Fractional Working: What It Is and How to Get Started

 An Introduction to Fractional Working: What It Is and How to Get Started

If you've heard the term but aren't quite sure what it means (or how to get into it), this is for you.

As the world of work continues to evolve, so do the ways we think about employment, careers, and time. One model gaining momentum across industries is fractional working — a flexible, agile approach that’s reshaping how businesses access talent and how professionals design their careers.

So, What Is Fractional Working?

At its core, fractional working means offering your professional skills to multiple companies or clients on a part-time or project basis — typically in a strategic, high-impact role. Think of it as a middle ground between full-time employment and freelancing.

Common in leadership and specialist roles, you might see titles like:

• Fractional CMO
• Fractional CFO
• Fractional HR Director
• Fractional Product Manager

The idea is that a business gets senior-level expertise without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire, while the professional gains flexibility, variety, and autonomy.

Why Is It Growing?

The rise of fractional roles is driven by a few key trends:

• Startups and SMEs needing experienced leadership but lacking the budget for full-time hires
• Professionals seeking flexibility, variety, or a better work-life blend
• A shift toward outcomes-based work rather than time-based contracts

It’s particularly popular in tech, marketing, finance, HR, and operations — but it’s spreading fast.

Is Fractional Right for You?

You might be a good fit for fractional work if:

• You’re an experienced professional with a strong niche or area of expertise
• You’re looking for more autonomy or a portfolio-style career
• You enjoy solving problems, building systems, and moving between teams or projects

It works well for ex-founders, former executives, consultants, Subject Matter Experts and even full-time professionals looking to transition out of the 9–5.

How to Get Started

1. Define Your Offering
What do you want to be known for? Are you a growth strategist, a finance operator, a brand builder? Get clear on your value proposition — what problems do you solve, and for whom?

2. Package Yourself
Update your LinkedIn to reflect your fractional identity. Think clear headlines (e.g. "Fractional CMO | Scaling early-stage startups"). Consider a personal website or service page, and have case studies or examples ready.

3. Leverage Your Network
Many fractional gigs come through word of mouth. Reach out to former colleagues, clients, or connections. Let people know you’re available on a part-time or project basis.

4. Think Long-Term Relationships, Not One-Off Gigs
Fractional doesn’t mean disposable — in fact, many businesses want an ongoing, strategic partner. Focus on delivering value and becoming a trusted part of the team.

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Final Thought

Fractional work isn’t just a career experiment — for many, it’s the future of how we work. It’s about doing meaningful, strategic work on your own terms.

Whether you’re exploring options or already part of the movement, there’s never been a better time to build a career that fits your life.

Have you stepped into the fractional world? Or thinking about it? I’d love to hear your experience 👇

#paymentjobs #fintechjobs #fractionalwork #fractionalworking

www.cardandpaymentjobs.com are pleased to welcome the following advertisers:  Bandwidth Recruitment, RDF and Glorydale Merchant Services.

Latest jobs from Bandwidth Recruitment include:

• Business Development Manager Channel Sales
• Risk and Compliance Manager
• Digital Marketing Manager
Click on the link to view and apply:
http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com/client/bandwidth-recruitment-338.htm

Latest jobs from RDF include:

• Development and Quality Manager
• Test Automation Manager
• EFT Systems Analyst
• Head of Analysis
• Head of Software and Systems Development
• Head of Development - Payment Channels/ New Business
• Technial Delivery Process Co-ordinator
• Senior Advantage Developer
• Environment Manager

Click on the link to view and apply:

http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com/client/rdf-344.htm

Glorydale Merchant Services are looking for a Merchant Support Executive.

Click on the link to view and apply. http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com/hot/jobs/merchant-support-executive-3169.htm

Please note that all of these roles are based in the United Kingdom and if you are not a UK or EU citizen, you will not be considered for this role.

Is it possible to make money out of social media?

That's the question Finextra will be asking at the launch of Finextra's second annual Social Media Day event on 25 April at Thomson Reuters' meeting centre in Canary Wharf.

