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What does a CRO actually cost?

Most founders use the salary figure. The real Year 1 cost is typically 1.5–1.8× that once you account for NI, pension, recruitment, and ramp time. Enter your numbers.

No sign-up UK figures (2024/25) Updates live

Target base salary £130,000

£80k £250k

Recruitment method

Time to hire

Ramp period

Benefits package

Monthly retainer £8,000

£3k £15k

Typical UNFYS engagements run £6,000–£10,000/month depending on days-per-week commitment.

Full-time hire · Year 1

Base salary £130,000

Employer NI (13.8%) £16,784

Employer pension (5%) £6,500

Recruitment fee (25%) £32,500

Vacancy cost ? £32,500

Ramp opportunity cost ? £32,500

Benefits package £5,000

Year 1 total £255,784

Fractional CRO · Year 1

Monthly retainer × 12 £96,000

Employer NI / pension £0

Recruitment / ramp £0

Year 1 total £96,000

Year 1 saving with fractional

£159,784

62% less than a full-time hire — before accounting for speed to value.

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Methodology & assumptions

Employer NI

Calculated at 13.8% on earnings above the secondary NI threshold (£9,100/year). Correct for 2024/25.

Employer pension

5% employer contribution on full base salary. Consistent with typical senior executive packages.

Vacancy cost

The cost of the role being unfilled. Calculated as time-to-hire months × monthly salary. Every month without commercial leadership in seat has a revenue cost.

Ramp opportunity cost

A new CRO typically operates at 40–60% productivity during their ramp period. We calculate this as ramp months × monthly salary × 0.5.

Recruitment fee

Typical executive search / senior sales recruiter fee is 20–28% of first year base. We use 25% as a reasonable mid-point.

Fractional

No employer NI, no pension, no recruitment fee, no ramp period. A fractional engagement can start in days — not the 3–6 months a permanent hire typically takes.