A fractional executive is a senior leader who runs a function for your business on a part-time, dedicated basis — typically 15 to 40 hours per month. Not a consultant who advises from outside. Not a contractor doing project work. An actual member of your leadership team, with the same authority and accountability, just at 25–40% of the hours.
A fractional executive sits inside your org. They're on your leadership Slack, in your board meetings, owning a function. They report to you (or your board). They're paid a flat monthly fee — typically $5,000–$25,000/month depending on the role — and engage on a 30-day-notice basis rather than as an employee.
They're distinct from consultants (who advise from outside, deliver a project, leave) and from advisors (who help quarterly but don't run anything). They're also distinct from contractors doing project work — the fractional title implies ongoing functional ownership.
Fractional CMO — Owns marketing strategy, brand, demand generation. $6.5K–$12K/mo typical.
Fractional CRO — Owns the full revenue function: sales, marketing, RevOps, customer success. $8K–$15K/mo.
Fractional CFO — Owns financial strategy, forecasting, fundraising support. $5K–$15K/mo.
Fractional CTO — Owns engineering strategy and team leadership. Typically more expensive: $10K–$25K/mo.
Fractional COO — Owns operations, process, vendor management. $6K–$15K/mo.
Three signals that point to fractional rather than full-time hire:
1. The role is genuinely needed but not full-time. You need senior leadership in this function — board reporting, strategy, team coaching — but the actual work doesn't fill 40 hours. Hiring full-time creates make-work.
2. You can't afford a real full-time hire. A real CMO is $250K+ loaded. Pre-Series-B companies often can't justify that. The fractional gets you the seniority at 30% of the cost.
3. You're not sure what you're looking for. A 6-month fractional engagement lets you see what the function actually needs at your stage before committing to a 3+ year executive hire.