 

Picking up from last year's successful inaugural launch event in New York and London, the April meeting will move the discussion along to explore the practical application of social media within the financial services sector.

Once again, they have convened an expert panel of financial services heavyweights to explain how forward-thinking enterprises are using the latest social media monitoring tools and data mining techniques to gain real strategic advantage in their marketing, customer relationship and investment programmes.

The event offers a rare opportunity for financial services firms to learn first-hand from pioneering firms about the technology, tools, and staffing requirements needed to make a successful - and profitable - foray into the social media arena.

Is it possible to make money out of social media? Come along for the day and find out for yourself. You might be surprised.

To view the full agenda and register for the event, go to www.socialmediadays.com

To view jobs in teh card and payment industry, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Mobile phones to be primary banking channel by 2015

2015 is the date stated by Brett King, author of the best seller, Bank 2.0 and advisor to some of the world s biggest financial services organizations and leading brands, for technology to come over traditional banking methods.

Banks have spent billions of dollars over the past decade developing and deploying technology that is supposed to give consumers a new way to pay for stuff, squeezing out old-fashioned cash. Yet as financial companies spend freely in a rush to the latest frontier, known as mobile payments, previous technology stumbles offer a reminder of how tough it can be to change consumer habits.

Security threats are advancing and transaction costs escalating, so banks systems must be prepared to meet the challenges of the new century. As volumes and transacted values increase, they need to update, implement and enhance their settlement systems, technologies and techniques to meet the escalating needs of their treasured and demanding customers.

PSRA 2012 is Asia's most informed meeting place for central banks, commercial banks, settlement systems architects and connected payment services providers.

As an increasing number of people now work overseas with mobile phones and internet access, mobile, e-banking

and newer payment technologies are seen as being powerful driving forces used to transact funds and this is what the forum will focus on.

Banks must update, implement and enhance their settlement systems, technologies and techniques to meet the challenges of the new century. The conference, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, is uniquely designed to gather actionable insights for regulators, commercial banks and private payment providers to achieve efficient and fraudfree transactions, monetise the new payment technologies, cut transactions costs and of course, networking.

Considered as one of the giant markets for payments, Indonesia experiences a surge in online shopping, and consequently electronic payment system that facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers in a digital world.

Comscore, a leader in measuring digital world, researched this and the result is internet visits in Indonesia went up to 72% in a year, more than other countries in Asia.

Online banking allows account holders to do financial transaction in the digital world, such as bill payment and fund transfer, which facilitate online shopping. Another popular service is e-money. While most banks offer e-money in card format, Non Banks institutions such as telecommunication companies offer e-money to transfer funds between subscribers, such as T-Cash (Telkomsel), i-Vas (Telkom) and Dompetku (Indosat). T-Cash has 5.3 million subscribers until first quarter 2011, grew from 4.7 million subscribers in the end of 2010, and targeted to have about 8 million subscribers or grow by about 70% in the end of 2011 (5).

On 3 May 2011, Indonesian Government introduced a regulation about fund transfer to public. According to this regulation, non-bank institutions that run financial transaction within the country have to be licensed (approved by The Government). Government officials said that the regulations was created to protect banks and customers and currently there were about 70 non-bank institutions that had the licenses.

Unquestionably, this is the most important meeting this year since main services providers such as Bank Indonesia, Bank of Thailand, Central Bank of the Philippines, Reserve Bank of India, National Payments Corp, Bank Negara Indonesia and PayPal will be present. Plus, Asian Central Banks will benchmark new payments methods in a matchless panel discussion.

Learn more about Payments, Settlements and Remittances Asia 2012 at:

http://www.arcmediaglobal.com/paymentsindo/

Arc Media Global is the world's first B2B/G2B integrated marketing specialist, with a mission to enable business development, innovation and sustainability in emerging markets' strategic sectors.

