How do I hire a fractional head of revenue in Seattle?

!How do I hire a fractional head of revenue in Seattle? # How do I hire a fractional head of revenue in Seattle? ```answer You hire a fractional head of revenue in Seattle by first clarifying your company stage, ARR, and the specific revenue gap you need filled (strategy, execution, or both). Expect to budget a retainer for 10–40 hours of engagement, depending on scope, complexity, and the executive's experience. The best candidates will be former full-time CROs or VPs of Sales who now prefer flexible, fractional work — and they are often open to hybrid or remote arrangements.

title: How to hire a fractional head of revenue in Seattle

• Define the scope | Write a 1-page brief: what revenue problem you are solving (e.g., no repeatable sales process, founder-led sales plateau, messy CRM data).
• Search the right channels | Post in Pavilion Seattle chapter, RevOps Co-op, LinkedIn, and your local startup Slack groups. Do not rely on job boards.
• Interview for judgment, not charisma | Ask for a specific example of how they fixed a broken forecast or turned around a stalled pipeline. Listen for concrete steps, not buzzwords.
• Check references with founders | Ask former clients: "Did they actually close deals, or just give advice?" and "Would you hire them again tomorrow?"
• Start with a 90-day pilot | Agree on 3 measurable outcomes (e.g., clean CRM, 2x pipeline coverage, a coaching cadence for your AEs) before renewing.
• Formalize with a simple MSA | Use a month-to-month contract with a 30-day out clause. Avoid long-term lockups until you see results.

a: Fractional CRO (strategic + hands-on) b: Full-time VP of Sales (dedicated, fully embedded)

• Cost | a retainer | a retainer + equity + benefits
• Time commitment | 10–40 hours/week | 50+ hours/week
• Onboarding speed | 2–4 weeks to impact | 3–6 months to full productivity
• Risk to company | Low (easy to exit) | High (expensive to replace)
• Best for | 500k–5M ARR, founder-led transition | 5M+ ARR, scaling a full team

type: warning Beware of fractional CROs who promise "strategy only" and never pick up the phone with a prospect. You need someone who will actually sit in on calls, coach your reps, and help close deals — especially in the first 90 days. If they cannot show you a recent deal they personally helped close, keep looking.

flowchart TD A[Founder realizes revenue plateau] --> B{Diagnose need} B --> C[under 1M ARR: founder sells] B --> D[1M–5M ARR: fractional CRO] B --> E[over 5M ARR: full-time VP Sales] D --> F[Define scope: strategy, execution, or both] F --> G[Search in Pavilion, RevOps Co-op, LinkedIn] G --> H[Interview for judgment, not charisma] H --> I[Check references with founders] I --> J[Start 90-day pilot with 3 measurable outcomes] J --> K[Review at 90 days: renew, adjust, or exit]

type: tip If you are a Seattle founder with a strong product but no sales process, start with a fractional VP of Sales who has built a playbook before. If you need to rethink your entire go-to-market motion — including pricing, channels, and customer segmentation — hire a fractional CRO. Most good fractional leaders will tell you which one you need during the first conversation. flowchart LR A[Month 1: Diagnose] --> B[CRM audit, call shadowing, team interviews] B --> C[Month 2: Execute] --> D[Pipeline building, coaching, deal support] D --> E[Month 3: Hand off] --> F[Sustainable cadence, team ownership]

• RevOps Co-op — operations and revenue community
• Harvard Business Review — sales leadership articles
• First Round Review — startup management insights
• SaaStr — SaaS sales and fundraising content
• LinkedIn — professional network for finding fractional executives