What Is Fractional Recruiting? How a Kas Engagement Runs
Fractional recruiting is a part time recruiting partner who joins your team on a monthly basis and runs your hiring from inside your own process. You get an experienced recruiter focused on your open seats, writing the scorecard with you, sourcing and screening candidates and helping close offers. The Kas Group runs fractional recruiting for account executives, senior and enterprise AEs, and sales managers.
Updated Nov 2026, Chris Stinson. Chris is Managing Director of The Kas Group and has recruited sales and GTM talent since 2014.
The short answer
- Fractional recruiting means you rent a senior recruiter's time by the month.
- They work inside your process, with your hiring managers, on your seats.
- No percentage of salary. No per-hire invoice on Kas Seat.
- Best for sales seats you need filled this quarter with no full time recruiter.
- The Kas Group runs fractional recruiting for account executives, senior and enterprise AEs, and sales managers.
- Kas Seat is $5,000/mo for up to two open sales roles and $8,000/mo for three to five, up to $10,000/mo for senior AE and above, with zero success fees.
What is fractional recruiting?
Fractional recruiting is a monthly retainer for a part time recruiting partner who works inside your hiring process. The partner writes the scorecard with you, sources candidates, screens them, runs the interview loop and helps close offers. You pay by the month for dedicated time, not a percentage of each new hire's salary. The Kas Group runs this model for sales and GTM seats: account executives, senior and enterprise AEs, and sales managers.
A fractional recruiter acts as your recruiting lead for part of the week. They write the scorecard with you. They source. They screen. They run the interview loop and help close the offer.
You get a person who learns your ICP, your pitch and your bar, then uses that on every seat.
You own every candidate name. The work stays in your process and your tools.
Fractional recruiting vs contingency and retained
| Model | What it is | You pay | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional recruiting | Part time recruiting partner embedded with your team. Owns pipeline, interviews and close. | Monthly retainer | Month to month |
| Contingency recruiting | Recruiter is paid when a candidate they introduce is hired. | Usually 20% to 25% of first year cash compensation (SHRM) | Per hire |
| Retained search | Exclusive search for one seat, usually senior. | About 33% of salary, bonus and signing bonus (SHRM) | Per search |
| In-house recruiter | Full time recruiter on payroll. | Salary plus benefits (see BLS figures below) | Ongoing headcount |
- Contingency pays per hire. SHRM puts the usual fee at 20% to 25% of the role's first year cash compensation, paid only if the role is filled.
- Retained pays for one search, whether or not it is filled. SHRM cites a typical fee of about 33% of salary, bonus and signing bonus. It suits a single senior seat.
- Fractional pays for time. One partner works all your open seats on one monthly plan.
- In-house pays salary plus benefits. The BLS puts the median annual wage for human resources specialists, the group that includes recruiters, at $75,940 in May 2025, with the top 10% above $128,720. Benefits made up 31.5% of employer costs for full time private industry workers in June 2026.
Fee math by seat: fractional sales recruiting vs contingency. Headcount math: fractional recruiting vs in-house recruiter.
Who fractional recruiting fits
| Stage | Hiring pattern | Fractional fit |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | First AE, maybe an SDR. Founder still closes. | Strong. Kas Seat covers the first sales seats on one monthly plan. |
| Series A | AE team plus SDRs. First Sales Manager question. | Strong. Kas Seat covers several seats at once. |
| Series B | Many GTM seats. Maybe a first VP Sales. | Strong for ongoing seats. Run the VP as a specialist search. |
| Later, high volume | Steady hiring across many functions. | Consider an in-house team. Keep a specialist for hard sales seats. |
Good fit
- You will open sales seats this quarter.
- The seats are sales and GTM, not easy backfills.
- You want one partner who learns your ICP and your bar.
Not a fit
- One clear seat and nothing behind it. Use Kas Milestone Search.
- A VP or CRO search. Use a specialist search.
- Steady hiring across many functions. Build an in-house team.
Hiring your first 1 to 5 reps? Read fractional recruiting for startups.
How much does fractional recruiting cost?
Pricing at The Kas Group:
- Kas Seat: $5,000/mo for up to two open sales roles, $8,000/mo for three to five. Up to $10,000/mo for senior AE and above. Zero success fees. Hire as many people as the search produces that month.
- Kas Milestone Search: one seat. Example fees: SDR/BDR $5,000, AE $7,500, Senior AE or Sales Manager $10,000. Three payments tied to milestones, not a monthly retainer.
