What Is a Fractional Head of Growth? (Rates, Roles & How to Hire)

A fractional head of growth is a part-time senior growth executive who drives revenue for multiple companies on a contract basis. They typically work 10-20 hours per week, own your entire growth strategy from acquisition to activation, and cost $5,000-$15,000 per month. Companies hire fractional heads of growth when they need expert-level growth execution without the $200,000+ annual commitment of a full-time hire.

Fractional works when you're scaling past founder-led growth, facing a headcount freeze with unchanged pipeline targets, or need channel expertise your team doesn't have. The model gives you senior operator-level execution at a fraction of the cost and time investment of traditional hiring.

What Is a Fractional Head of Growth?

A fractional head of growth is a part-time executive who owns growth strategy and execution for your company, typically working 10-20 hours per week on a month-to-month contract. They build and run your customer acquisition engine—everything from paid channels to SEO to lifecycle marketing—with the same accountability as a full-time growth leader.

The role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. Unlike a fractional CMO who focuses on brand positioning and full marketing org leadership, a fractional head of growth optimizes for metrics: customer acquisition cost, conversion rates, revenue per channel. Unlike a growth consultant who advises, a fractional head of growth executes: they run campaigns, test channels, build dashboards, manage junior marketers.

Most fractional heads of growth have 7-15 years of growth experience, typically from high-growth startups or performance marketing agencies. They've scaled channels from $0 to seven figures. They know which levers move revenue and which waste budget.

The fractional model gives you execution speed. MarketerHire matches companies with vetted fractional growth leaders in 48 hours. Compare that to 3-6 months for a traditional full-time search.

What Does a Fractional Head of Growth Do?

A fractional head of growth builds your customer acquisition engine and optimizes every step of your funnel. They own growth metrics—customer acquisition cost, conversion rate, revenue growth—and execute the strategies that move those numbers.

Core responsibilities:

Growth strategy development. They set your acquisition roadmap: which channels to test, how to allocate budget, what OKRs to track. They build the 30/60/90-day plan that turns pipeline targets into executable tactics. This includes channel selection (paid search vs paid social vs content), budget modeling ($X spend = Y customers at Z CAC), and metric definition (what "good" looks like for your industry and stage).

Channel execution and testing. Fractional heads of growth run campaigns, not just plan them. They launch paid search campaigns, optimize landing pages, build email nurture sequences, scale SEO programs. They test new channels fast—$5,000 budget, two-week sprint, clear success criteria. If a channel works, they scale it. If it doesn't, they kill it and move to the next test.

Funnel optimization. They find and fix conversion leaks. They run A/B tests on signup flows, retarget abandoned carts, build activation loops that turn trials into paying customers. They instrument analytics so you can see where prospects drop off and why. Most companies lose 60-80% of leads between signup and first purchase. Fractional heads of growth close that gap.

Team leadership. They manage your existing marketers—typically 1-3 junior team members—or your agency partners. They set priorities, review work, unblock execution. If you have a paid social specialist running ads but no one setting strategy or managing budget, a fractional head of growth fills that gap. They turn execution capacity into results.

Metrics and reporting. They build dashboards that show what's working. They track attribution (which channels drive revenue, not just clicks), cohort retention, and payback period. They report to your board or CEO with the numbers that matter: CAC, LTV, channel ROI, pipeline velocity. No vanity metrics.

A strong fractional head of growth should show measurable impact within 30 days: new channel tests launched, dashboard built, acquisition cost trending down, or conversion rate improving. By 90 days, you should see revenue impact.

How Much Does a Fractional Head of Growth Cost?

Most fractional heads of growth charge $5,000-$15,000 per month depending on experience, scope, and industry. That translates to $60,000-$180,000 annually for 10-20 hours per week of senior growth expertise.

Pricing breaks down by experience level:

Factors that affect pricing:

Experience and track record. Someone who scaled a startup from $0 to $10M in ARR commands higher rates than someone with 5 years at mid-sized companies. Portfolio matters. Most fractional heads of growth can show 3-5 case studies where they drove measurable revenue impact.

Scope of work. Managing one channel (paid search) costs less than owning the entire growth function (paid, organic, email, referral, partnerships). More strategic work (building the growth roadmap, hiring and managing a team, reporting to the board) costs more than tactical execution (running campaigns).

Industry complexity. B2B SaaS with 6-month sales cycles and complex attribution requires different expertise than DTC e-commerce with 24-hour purchase cycles. Regulated industries (healthcare, finance) add complexity. Higher complexity = higher rates.

Compare fractional to full-time: according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing managers earn a median salary of $156,000 annually, with senior growth roles often commanding $150,000-$250,000 in base salary, plus 0.5-2% equity, plus benefits. Total cost: $200,000-$300,000 per year. Fractional gives you senior-level execution at 20-60% of the full-time cost, with the flexibility to scale up or down as priorities shift.

