Comparison
Fractional project manager vs a full-time hire.
Both are legitimate answers. Which one is right depends less on budget than on whether your delivery load is permanent — and how much of it needs someone present every day.
Side by side
| Full-time hire | Fractional | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to start | 2–4 months (sourcing to ramped) | Within a week |
| Recruitment cost | 15–25% of first-year salary | None |
| Equity | Usually expected at senior level | None |
| Benefits & payroll overhead | Yes, on top of salary | None |
| Notice period | 1–3 months | 30 days |
| Cost if it is the wrong person | Severance, re-hire, months lost | Cancel |
| Skill coverage | One discipline | PM, BA and technical direction |
| Availability | Full-time, in every conversation | 2–3 days per week |
| Builds internal capability | Over time | By design — handover is the goal |
| Right when | Delivery load is permanent and full-time | You need the discipline, not the headcount |
Choose full-time when
The load is permanent.
If someone needs to be in every standup, coordinating day to day, available for immediate decisions and owning delivery across multiple teams simultaneously, that is a full-time job. Buying two or three days a week will leave gaps.
It is also the right call once delivery volume is stable and predictable enough to justify permanent headcount — at which point the recruitment cost is a one-off against years of value.
Choose fractional when
You need judgement, not hours.
Most teams between five and thirty engineers do not need forty hours a week of delivery management. They need senior judgement applied consistently — what to prioritise, which risks matter, when to push back on scope.
Fractional also removes the biggest risk in a senior hire: being wrong about it. Ending an engagement takes thirty days. Ending a permanent hire takes months and costs considerably more.
What fractional costs
Published rates, not "contact us for a quote".
Fixed monthly retainers based on days per week. No equity, no recruitment fee, no benefits, 30 days notice.
Execution Stabiliser
from$1,950/mo
Predictable sprints and a delivery forecast you can trust.
Product & Delivery Partner
from$4,000/mo
Requirements that match intent, and releases that land on date.
Fractional Tech Leadership
from$5,000/mo
Architecture and spend that will survive the next 12 months.
Common questions
Is a fractional project manager cheaper than a full-time hire?
On monthly cost, yes — typically a fraction of a fully-loaded senior salary. But the more significant saving is usually the avoided recruitment fee and the two to four months of vacancy before a permanent hire starts contributing.
What do you give up by going fractional?
Availability. A fractional lead is not in every conversation, so decisions that need immediate input can wait a day. If your delivery depends on someone present at all times, hire full-time.
Can a fractional engagement become a full-time hire later?
Frequently, and it is a sensible path. The engagement establishes what the role actually needs to do, which makes the eventual job description accurate rather than aspirational.
How long before a full-time hire is productive?
Between sourcing, interviewing, offer, notice period and ramp-up, three to six months is normal for a senior delivery role. A fractional engagement typically starts within a week.
Not sure which you need?
Book a free audit. If the honest answer is that you need a full-time hire rather than us, we will tell you that.
30 min · no pitch deck · one fix you can apply immediately