Fractional Head of Delivery
Fractional Head of Delivery
vs hiring a full-time leader
A full-time hire is the right move — eventually. But timing matters. Hiring a permanent senior leader too early means paying executive-level compensation before you know exactly what the role needs to be. Hiring too late means months of lost momentum while you recruit.
Why fractional works
Lower financial commitment
Fractional costs a fraction of the £120k–£180k salary plus equity, benefits, and employer NI of a permanent senior hire. You get the same strategic capability at a cost that matches your stage.
No recruitment delay
A permanent senior hire takes 3–6 months to recruit and another 3 months to ramp up. Fractional starts delivering in week one.
Flexibility to adapt
Your needs at Series A are different from Series B. Fractional lets you scale the engagement up, down, or change focus as the company evolves.
Try before you commit
Fractional lets you experience what a Head of Product or Head of Delivery actually does in your business before you define the permanent role and hire for it.
When a full-time hire might be better
- —Full-time presence and commitment. A permanent hire is there every day, building deep context and relationships across the organisation.
- —Long-term continuity. They're invested in the company's success over years, not months, and grow with the role as the company scales.
- —Team leadership and development. A full-time leader can build, mentor, and develop a team beneath them in a way that's harder to do fractionally.
Choose fractional when
When you need senior leadership now but aren't ready to commit to a permanent hire — whether that's because of budget, uncertainty about the role, or wanting to move fast while you figure out the long-term team structure.
Choose a full-time hire when
When you have a clear, well-defined senior role, the budget to support it, and the patience to recruit well. If you already know what the role looks like and the company can absorb the commitment, hire permanently.