Straight answer
Fractional chief growth officer: what the role is and when to hire one (2026)
What is a fractional chief growth officer?
A fractional chief growth officer is a senior growth leader who works part of the week, often for more than one company. They own the revenue engine end to end: market, proposition, channels, pricing, sales process and the numbers. You get board-level growth judgement without a full-time executive salary, and they build the team that eventually replaces them.
Last reviewed 11 September 2026. Written by Steph Hamill, HAM Agency.
The short version
A chief growth officer owns revenue growth across the whole business. A fractional one does that job for part of the week, often for more than one company. It suits businesses that have something people buy but no repeatable way of selling more of it, and cannot yet justify a full-time executive.
The test of a good one is simple. Within a quarter you should be able to point at the number they own, the plan behind it and the work already running.
What a fractional CGO owns
| Area | What they own | What you should see by day 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Who buys, why, and what they will pay | A written customer profile with evidence behind it |
| Proposition | The offer, the packaging and the price | An offer and price structure you can defend to a buyer |
| Channels | Which routes to market get money and which get cut | A channel plan with a budget and a stop rule for each |
| Sales process | Pipeline stages, conversion and follow-up | A pipeline you can read in five minutes |
| Measurement | The growth numbers and where they come from | One dashboard, one source of truth, a weekly review |
| Team | Who to hire, in what order, and to do what | A hiring plan, including the person who replaces them |
When it makes sense
- Revenue is flat or lumpy and nobody owns the whole funnel
- You have customers but no repeatable way to win more
- Marketing and sales report different numbers
- You are preparing to raise and investors will ask about acquisition cost and payback
- You need senior judgement but cannot justify a full-time executive salary yet
When it does not
- Nobody wants the product yet. Fix the product and the proposition first.
- You need someone to run ads or post content every day. Hire a specialist.
- You want a report and no change. A good fractional leader will not stay for that.
How to set up the engagement
- Scope by remit and outcome, then agree the days that takes.
- Give them the numbers: finance, sales pipeline, analytics and customer data.
- Agree a 90-day plan with named measures and a review date.
- Put them in the leadership meeting, with authority over the growth budget.
- Plan the exit from day one: the hire, the handover and the documentation.
Contracts and IR35
Most fractional leaders work through their own company, so the off-payroll rules matter. For financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025, a company counts as medium or large under those rules if it meets two or more of these: turnover above £15 million, a balance sheet total above £7.5 million, more than 50 employees.
Medium and large clients must decide the contractor's employment status. Small clients do not; that stays with the contractor's own company. Check your position with your accountant before the contract is signed.
How HAM helps
HAM does not place fractional executives. We price a project, not days. Through Portfolio strategy, innovation and growth we get into the numbers, build the growth engine and hand it to the team that keeps it running. To check this is what you need, take the discovery quiz.
Questions
How many days does a fractional CGO work?
It depends on the job. Scope the outcome first, then agree the days a month it takes. A stalled business needs more time early on than one that only needs senior oversight.
Is a fractional CGO the same as a growth consultant?
No. A consultant recommends. A fractional CGO owns the growth number, sits in the leadership team and runs the work with your people.
Does IR35 apply to a fractional CGO?
It can. If your company is medium or large under the off-payroll rules, you must decide the contractor's employment status. If you are small, the contractor's own company carries that responsibility. Take advice on each engagement.
When should the role become a full-time hire?
When the growth engine runs and the job is more management than design. A good fractional leader plans that handover from the start.