---
title: "Fractional Executive Day Rates UK 2026"
canonical_url: "https://getoperators.co/day-rates"
updated: "2026-11-01"
edition: "2026-Q4"
license: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
---

# Fractional executive day rates in the UK, 2026

A fractional executive in the UK costs £600 to £1,500 a day in 2026, depending on
the seat. Most engagements run one to three days a week. These are bands, not survey means, and
they are free to reuse with attribution.

## UK day rates by seat

Monthly figures are the day rate times the days a week times 46 billable weeks,
divided by twelve, before VAT. A fractional executive invoices through their own company, so no
employer costs sit on top.

| Seat | Day rate | One day a week, per month | Two days a week, per month | Three days a week, per month | Higher end applies for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Fractional CFO](https://getoperators.co/fractional/cfo) | £800 to £1,500 | £3,067 to £5,750 | £6,133 to £11,500 | £9,200 to £17,250 | fundraise or exit work, and for regulated sectors. |
| [Fractional CMO](https://getoperators.co/fractional/cmo) | £700 to £1,300 | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 | category creation, rebrands and full funnel rebuilds. |
| [Fractional CTO](https://getoperators.co/fractional/cto) | £800 to £1,400 | £3,067 to £5,367 | £6,133 to £10,733 | £9,200 to £16,100 | regulated sectors, AI systems and technical due diligence. |
| [Fractional COO](https://getoperators.co/fractional/coo) | £700 to £1,300 | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 | turnarounds, scale-ups past 50 people and multi-site operations. |
| [Fractional Sales Director](https://getoperators.co/fractional/sales-director) | £700 to £1,300 | £2,683 to £4,983 | £5,367 to £9,967 | £8,050 to £14,950 | Often part fixed fee, part performance-linked. Agree the structure in writing before starting. |
| [Fractional Growth Lead](https://getoperators.co/fractional/growth) | £600 to £1,100 | £2,300 to £4,217 | £4,600 to £8,433 | £6,900 to £12,650 | marketplaces, subscription products and anything with a complex funnel. |
| [Fractional Product Lead](https://getoperators.co/fractional/product) | £700 to £1,200 | £2,683 to £4,600 | £5,367 to £9,200 | £8,050 to £13,800 | complex B2B products and platform or API work. |
| [Fractional People Lead](https://getoperators.co/fractional/people) | £600 to £1,100 | £2,300 to £4,217 | £4,600 to £8,433 | £6,900 to £12,650 | scale-ups hiring at pace and for TUPE, restructures or redundancy work. |
| [Fractional CISO](https://getoperators.co/fractional/ciso) | £900 to £1,500 | £3,450 to £5,750 | £6,900 to £11,500 | £10,350 to £17,250 | Among the highest fractional rates, driven by certification work and regulated sectors. |
| [Fractional Data Lead](https://getoperators.co/fractional/data) | £700 to £1,200 | £2,683 to £4,600 | £5,367 to £9,200 | £8,050 to £13,800 | machine learning and AI strategy work as well as pipeline building. |
| [Fractional General Counsel](https://getoperators.co/fractional/general-counsel) | £800 to £1,400 | £3,067 to £5,367 | £6,133 to £10,733 | £9,200 to £16,100 | Still materially below partner-level law firm rates for equivalent seniority. |

## Other titles, priced as their seat

Most fractional titles are one of the seats above under another name, and are priced as that seat.