To get a promotional  discount for this event go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

CARTES ASIA PACIFIC - MARCH 29TH 2012

CARTES in Asia is a regional Exhibition for the APAC market and a high-level Congress covering smart security, payment, identification and mobility.
After a successful second edition, CARTES in Asia is now established as a large-scale event dedicated to smart technologies in Asia-Pacific. The participation of the major companies in the smart card industry, the quality of the audience in the conference and the increased number of visitors coming from 61 countries have confirmed the high potential of the event.
Decision makers in the banking, telecom, transportation and security sectors have a unique opportunity to discover innovative technologies from international exhibitors stands, but also to enhance their knowledge through the conferences and round-tables on the hotest topics.

• 120 exhibitors

- Cards & smart cards, Smart objects / Contactless technologies / Payment solutions, e-transactions / Personalisation, printers, other machinery / Identification, strong authentication / POS, card readers and terminals / Software, applets / Component, ICs / Testing tools and measure

• 3,056 visitors

- 85% from the Asia Pacific region : Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Australia, Philippines, Japan -15% from other regions (Europe, Middle-East, Americas)
- Bank and payment, IT and Security, Retail, Telecom, Governement and Transport, Smart cards manufacturers

• High-level content and innovations displayed 2 days of international conferences by market experts

• The Asian SESAMES Award for the most innovative application in the Asia Pacific region

2011 key exhibition figures

• 3,056 visitors, 85% come from the Asia Pacific region
• 120 exhibitors
• 326 congress attendees
• 61 countries represented

Will you be attending ??
To view card and payment jobs in Asia-Pacific as wll as globally, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Business Development Manager - Online gaming - must be 100% hunter

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER- online gambling, online betting, new business sales
A Team Manager for UK Sales is required by a leading online payment service provider, to develop and manage relationships with new Merchants to gain, maintain and leverage new business.
As a Sales Manager / Business Development Manager you will be responsible for leading and co-ordinating the UK sales force to generate, win and close deals with new Merchants.
Required Skills, Knowledge, Experience
• A 100% hunter-gatherer
• A proven track record in sales within the payment industry and/or related businesses, preferably in the online gambling or betting industry.
• Proven networking skills in Online Gaming or Betting Industry
• Experience with working in a European / international environment
• Excellent knowledge of internet payment technologies / applications
• Affinity with complex concept selling and the full sales cycle
• Strong client focus, ability to think in terms of client experience / perspective
Special Requirements
• Willing to travel within the UK but also abroad European-wide
Main Tasks
• Manage, lead and coordinate the UK sales force.
• Generate, win and close deals with new Merchants
• Identify new business opportunities with respect to the full product portfolio and manage it from cold call, contact, proposal, pricing negotiation, commercial setup and improving revenues
• Take ownership for dedicated new Merchants or Merchant groups on all organisational levels until contract is closed and merchant is on boarded
• Develop and fulfil a merchant-development-programme for each Merchant and/or Merchant group(s)
• Guide/manage/motivate/collaborate with Merchant Services/Sales Support / Product Management / Sales Consultant´s and all other relevant departments if requested
Following successful completion of their probation period, the job holder will be considered for the position of Executive Director of the UK company. If granted, this position will become part of the jobholder’s daily responsibilities in addition to core sales functions described above.

To apply for this exciting opportunity go to ://http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com/jobs/business-development-manager---online-gaming-2429.htm

Cybercrime is a growing risk for FS firms

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, cybercrime is a growing threat to financial services firms and is now the second most common type of economic crime the industry faces, .

 

Cyber attacks accounted for 38% of all economic crime incidents experienced by finance companies  in 2011, according to the poll of 878 industry respondents from 56 countries, with asset misappropriation only just behind.

Around 50% of think that the threat of cybercrime has increased in the last year while, unsurprisingly, IT is considered the department presenting the biggest risk, cited by 63% of those asked.

Asked about what concerns them about the fallout of cybercrime, 54% say the reputational damage, 49% the loss of personal identifiable information, only 39% the actual financial losses and 32% regulatory issues.

