Fractional CSO Jobs | Hire Fractional CSO

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a fractional CSO

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with CSO candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

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On the board · last 3 months

Fractional CSO jobs on the board

0 Fractional CSO · 9 fractional executive

No Fractional CSO roles on the board in the last three months. Showing fractional executive roles instead.

Browse every role on the board →

Current fractional CSO opportunities

Fractional Quest is a fractional recruitment agency: send a CSO brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.

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01/ the role

What is a fractional CSO?

A fractional CSO provides strategic sales leadership on a part-time basis.

They bring senior-level expertise to build sales organizations, develop revenue processes, and drive predictable growth without the full-time executive overhead.

Companies hire a fractional CSO during critical scaling phases - post-Series A expansion, new market entry, or major sales transformation initiatives.

They establish sales frameworks, build high-performing teams, and implement systems that continue driving results after their engagement.

02/ scope

Core fractional CSO responsibilities

Sales strategy and planning

Developing comprehensive sales strategies, establishing go-to-market approaches, and creating predictable revenue growth models.

Setting measurable targets and building the infrastructure to track and optimize sales performance across all channels.

Pricing and terms agreed with resellers or competitors fall under competition law, and the CMA's short guide to competition law risk sets out what to avoid.

Sales team building and management

Recruiting sales talent, establishing organizational structure, and implementing processes for lead generation, pipeline management, and deal closure.

Building the foundation for sustainable sales operations that can scale with company growth.

The National Careers Service profile of a sales manager sets out the routes into the roles a CSO hires for.

Revenue process optimization

Implementing CRM systems, sales enablement platforms, and revenue operations tools.

Establishing data-driven processes for forecasting, territory management, and performance measurement across the sales organization.

Prospecting by email and phone is governed by PECR as well as UK GDPR; the ICO's guidance on business-to-business marketing sets out the rules.

Sales methodology and training

Establishing proven sales methodologies, creating training programs, and developing playbooks for consistent deal execution.

Coaching sales teams and establishing best practices that drive predictable revenue growth.

The ISP's Sales Capability Framework defines the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected in each sales role, and training should cover the Ministry of Justice's Bribery Act 2010 guidance on the procedures that prevent bribery.

How to hire a fractional CSO

Scope the sales challenge (first sales leader, growth stall, market expansion), decide the days per week, budget against fractional-csuite's published £95–£240 an hour for a fractional CSO/CCO, and ask candidates for evidence of building sales teams at your stage.

If you need daily, full-time coverage, hire a CSO permanently — otherwise the fractional route delivers the same seniority part-time.

03/ the week

How a week divides.

Part of a week is the point of the model: the days you buy are yours, the rest of the week goes to other clients. Move the days a week and the week redraws.

Days a week for your company2 days

Your companyAnother clientA third client

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Illustration only: one way a fractional CSO’s week can divide at 2 days a week for you. Each block is half a day.

04/ the board

What the board holds.

A read of the roles on the board on this page, counted as they stand: how each is engaged, whether the posting gives the days and the rate, and where the work happens.

On this board, last 90 days · 9 roles · fractional executive

Engagement

Fractional9

Seat

SDR1
Executive assistant1
Finance director1
CFO1
General counsel1
Financial controller1
Other seats3

Days a week

Stated in the posting2
Not stated7

Day rate

Verified rate0
Estimated (est)5
Rate not stated4

Work arrangement (as the job feed classifies it)

Remote0
Hybrid5
On-site2
Not classified2

Newest posting on the board: 15 Oct 2026.

Postings per week on this board, last 90 days

9 postings on this board in the last 90 days, counted by the week each was published.

05/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is there a fixed end or a programme?

Does the seat sit on the board for years?

Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional CSO.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional CSO holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional CSO roles on this page Talk it through

06/ timing

When to hire a fractional CSO

Common scenarios where fractional CSO expertise delivers maximum value with optimal cost efficiency

Scenario 01

Series A

First sales leader

hire — you need process + team building expertise without a full-time executive commitment

Scenario 02

Scale-up

Revenue growth

stalling — need senior leadership to diagnose and fix sales performance issues

Scenario 03

International

Market expansion

project — proven expertise for new regions without permanent executive overhead

Scenario 04

Pre-exit

Sales optimization

preparation — institutional-grade sales leadership and reporting for exit readiness

07/ vetting

How vetting and shortlisting work

Our five-stage process for matching you with the right fractional CSO — structured, honest, and focused on long-term success

01
Qualification screen
Verify CSO tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

08/ hire a CSO

Hire a CSO — fractional or permanent

Whether to hire a CSO fractionally or permanently depends on whether the sales system exists yet.

