Fractional executive hourly rates
This market contracts by the day, so an hourly figure is a conversion rather than a price. It is still worth having, because a company comparing a fractional seat against a consultancy quoting by the hour needs the two in the same unit. Here is every seat both ways, and then the honest reason nobody bills the second one.
Converted at 8 hours to the day, which is a convention rather than a measurement. The published day rates are the real figures, taken from live listings on the bench.
Every seat, per hour and per day
| Seat | Per hour, indicative | Per day, published |
|---|---|---|
| CISO | £113 to £188 | £900 to £1,500 |
| CFO | £100 to £188 | £800 to £1,500 |
| CTO | £100 to £175 | £800 to £1,400 |
| General Counsel | £100 to £175 | £800 to £1,400 |
| CMO | £88 to £163 | £700 to £1,300 |
| COO | £88 to £163 | £700 to £1,300 |
| Sales Director | £88 to £163 | £700 to £1,300 |
| Product Lead | £88 to £150 | £700 to £1,200 |
| Data Lead | £88 to £150 | £700 to £1,200 |
| Growth Lead | £75 to £138 | £600 to £1,100 |
| People Lead | £75 to £138 | £600 to £1,100 |
Why the market prices by the day
A day is the smallest unit in which senior work actually gets finished. An executive who arrives for two hours spends most of them reloading context, and one who bills by the hour has an incentive to be present rather than to be done. Day rates put the incentive on the outcome instead, which is why the market settled there without anybody deciding it.
The practical consequence is that most operators will not take a booking below half a day, and the ones who will are usually not the ones you were hoping to hire.
The thirty hours a week mistake
The most common way this arithmetic goes wrong is a company deciding it needs about thirty hours a week of a senior seat and pricing that hourly.
Thirty hours is four days. At the CFO band of £800 to £1,500 a day that is £3,200 to £6,000 a week, and at that point the arrangement is employment in everything but the protections. Both sides usually do better converting it to a permanent role, and the comparison with employer costs counted shows why.
Common questions
What is the hourly rate for a fractional CFO in the UK?
Published day rates for the seat run £800 to £1,500, which is roughly £100 to £188 an hour on an 8-hour day. Almost nobody in this market contracts by the hour, because the value of a senior seat is the decisions it makes rather than the hours it is present for, and an hourly contract quietly pushes both sides toward measuring the wrong thing.
Why do fractional executives charge by the day and not the hour?
A day is the smallest unit in which senior work actually gets done. An executive who arrives for two hours has spent most of them re-loading context, and one who bills by the hour has an incentive to be present rather than to be finished. Day rates put the incentive on the outcome, which is why the market settled there.
How do I convert a fractional day rate to an hourly figure?
Divide by 8 for an indicative number. It is useful for comparing against a consultancy quoting hourly, and misleading if used to buy three hours. Most operators will not take a booking below half a day, and the ones who will are usually not the ones you want.
Is 30 hours a week fractional or full-time?
That is four days a week, and it is the point at which the arrangement stops being fractional in anything but name. At four days the person is effectively employed without the protections or the commitment on either side, and both parties usually do better converting it to a permanent role.
The rate is on the profile, in days
Browse the bench and see what each operator charges before you open a conversation, or send a brief and have the search run for you.