Despite the risks, 29% of respondents say that their company offers no cybersecurity-related training, although this compares well to other industries covered by PwC.

Andrew Clark, forensic services partner, PwC, says: "It appears that some FS organisations are complacent about the risks that cybercrime poses, in spite of serious concerns about potential damage arising from cyber threats."

 

http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com has the latest industry fraud related jobs, go now to view and apply. 

Square upgrades proposition

Square, the independent mobile payments service, is taking on PayPal's Here bank card reader with some upgrades of its own. The name 'Card Case' is gone and has changed to 'Pay with Square' instead. The new iOS and Android app offering will also point you in the direction of nearby shops where you can pay with Square via a map view – though the number is not huge in the UK right now.

Have you used a simialr offering yet ? How has it worked for you?

If you want to take a look at teh latest jobs in the card and payment industry go to, http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Java Developer - London based must have payments experience

My client, a market leading organisation in the payment industry, is recruiting for a Java developer to join their team. This is an ideal opportunity for a 2nd or 3rd jobber looking to loosen the “Junior” title and move into a richly rewarding, forward thinking and expanding organisation. You will have 2-years commercial Java experience behind you, ideally from an intensive transactional environment (advantageous), with very strong communication skills at all levels. You will have a generous mix of programming experience with the ideal wish list involving some of the following – Hibernate / JPA, JEE / EJB, Spring & Spring MVC, Messaging e.g. JMS, MDB, RabbitMQ. The ideal candidate will also have some exposure, knowledge or interest in – Agile methodologies, JUnit, Continuous Integration, Maven, REST, XML, Unix/Linux and an interest in or experience with functional languages is desirable (e.g. Ruby, Scala, Clojure), with an interest in SOA. This is a very exciting and rewarding opportunity for a growing developer with strong Java experience, it is imperative that you have strong communication skills due to the business needs, but also an eye for detail, interest in emerging technologies, delivery conscious and a contributor to the team (Scrum).

To apply for this role, go to: http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com/jobs/java-developer-(transaction,-j2ee,-strong-communic-2869.htm

The 5 personality types of Innovation

Forbes Insights’ recent study, “Nurturing Europe’s Spirit of Enterprise: How Entrepreneurial Executives Mobilize Organizations to Innovate,” identifies five major personalities crucial to fostering a healthy atmosphere of innovation within an organisation. Some are more entrepreneurial, and some more process-oriented – but all play a critical role.

The Forbes Insights study surveyed more than 1,200 executives in Europe across a range of topics and themes. Using a series of questions about their attitudes, beliefs, priorities and behaviours a picture emerged of five key personality types that play a role in the innovation cycle.

The Five Personality Types of Innovation: a breakdown

Movers and Shakers. With a strong personal drive, these are leaders. Targets and rewards motivate them strongly, but a major incentive for this group is the idea of creating a legacy and wielding influence over others. These are the ones who like being in the front, driving projects forward (and maybe promoting themselves in the process), but at the end of the day, they provide the push to get things done. On the flip side, they can be a bit arrogant, and impatient with teamwork. Movers and Shakers tend to cluster in risk and corporate strategy, in the private equity and media industries, at mid-size companies; though they comprise 22% of total executives, at companies with revenues of $25 million to $1 billion, Movers and Shakers can encompass up to one-third of the executive suite.

Experimenters. Persistent and open to all new things, experimenters are perhaps the perfect combination for bringing a new idea through the various phases of development and execution. “Where there is a will, there is a way,” is perhaps the best way to describe them. They’re perfectionists and tend to be workaholics, most likely because it takes an incredible amount of dedication, time and hard work to push through an idea or initiative that hasn’t yet caught on. They take deep pride in their achievements, but they also enjoy sharing their expertise with others; they’re that intense colleague who feels passionately about what they do and makes everyone else feel guilty for daydreaming during the meeting about what they plan on making for dinner that night. Because they’re so persistent, even in the face of sometimes considerable pushback, they’re crucial to the innovation cycle. They tend to be risk-takers, and comprise about 16% of executives – and are most likely to be found in mid-size firms of $100 million to $1 billion (20%). Surprisingly, they’re least likely to be CEOs or COOs – just 14% and 15%, respectively, are Experimenters.

