A fractional CFO, sourced and governed by Lightbridge.
A fractional CFO is a part-time senior finance executive who holds the CFO seat on an ongoing retainer, covering financial strategy, board reporting, and cash management. Lightbridge sources and vets each fractional CFO against the client's mandate, takes no placement kickbacks, and provides program governance over the engagement.
What a Lightbridge fractional CFO owns
Financial strategy
Capital structure, fundraising readiness, and the financial narrative behind the company plan.
Board and investor relations
Board reporting, investor updates, and the financial story a board or investor group needs to act on.
Cash and runway management
Cash position, burn, and runway, tracked and communicated before they become a surprise.
Systems and controls oversight
Oversight of the finance systems and controls the team runs on, coordinated with Lightbridge ERP FP&A consulting where the underlying planning work sits.
Finance team leadership
Direct leadership of the finance team, its structure, and its hiring, as the executive in the seat.
Transaction support
Financial leadership through fundraising rounds, acquisitions, or a sale process, as the accountable executive.
Lightbridge fractional CFO and FP&A consulting, together
A fractional CFO fills the executive seat. Lightbridge ERP FP&A consulting builds the planning and analysis capability underneath it, forecasts, budgets, board packages, delivered in-house regardless of who holds the seat. The two pair naturally: a fractional CFO placed through Lightbridge can draw directly on Lightbridge ERP FP&A consulting for the underlying planning work, without a vendor handoff.
How Lightbridge sources and vets a fractional CFO for each engagement
There is no standing bench of finance executives waiting on assignment. Lightbridge sources each candidate against the specific mandate, reporting line, and time commitment defined with the client, drawing on relationships built over years of ERP and finance-leadership work. Governance continues for the length of the engagement, and no referral arrangement or placement fee tilts the recommendation: the candidate is chosen on fit against that mandate.
Related Lightbridge fractional executive roles
Lightbridge also places a Fractional CTO and a Fractional CIO, each sourced for its own mandate. The fractional executive leadership hub covers every role.
Lightbridge fractional CFO: frequently asked questions
What does a fractional CFO do?
A fractional CFO holds the finance-executive seat on a part-time, ongoing basis: financial strategy, board and investor relations, cash and runway management, and oversight of the finance team and its systems. Lightbridge sources and vets the fractional CFO against the client requirements, then provides program governance over the engagement.
How is a fractional CFO different from FP&A consulting?
FP&A consulting builds the planning and analysis capability a finance function runs on, forecasts, budgets, board packages, delivered in-house by Lightbridge ERP senior finance professionals regardless of who holds the CFO seat. A fractional CFO fills that seat itself. The two are complementary: a fractional CFO placed through Lightbridge can draw on Lightbridge ERP FP&A consulting for the underlying planning work.
Who is placed as a fractional CFO?
Lightbridge does not staff every engagement with the same individual. Each fractional CFO is sourced and vetted against the specific client requirements, reporting line, and mandate, rather than assigned from a fixed roster. The consistency across engagements is Lightbridge governance process, not a single person.
How much time does a fractional CFO commit?
Time commitment is scoped to the client mandate, typically a set number of days per week or month, defined before sourcing begins. Lightbridge documents the mandate, reporting line, and decision rights up front so the commitment is explicit rather than open-ended.
When should a company hire a fractional CFO instead of a full-time one?
Companies typically engage a fractional CFO when the finance function needs executive leadership, board relations, or fundraising readiness, but the scale does not yet justify a full-time hire, or when a transition period calls for interim leadership while a permanent search runs. Lightbridge scopes the mandate first and will say plainly when a full-time hire is the better fit.
What is a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO is an experienced finance executive who serves a company part-time on an ongoing basis instead of as a full-time employee. The seat carries real executive accountability for financial strategy, reporting, and cash. Lightbridge sources each fractional CFO fresh for the mandate through its network of relationships and keeps governing the engagement.
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
Cost follows the mandate: the time commitment, the scope of the seat, and the seniority required. Lightbridge defines those before sourcing so the engagement terms are explicit. Lightbridge takes no referral incentive that favors one candidate over another, so the recommendation reflects fit with the mandate.
Scope a Lightbridge fractional CFO placement.
Share the mandate and the time commitment in mind. Lightbridge scopes the requirements first, then sources the right candidate.