CXOwork is a deliberate matchmaking service, not a marketplace dump. You write a short brief, our team hand-matches you with vetted fractional executives, and you start working together once you've agreed on terms. Most clients are introduced to their first advisor within a few business days.
1. Post a brief
Open Post a job and walk through the wizard. We ask four things:
- Seniority and function. C-Suite or Senior Talent, and which area (Engineering, Sales, Legal, Security, Operations, Finance, and so on).
- Outcomes. Pick the goals you want this engagement to deliver — e.g. "Build a repeatable sales process" or "Get our infrastructure investor-ready."
- Free-text brief. Two or three sentences in your own words. The Generate with AI button on the wizard will weave your picked outcomes and rough notes into a clean two-sentence summary the matching team can read at a glance.
- Commitment and engagement type. Hours per week and whether you want hands-on Fractional delivery or strategic Advisory guidance.
The wizard shows an estimated monthly budget based on your picks — that's an illustrative range, not a quote. The actual rate is whatever you and your matched advisor agree to in the offer.
2. We hand-match candidates
Once you submit, our matchmaking team reviews the brief and proposes one or more advisors from our vetted network. You won't see the proposals until the advisor accepts — that filters out anyone unavailable so your shortlist is real.
Most matches surface within 24 to 72 hours. We'll email you the moment an advisor accepts.
3. Open a conversation
Each accepted match shows up on Matched CXO. Click Send Message on any row to start a thread — they can answer questions, share past work, and walk through how they'd approach the brief. Use this stage to get a feel for fit before committing.
4. Send an offer
When you're ready, click Send offer on the same row. You'll set:
- Engagement type — hourly, monthly retainer, or fixed-fee project
- Rate — dollars per hour or per month, or a project total
- Hours per week (for hourly only)
- Scope — what success looks like, in your own words
- Optional start date
Offers don't have a counter-offer step. If the advisor declines, they'll tell you why and you can revise and re-send.
5. Sign and start
The advisor accepts by typing their full legal name and ticking an electronic-signature checkbox. The instant they sign, a live contract is created on both sides and the brief auto-flips to in_progress. You can start work right away.
6. Manage the engagement
Active contracts live on Contracts. From there you can pause hourly contracts (after the first 30 days), resume them, or mark them complete. Milestones, timesheets, and meeting scheduling roll out in subsequent releases.
What happens if it's not the right fit?
Either side can step back at any point. If the advisor declines a match before any contract exists, our matchmaking team automatically sources a replacement — you don't have to repost. If you've already signed and need to end early, mark the contract complete and we'll handle the wind-down with the advisor directly.
Need help?
Use the CXOAdmin conversation in your messages to talk to the platform team any time — pre-match questions, advisor changes, billing edge cases, all in one place.