four signals worth weighing.

• They have done the job full time, in businesses of a similar size and stage to yours. Someone whose last full time role was in a FTSE 100 business may not know how to get things done in a £5m firm.
• They talk about commercial decisions, not just reports. The value sits in the judgement, not the template.
• They are comfortable working alongside your existing team or an external finance team. The role is collaborative by nature.
• They give you a named individual rather than a rotating cast. Continuity matters, because trust is earned over months.

Common questions

What is the difference between a part time FD and a fractional FD? They are the same thing. Part time FD is the older UK term, fractional FD is more common in newer businesses. The work is identical.

How is a part time FD different from a finance team running the day to day? The team runs bookkeeping, month end, reporting and cash. The FD sits above that and provides leadership at board level. Most firms want both, because they do different jobs.

Can a part time FD help me raise money? Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons for bringing one in. They prepare the model, structure the proposition, handle the bank or investor meetings and manage diligence.

How many days a month do I need? Most firms start at two and adjust. Ramp up for specific projects. The rhythm matters more than the number.

What should a part time FD cost? For a UK SME in 2026, £2,000 to £4,500 a month for a typical two to three day commitment. Interim and project work costs more because the intensity is higher.

Is a part time FD the same as a finance consultant? No. A consultant delivers a defined project and leaves. A part time FD holds an ongoing role, sits on the leadership team, and is accountable for outcomes over time.

How we help

We provide part time FD support to owner managed firms across the South East, alongside a team that takes the bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, year end and tax off your desk. You get senior finance thinking at the board table and an engine room that keeps running between meetings, while the finance function stays yours to direct.