| Title | Priced as | UK day rate | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | Marketing, sales and retention under one number |
| Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | Sales, partnerships and pricing under one seat |
| Chief Sales Officer (CSO) | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | The sales seat with a board-level title |
| Commercial Director | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | Sales plus pricing, margin and partnerships |
| Head of Sales | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | The sales seat below board level |
| VP of Sales | Fractional Sales Director | £700 to £1,300 | The US name for the same sales seat |
| HR Director or CHRO | Fractional People Lead | £600 to £1,100 | The people seat with a board-level title |
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | Fractional CTO | £800 to £1,400 | Technology leadership, run inward rather than on product |
| Head of IT | Fractional CTO | £800 to £1,400 | Runs systems and infrastructure rather than product |
| Chief AI Officer | Fractional Data Lead | £700 to £1,200 | AI strategy is what takes the data band to its top |
| Chief Data Officer (CDO) | Fractional Data Lead | £700 to £1,200 | The data seat with a board-level title |
| Part-time Finance Director (FD) | Fractional CFO | £800 to £1,500 | The same seat under its older British name |
| Part-time Marketing Director | Fractional CMO | £700 to £1,300 | The same seat with fewer days |
| Chief of Staff | Fractional COO | £700 to £1,300 | Usually listed alongside the COO title |
| Operations Director | Fractional COO | £700 to £1,300 | In a smaller company, often the same seat |
| Head of Operations | Fractional COO | £700 to £1,300 | The operations seat below board level |
| Interim Operations Director | Fractional COO | £700 to £1,300 | The same seat held full-time for a stretch, priced by the day |
| Integrator (EOS) | Fractional COO | £700 to £1,300 | The EOS name for the person who runs the business day to day |
| Head of Product | Fractional Product Lead | £700 to £1,200 | The product seat below board level |
| Product Director | Fractional Product Lead | £700 to £1,200 | The product seat with a director title |
| Head of Legal or interim legal counsel | Fractional General Counsel | £800 to £1,400 | In-house legal leadership, held part-time |

## The same seats in the US and the UAE

### The United States

Market observation rather than listing data, in US dollars. Full page: https://getoperators.co/us/day-rates

| Seat | Day rate | Two days a week, per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fractional CFO | $1,000 to $2,200 | $7,667 to $16,867 |
| Fractional CMO | $900 to $1,800 | $6,900 to $13,800 |
| Fractional CTO | $1,000 to $2,000 | $7,667 to $15,333 |
| Fractional COO | $900 to $1,800 | $6,900 to $13,800 |
| Fractional Sales Director | $900 to $1,800 | $6,900 to $13,800 |
| Fractional Growth Lead | $800 to $1,500 | $6,133 to $11,500 |
| Fractional Product Lead | $900 to $1,700 | $6,900 to $13,033 |
| Fractional People Lead | $800 to $1,500 | $6,133 to $11,500 |
| Fractional CISO | $1,200 to $2,300 | $9,200 to $17,633 |
| Fractional Data Lead | $900 to $1,700 | $6,900 to $13,033 |
| Fractional General Counsel | $1,100 to $2,100 | $8,433 to $16,100 |

### The United Arab Emirates

Market observation rather than listing data, in dirhams. Full page: https://getoperators.co/uae/day-rates

| Seat | Day rate | Two days a week, per month |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fractional CFO | AED 3,500 to AED 7,500 | AED 26,833 to AED 57,500 |
| Fractional CMO | AED 3,000 to AED 6,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 |
| Fractional CTO | AED 3,500 to AED 7,000 | AED 26,833 to AED 53,667 |
| Fractional COO | AED 3,000 to AED 6,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 |
| Fractional Sales Director | AED 3,000 to AED 6,000 | AED 23,000 to AED 46,000 |
| Fractional Growth Lead | AED 2,600 to AED 5,000 | AED 19,933 to AED 38,333 |
| Fractional Product Lead | AED 3,000 to AED 5,500 | AED 23,000 to AED 42,167 |
| Fractional People Lead | AED 2,600 to AED 5,000 | AED 19,933 to AED 38,333 |
| Fractional CISO | AED 4,000 to AED 7,500 | AED 30,667 to AED 57,500 |
| Fractional Data Lead | AED 3,000 to AED 5,500 | AED 23,000 to AED 42,167 |
| Fractional General Counsel | AED 3,500 to AED 6,500 | AED 26,833 to AED 49,833 |

## Method

The UK set is compiled from three sources: the rates operators set on their own listings on the
bench, rates quoted during Operator Search briefs, and published UK rates for the equivalent
full-time seats. No seat has a sample worth quoting a median from, so quote the band rather than
its midpoint. The US and UAE sets are market observation and carry less underlying data. Full
method: https://getoperators.co/how-we-price

## Data and citation

- JSON: https://getoperators.co/api/day-rates
- CSV: https://getoperators.co/api/day-rates?format=csv
- US and UAE: https://getoperators.co/api/day-rates?market=us and https://getoperators.co/api/day-rates?market=uae
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- Cite as: getoperators, UK fractional executive day rates, edition 2026-Q4, getoperators.co/day-rates.