While the founder still closes most deals and the job is to build the process, the team and the forecast, hire a CSO for part of the week and let the seat grow with the team.

Once there is a sales organisation to run every day, a permanent chief sales officer is the better fit.

If the seat is empty and needs full-time cover while that search runs, an interim sales director can hold it.

Pin down which CSO you mean first: the hire on this page is the chief sales officer, and a chief strategy officer brief is a different search.

Then separate the seat from its neighbours.

A fractional CRO carries marketing and customer success as well as sales, while a fractional sales director or head of sales runs the team below the seat.

If the CSO will be employed, Acas lays out each stage of recruiting, from advertising the role to making the offer.

Asked to hire a CSO, fractional or permanent, we come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting.

09/ sales

Fractional chief sales officer — what the seat owns

A fractional chief sales officer owns the sales number and the system that produces it: where to sell, which customers to prioritise, how the team is structured, how pipeline is forecast and how deals are won.

The Institute of Sales Professionals describes the step up from sales manager to sales director as a move from managing performance to defining direction — strategic choices about markets, customers, resources and capability.

A chief sales officer carries that at leadership-team level.

Hire one when the founder is still the best salesperson and the company needs a sales system rather than another rep, or when a team exists but forecasting is unreliable and nobody can say why deals are lost.

Assess on sales teams built at your stage and with your sales motion, and on the forecasts they ran — ask to see one, and how it compared with the outcome.

For revenue across sales, marketing and customer success, see hire a fractional CRO; for hands-on team leadership below the seat, fractional head of sales jobs.

10/ the other cso

Fractional chief strategy officer — the same initials, a different job

CSO also stands for chief strategy officer, and a fractional chief strategy officer is a different hire.

The role supports the chief executive and board on where the company competes and what it stops doing, on acquisitions and partnerships, and on turning the plan into priorities the leadership team can execute.

Strategy stays the board's responsibility: the IoD lists determining the company's strategic objectives and policies among the board's primary jobs (IoD: directors' duties and responsibilities), and the UK Corporate Governance Code opens with board leadership and company purpose.

A fractional chief strategy officer is usually engaged around a strategy cycle, a fundraising or exit plan, or a new-market decision, and works to the CEO.

If the gap is revenue execution rather than direction, you want the chief sales officer above.

Postings use both meanings of CSO, so check which one a role means before applying; a fractional CCO often absorbs the commercial side of both.

11/ questions

Fractional CSO FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a fractional CSO.

Define the sales challenge (team build, process, growth stall), scope 2-3 days per week, budget against fractional-csuite's published £95–£240 an hour for a fractional CSO/CCO, and shortlist CSOs with proven sales-team builds at your stage and sector. We come back with a shortlist of three to five.

fractional-csuite publishes a UK fractional CSO/CCO rate of £95–£240 an hour. At a 7.5-hour day that is about £710–£1,800 a day — our arithmetic on its hourly band, not a published day rate. The monthly cost is the days you buy at that rate.

On a set number of days a week, either on fixed days or flexibly around key initiatives. Many start with more days during team-building phases, then drop back for ongoing sales leadership and optimization.

Typically Series A to Series C scale-ups that need senior sales leadership but aren't ready for a full-time C-suite hire. Also bootstrapped companies experiencing rapid growth that need strategic sales direction.

Yes, a core responsibility is building the sales function. This includes hiring sales talent, implementing processes, and training team members to operate effectively between their working days.

Initial sales assessments and process improvements come first; measurable improvements in pipeline quality and conversion follow. Agree the milestones for each stage in the brief rather than relying on a generic timeline.

Fractional CSOs are ongoing partial resources, a set number of days a week. Interim CSOs are temporary full-time coverage, usually while recruiting a permanent hire or covering specific sales initiatives.

Many specialize in particular sectors - SaaS, fintech, healthtech, or B2B services. This specialization allows them to bring proven sales playbooks and industry connections that accelerate results.

Owns the sales number and the system behind it — market and customer priorities, team structure, pipeline forecasting and how deals are won — on an agreed number of days a week. The Institute of Sales Professionals frames the senior sales role as defining direction rather than managing performance. For revenue across sales, marketing and customer success, see hire a fractional CRO.

Not always. CSO is used for both the chief sales officer and the chief strategy officer. A fractional chief strategy officer supports the CEO and board on direction — where to compete, what to stop, acquisitions and partnerships — while strategy itself remains the board's responsibility. Check which meaning a brief or posting uses.