The Short Answer
Fractional leadership means hiring an experienced executive—like a VP of HR, Chief Revenue Officer, or Head of People—on a part-time or project basis instead of full-time. You get senior-level expertise without the $200K+ salary, benefits, and equity that come with a full-time hire.
Think of it as renting strategic firepower instead of buying it outright.
Where Fractional Roles Fit
Build compliant HR systems, handle employee relations, and set up hiring processes—without a full-time HR director on payroll.
Revenue strategy, sales team structure, and go-to-market planning for companies not ready for a full-time Chief Revenue Officer.
Growth marketing leadership, demand gen systems, and customer acquisition for startups scaling past founder-led sales.
Engineering, Product, Finance—any function where you need strategic leadership but not 40 hours/week of it.
Why It Works
- Cost efficiency: Studies show fractional leadership can reduce executive costs by 30-50% compared to full-time hires. Harvard Business Review
- Speed to systems: Fractional leaders have built these systems before. They don't need 6 months to ramp—they start executing in weeks.
- Scoped outcomes: You're paying for deliverables (a compliant handbook, a hiring pipeline, a performance review system) not just hours in a seat.
- Flexibility: Scale up or down as your business needs change. No severance, no awkward conversations.
The Evidence
This isn't just theory. Research backs up the impact:
- Structured interviews improve quality of hire — companies using scorecards and structured processes make better hiring decisions. Harvard Business Review
- Onboarding reduces turnover — employees with great onboarding are 69% more likely to stay 3 years. SHRM
- Compliance alignment matters — SMBs that follow structured HR policies avoid costly legal exposure. SHRM Compliance Resources
When to Consider Fractional HR
Fractional HR makes sense when:
- You have 10-100 employees and no dedicated HR person
- You're preparing for a funding round and need investor-ready people systems
- Compliance, onboarding, or employee issues are eating your time as a founder
- You want to hire better but don't have structured processes
- You need strategic HR thinking but can't justify $150K+ for a full-time hire
How Trillium Does It
At Trillium, we act as your fractional HR team. We're not a software platform—we're experienced people experts who build compliant systems, run your hiring, and handle the HR work so you can focus on growing your business.