- Kas Directed Pursuit: list driven outbound search. You mark who we hunt. Pricing on request.
- AI, ML and data roles: quote only, success fee only. Never monthly.
- Leadership, VP and CRO: specialist quote only.
Full breakdown: fractional sales recruiting cost. All three products: Programs. Weighing other models too? Our guide to SaaS sales recruitment agencies covers which one fits each sales seat.
How a Kas fractional recruiting engagement runs
- 1
Week 1: Calibration
Scorecard, comp bands, ICP, must-haves. For SDR through Sales Manager seats only, a free market scan lands in 48 to 72 hours.
- 2
Weeks 1 to 3: Pipeline
Direct outreach to people who are not job hunting. Target for SDR through Sales Manager seats: 3 or more qualified candidates in 3 weeks.
- 3
Ongoing: Interviews and close
Interview design, debriefs, offer strategy and counteroffer defense.
- 4
Each month: Keep or pause
Month to month. Add capacity when you open seats. Pause when the team is full.
You get dedicated time from one partner. How the embedded month works for sales teams: Kas Seat for sales.
How to choose a fractional recruiter
Pick a partner who recruits the roles you are hiring, publishes pricing, works month to month and leaves you owning every candidate name. The full checklist and the questions to ask on the first call are in how to choose a fractional recruiter.
Fractional recruiting FAQ
What is fractional recruiting?
Fractional recruiting is a monthly retainer for a part time recruiting partner who works inside your hiring process. The partner writes the scorecard with you, sources candidates, screens them, runs the interview loop and helps close offers. You pay by the month for dedicated time, not a percentage of each new hire's salary. The Kas Group runs this model for sales and GTM seats: account executives, senior and enterprise AEs, and sales managers.
How much does fractional recruiting cost?
At The Kas Group, Kas Seat is $5,000/mo for up to two open sales roles and $8,000/mo for three to five, up to $10,000/mo for senior AE and above, with zero success fees. Kas Milestone Search example fees are $5,000 for SDR/BDR, $7,500 for AE and $10,000 for Senior AE or Sales Manager. Kas Directed Pursuit is priced on request. AI, ML and data searches are quote only, on a success fee only basis.
How to choose a fractional recruiter
Pick a partner who specializes in your roles, publishes pricing, works month to month and leaves you owning every candidate name; the full checklist is in our guide on how to choose a fractional recruiter.
How is fractional recruiting different from contingency recruiting?
A contingency recruiter is paid only when you hire. SHRM puts the usual fee at 20% to 25% of the role's first year cash compensation. Fractional recruiting is a monthly retainer for dedicated time, so the partner is paid to run your whole process across your open seats.
How is fractional recruiting different from retained search?
Retained search is a fee for one search, usually a senior seat, paid whether or not the role is filled. SHRM cites a typical fee of about 33% of salary, bonus and signing bonus. Fractional recruiting covers ongoing hiring across several seats for a monthly fee.
Who is fractional recruiting a good fit for?
Seed to Series B companies with sales seats to fill in the next quarter and no full time recruiter. It also fits teams that hire in bursts and want to pause between them.
Is there a long contract?
No. Kas Seat is month to month. Add capacity when you open seats. Pause it when the team is full.
What does a fractional recruiter do?
A fractional recruiter writes the scorecard with you, sources and screens candidates, runs the interview loop and helps close offers. The work happens inside your own tools and process, alongside your hiring managers.
Which roles does The Kas Group cover with fractional recruiting?
Kas Seat covers sales seats from SDR through Sales Manager. Searches above Sales Manager are quoted on request.
Who owns the candidates a fractional recruiter finds?
You do. The Kas Group works inside your process, and you own every name and the candidate data from day one.
Sources
- How to Work Effectively with an Executive Search Firm, SHRM, July 2016. Contingency and retained fee ranges. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/how-to-work-effectively-executive-search-firm
- Human Resources Specialists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 wage data. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/human-resources-specialists.htm
- Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released September 9, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
Related guides
Want to know if fractional recruiting fits your seats?
Email Chris. Send your stage, open roles and target OTE. You get a straight answer: Kas Seat, Kas Milestone Search, Kas Directed Pursuit, or a specialist quote for leadership.
About The Kas Group
The Kas Group is a B2B SaaS sales recruiting firm founded in 2014 by Chris Stinson in Alpharetta, GA. We place sales talent from SDR through Sales Manager, with senior searches quoted on request, for high-growth technology companies.
- Website: https://www.thekasgroup.com
- Email: [email protected]
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