Fractional CISO Salary UK Overview
Fractional CISO salary in the UK typically ranges from £900-£1,500 per day, with the average sitting around £1,200/day. This translates to annual earnings of £90,000-£180,000 depending on days worked per week and portfolio size. Security leadership is increasingly in demand as cyber threats grow.
Fractional CISO Day Rates by Experience
| Experience Level | Day Rate | Annual (2 days/week) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level Fractional | £800-£1,000 | £83,000-£104,000 |
| Mid-level Fractional | £1,000-£1,300 | £104,000-£135,000 |
| Senior Fractional | £1,300-£1,500 | £135,000-£156,000 |
| Enterprise/FS Specialist | £1,400-£1,800 | £145,000-£187,000 |
Fractional CISO Salary by Certification
| Certification/Expertise | Day Rate Premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CISSP + SOC 2 | +10-15% | Most common combination |
| ISO 27001 Lead Auditor | +15-20% | High demand for compliance |
| FCA/PRA Regulated | +20-25% | Financial services expertise |
| CISM + Cloud Security | +15-20% | Modern stack expertise |
Factors Affecting Fractional CISO Salary
Compliance Expertise
SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR expertise commands premiums
Sector Experience
FinTech, healthcare, and regulated industries pay more
Incident Response
Real breach response experience highly valued
Cloud Security
AWS, Azure, GCP security expertise adds 15-20%
Vendor Management
MSSP/MDR evaluation and management experience valued
Board Presentation
Experience presenting to boards increases rates
Fractional CISO vs Full-Time CISO Salary
Total Cost Comparison
Fractional CISOs typically cost 55-65% less than full-time equivalents
ROI of a Fractional CISO
Average UK data breach cost: £3.4 million. A fractional CISO at £90-145k/year provides enterprise-grade security leadership at a fraction of both the full-time cost and potential breach costs.