Star Pupils. Do you remember the children in junior school who sat at the front, whose hands were the first in the air whenever the teacher asked a question? This is the segment of the executive population the little dears grew into. They’re good at everything, really: developing their personal brand, seeking out and cultivating the right mentors, identifying colleagues’ best talents and putting them to their best use. Somehow, they seem to be able to rise through the ranks and make things happen, even when corporate culture seems stacked against them. Unsurprisingly, CEOs tend to be Star Pupils. What’s most interesting about this group, though, is the fact that, at 24% of corporate executives, they don’t seem to cluster in any one particular job function, industry or company size; rather, they can grow and thrive anywhere: IT, finance, start-ups, established MNCs. They’re the stem cells of the business world.

Controllers. Uncomfortable with risk, Controllers thrive on structure and shy away from more nebulous projects. Above all, they prefer to be in control of their domain and like to have everything in its place. As colleagues, they’re not exactly the team players and networkers; Controllers are more insular and like to focus on concrete, clear-cut objectives where they know exactly where they stand and can better control everything around them. They comprise 15% of executives — the smallest group overall — and tend to cluster on both extremes of the spectrum: either in the largest enterprises (with 1,000 or more employees) or the smallest (with fewer than 10). This makes sense when you think about it: controllers thrive on overseeing bureaucracy (at larger firms) or having complete control over all aspects of their sphere – at the smallest firms, they may be the business owner who has built an entire company around their personality. Controllers pop up most frequently in sales and marketing and finance, and populate the more practical, less visionary, end of the corporate hierarchy: these are the department heads and managers who receive their marching orders and get to mobilising their troops to marching.

Hangers-On. Forget the less-than-flattering name; these executives exist to bring everyone back down to earth and tether them to reality. On a dinner plate, Hangers-On would be the spinach: few people’s favourite, but extremely important in rounding out the completeness of the meal. Like Controllers, they don’t embrace unstructured environments, and they tend to take things one step further, hewing to conventional wisdom and tried-and-true processes over the new and untested. When asked to pick a side, Hangers-On will most likely pick the middle. This is not necessarily a bad set of characteristics to have; someone has to be the one to remind everyone of limitations and institutional processes. While they comprise 23% of all executives – the same no matter the company size – they cluster most strongly in the CFO/Treasurer/Comptroller role, where 38% are Hangers-On. This makes sense; someone has to remind everyone of budget and resource constraints.

No one group can be considered the purest “entrepreneurial group,” but Movers and Shakers and Experimenters may be the closest. They have the strongest tendency to be internally driven, in control and bridle the most at others telling them what to do. Younger, more innovative firms generally need Movers and Shakers at the top, channeling the energy of Experimenters into a vision that can be implemented. As organizations grow larger and more established, however, they need Star Pupils who can translate that vision into a strategy and lead it forward, Controllers who can marshal the troops to execute it and Hangers-On who can rein it in. A firm reaching maturity has greater need for strong processes, as well as those who value control.

As we’ve seen time and again, unbridled innovation is a wonderful thing. But it’s what comes next that’s arguably more important. To get an innovative idea off the ground, it’s crucial to have a cast of characters who can keep that tension between risk-taking and reality at a healthy balance midway between the sky and the ground — where innovation can thrive.

Thinkers need doers to get things done, and idealists need number crunchers to tether them to reality.

Do you agree ? What type are you ??

If you are looking for your next card or payment job, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com, lots of exciting payment jobs globally. Go now to apply.

