Fractional vs full-time · UK
Fractional CCO or full-time commercial director?.
One is a commitment you can end next month. The other is a £230,000 bet in year one. Here's how to tell which one you need.
The short answer
Should I hire a fractional CCO or a full-time commercial director?
Hire fractional while the commercial engine is being built, and full-time once it exists and needs someone every day.
A fractional CCO costs roughly a quarter to a half of a full-time commercial director in year one, starts within a week instead of months, and you can stop at the end of any month.
Sources: Leadership Services, fractional director day rates 2026 (Aug 2026), Advocate Group, UK commercial director salary benchmarks 2025-2026 (Nov 2025).
Side by side
Fractional, interim or full-time.
| Fractional CCO | Interim commercial director | Full-time commercial director | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | 1-2 days a week | Full-time, fixed period | Full-time, permanent |
| Typical cost | £4,000-£8,000 a month (mine £3,000-£5,500) | £1,000-£1,500 a day, mid-market | About £231,600 in year one |
| Starts | Within a week | Weeks | Months, incl. notice periods |
| Best for | Building the engine | Covering a gap or a crisis | Running an engine that works |
| Commitment | Month to month (with me) | Contract length | Employment and notice period |
When fractional wins
Fractional wins while you're still building.
- -The engine doesn't exist yet. The founder is still the sales team.
- -Marketing spend can't be traced to revenue.
- -Marketing and sales are two departments that blame each other.
- -You need senior judgement, not senior hours.
When full-time wins
Full-time wins once it runs.
- -The engine works without the founder and needs managing every day.
- -You have a sales team of 4+ that needs a leader on site every day.
- -The numbers are trusted, and the job is now scaling, not inventing.
Hire a full-time commercial director a year too early and you pay £230,000 to find out what needed building.
The rule I work by
The best sequence
Fractional first, then hire, then hand over.
Build it and measure it with a fractional CCO. Then hire full-time, and let the fractional CCO write the job spec, run the hire and hand over. You get a full-time leader who inherits a working engine instead of a blank page.
That’s how I work. If you need more than two days a week, you need a full-time hire, and I’ll help you find and onboard them.
Not sure where you are? Take the Commercial Health Check →
FAQ
Fractional or full-time questions.
Is a fractional CCO cheaper than a full-time commercial director?
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Yes. Year one of a senior London commercial director costs about £231,600 with National Insurance, pension, bonus and a recruitment fee. Two days a week of fractional leadership typically costs £48,000 to £96,000 a year. See the full cost breakdown →
What is the difference between fractional and interim?
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Interim is full-time for a fixed period, usually to cover a gap or a crisis. Fractional is part-time and ongoing, usually to build something. Interim commercial directors typically charge £1,000 to £1,500 a day in the mid-market.
Can a fractional CCO become full-time?
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Sometimes. In my case, only if the opportunity were good enough to make me leave MovoGO, where I'm co-founder and CEO. Plan for a handover to a full-time hire instead.
How do I know when to switch from fractional to full-time?
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When the engine runs and needs managing every day: the process works without the founder, the numbers are trusted, and the sales team is big enough to need a full-time leader.
Sources
Market figures are quoted from the sources below and checked on 28 September 2026. My own prices are the ones I actually charge. All prices exclude VAT.
- Leadership Services, fractional director day rates 2026, Aug 2026
- Exec Capital, interim commercial director, May 2026
- Advocate Group, UK commercial director salary benchmarks 2025-2026, Nov 2025
- GOV.UK, rates and thresholds for employers 2025 to 2026
- executiverecruitment.co.uk, executive search costs in the UK, Sep 2026