For early context on how much your marketing team should cost, MarketerHire's cost calculator breaks down typical spend by stage and industry.

When Should You Hire a Fractional Head of Growth?

Hire a fractional head of growth when you need senior growth execution but can't justify a $200,000+ full-time hire or don't have 3-6 months to search.

Five signals you're ready:

1. Founder-led growth is hitting a ceiling. You (the founder/CEO) are closing deals, running ads, writing emails, and managing the website. Revenue is growing, but you're the bottleneck. You need someone who can own customer acquisition so you can focus on product, fundraising, or operations. "I need to stop being the sole source of leads" is the clearest signal, per MarketerHire's interviews with 6,000+ customers.

2. You have channel expertise gaps. Your team can execute paid social, but no one knows SEO. Or you're running Google Ads with no idea if the ROI is good. Or you have an email list but no nurture sequence. Fractional heads of growth fill skill gaps without hiring three full-time specialists. They bring cross-channel expertise and prioritize which channels to invest in.

3. Headcount freeze, but pipeline targets didn't adjust. The board froze headcount. Sales targets stayed the same. You need more leads with the same (or smaller) team. Gartner's CMO survey found that 68% of marketing leaders faced budget constraints in 2024-2025 while pipeline expectations increased. A fractional head of growth gives you senior capacity without adding a full-time employee to your cap table. This is the most common use case for companies at Series B or later.

4. You're between seed and Series B. Pre-seed and seed-stage companies often rely on founders for growth. Series C+ companies can afford full-time heads of growth. The gap—Series A and B—is where fractional makes the most sense. According to McKinsey research on the gig economy, fractional executive roles have grown 35% annually since 2020, driven largely by startups seeking flexible leadership. You have product-market fit and revenue, but not enough budget or complexity to justify a full growth team.

5. Post-agency disappointment. You hired an agency. They assigned a junior account manager. Results were mediocre. You don't want another agency, but you don't have time to build an in-house team. Fractional heads of growth work embedded in your business, not as one of 15 accounts. You get senior attention without agency overhead.

For more on building your startup marketing team structure, see MarketerHire's guide to first hires.

How to Hire a Fractional Head of Growth

Hiring a fractional head of growth follows the same vetting process as hiring full-time, with two differences: speed matters more, and trial periods are standard.

Define success metrics upfront. Before you interview anyone, answer: what does success look like at 30, 60, and 90 days? Tie goals to revenue or pipeline, not activity. Good: "Launch two new paid channels and reduce CAC by 15% in 90 days." Bad: "Run campaigns and report on performance." Fractional heads of growth should own outcomes, not tasks.

Vet for portfolio and results. Ask candidates to walk through 2-3 past engagements where they drove measurable growth. Look for specifics: "I scaled paid search from $10K/mo spend to $80K/mo spend while dropping CAC from $150 to $95" beats "I managed paid search for a SaaS company." Ask for channel expertise that matches your needs—if you're hiring for lifecycle marketing, someone with only paid acquisition experience won't fit.

Interview questions to ask:

• "Walk me through a channel you scaled from $0 to $X per month. What did you test first, what failed, what worked, and why?"
• "How do you prioritize when you have 10 growth levers and 10 hours per week?" (Tests focus and judgment.)
• "What's your approach to attribution? How do you know which channels are actually driving revenue?" (Separates operators from theorists.)
• "Describe a time you killed a channel or campaign. Why did you stop it, and what did you learn?" (Good growth leaders know when to quit.)

Use a 2-week paid trial. Fractional heads of growth should offer a trial period—typically 2 weeks, paid at their normal rate. This validates fit before you commit to a longer engagement. During the trial, they should audit your current growth setup, identify 3-5 quick wins, and execute at least one small test. If the trial works, convert to ongoing month-to-month. MarketerHire sees a 95% trial-to-hire conversion rate because the matching process filters for fit upfront.

Source through marketplaces or direct hire. Two paths: (1) Talent marketplaces like MarketerHire vet candidates, match based on your needs, and deliver options in 48 hours. (2) Direct hire via your network or LinkedIn takes 4-8 weeks but gives you full control. Marketplaces trade time for vetting quality. If you need someone next week, use a marketplace. If you have two months and want to meet 20 candidates, hire direct.

For related hiring guides, see how to hire a marketing analyst for team-building context.

Fractional Head of Growth vs. Fractional CMO

Fractional heads of growth and fractional CMOs both provide part-time executive marketing leadership, but the scope, focus, and seniority differ.

Hire a fractional head of growth when your primary need is more customers at lower cost. Hire a fractional CMO when you need marketing strategy, positioning, and team leadership.

Most Series A companies need a fractional head of growth. Most Series B-C companies need a fractional CMO (or both). If you're not sure which role fits, MarketerHire's team gap audit identifies your missing capabilities and recommends the right hire.

For a broader comparison, see MarketerHire's freelancer vs agency vs FTE guide.