CARD FRAUD CONFERENCE

Taking place in London on March 27th and 28th at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London. You can't afford to miss the Card Fraud Conference if you are a professional working in the Card and Fraud industry
Who should attend this conference?

• Fraud and risk directors and managers
• Consumer credit portfolio managers
• Audit, forensic, investigation, collection and recovery managers
• Data analysts
• Risk decision makers
• Banks, building societies and other lenders
• Card issuers
• Credit reference bureaux
• Advisers on fraud
• Law enforcement officers
• Fraud experts

Key points about this conference – who and what you will hear:

• The strategic challenges of around the industry – cards payments and new technology including mobile commerce
• Banking initiatives to tackle fraud, counterfeiting and computer crime from The UK Cards Association, APACS, VISA, ATOS, TSYS, MasterCard, Experian
• Update on new legal and law enforcement initiatives including leading criminal QC Mark Lucraft and Bill Trueman – this will include a panel discussion led by Anich McIntosh editor of Fraud Watch
• Issuer and acquirer and scheme perspectives on the UK card industry threats
• Credit, debit, charge and prepaid issuer and acquirer card fraud risks and industry trends – including a review from Datamonitor
• Other industry experts, including alternative perspectives from Independent expert; Andrew Churchill; mobile commerce review from mobile phone expert Charles Brookson and Keith Dewey of Ernst & Young
• Many others and great opportunities to network with the experts

To look at fraud jobs, as well as other card and payment jobs, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

WHSmith goes contactless with Streamline & Visa Europe

Leading retailer implements contactless payment technology

 WHSmith, one of the UK’s largest retailers of stationery, books, newspapers, magazines and impulse products, has become the latest business in the UK to go contactless in partnership with Streamline & Visa Europe. The new contactless payment option will initially be available in 46 major travel locations, such as London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Mainline Railway Stations across the UK. These stores are expected to go live throughout Spring 2012.

The Visa payWave contactless technology provided by Streamline enables consumers to simply touch the reader with their cards for everyday items under £15 (rising to £20 from 1 June). Transactions take place in less than a second, giving both retailers and consumers speed and convenience without the need to handle cash. For retailers, contactless payments help to reduce the costs associated with cash handling, and the related security costs of having cash on site.
Matt Rowsell, Chief Commercial Officer for Streamline, said: "Contactless payments are ideally suited to time-poor shoppers, such as those travelling through busy rail and airport locations. We’re confident that contactless will enhance the customer experience and reduce transaction times in these very busy stores."
"The introduction of contactless at these key travel sites is ideal for consumers who often need to complete a purchase quickly prior to catching a train or plane. We are delighted that WHSmith has decided to adopt contactless technology and believe the introduction of this service will be of great value to their customers," said Mark Austin, Head of Contactless at Visa Europe.
With over 1,000 stores across the UK, WHSmith is the first large bookseller, stationer and newsagent to adopt contactless technology in the UK.

To view exciting card and payment jobs, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

YESpay teams up with YES-wallet.com

Global card payments company YESpay has teamed up with YES-wallet.com to provide a hosted Facebook social commerce service dubbed YESfstore, a Facebook storefront with integrated payment services.

By integrating the YES-wallet’s Pouch digital wallet with YESpay’s payment services, the companies now provide a platform which enables retailers and entrepreneurs to sell any goods and services via Facebook storefront pages with integrated web card payments.
YESfstore enables social commerce for merchants as it constructs and hosts their Facebook storefront pages integrated with its Pouch web payment wallet within the YESfstore Facebook shopping basket.
The Pouch wallet is designed to store credit and debit payment card details, payment receipts, loyalty and coupon information and enables customers to carry out payments.
YES-wallet.com, the hosted Application Service Provider (ASP) for YESfstore, features a series of capabilities including product management, order notification and order management.
YESpay has recently partnered with YES-wallet.com to deliver e-Money payment service, a cloud-based NFC contactless payment service for NFC smartphones.

To look at and apply for roles in the card and payment industry, go to http://www.cardandpaymentjobs.com