Find and hire a senior
A senior fractional director of e commerce strategy, plus Heads of Ecommerce and interim ecommerce executives, for DTC, retail, subscription, and PE-backed consumer operators. Strategy, P&L ownership, team build, and the cross-channel operating model, without a full-time hire.
A senior fractional director of e commerce strategy, plus Heads of Ecommerce and interim ecommerce executives, for DTC, retail, subscription, and PE-backed consumer operators
Fractional Head of Ecommerce, Director of Ecommerce, VP Ecommerce, same operator pool, calibrated to your stage. Smaller companies often want a fractional director-level seat; larger companies want VP-level strategic leadership. We have both.
A real ecommerce leader carries the channel P&L: contribution margin, AOV, retention, CAC payback. Most fractional offerings deliver projects. We deliver P&L responsibility for the engagement window.
DTC + Amazon + retail + wholesale as one operating model, not optimized in isolation. Our ecommerce leaders run the cross-channel picture, including pricing, content reuse, fulfillment economics, and customer-data strategy.
Ecommerce leadership comes in three altitudes, Head/VP, Director, and Manager, and most growth-stage brands aren't sure which they actually need. The right answer depends on the maturity of the function, the complexity of the cross-channel operating model, and the level of cross-functional partnership the role requires. Our fractional ecommerce engagements span all three altitudes: Fractional Head of Ecommerce (strategic + executive-team partner), Fractional Director of E Commerce Strategy (channel strategy + team leadership), Interim Director of Ecommerce Strategy (transition coverage). The calibration session decides which fits.
The default failure mode of fractional ecommerce help is project work, discrete deliverables that don't add up to operating change. Our engagements treat ecommerce as a P&L: contribution-margin model in week one, lever identification in week two, execution against the levers across the engagement. The deliverable isn't a strategy deck; it's measurable P&L motion.
A fractional director of e commerce strategy focused purely on strategy (channel mix, growth plans, board narrative) is a different operator than one running operations (fulfillment, inventory, returns) is different from one bridging cross-functional (product, marketing, CX). Most brands need a mix; the calibration surfaces what the actual mix should be and routes to the right operator.
| Feature | Chameleon Collective | Specialty agency | Full-time Head of Ecommerce hire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calibrates altitude (Head / Director / Manager) | Default, sub-rosters per altitude | Often one-size-fits-all | Hire-dependent |
| P&L ownership, not project work | Yes, contribution margin focus | Often project-bound deliverables | Yes, with senior hire |
| Cross-channel + cross-functional | DTC + Amazon + retail + wholesale as one model | Often channel-specific | Hire-dependent |
| Senior the day they start | 15+ year ecommerce operators | Senior partners, junior delivery | 4-6 month ramp |
| Cost structure | $15K-$35K/mo at 2-3 days/week | Project T&M + retainer | $160K-$220K TC + ramp |
| Right fit when | Need ecommerce leadership, not yet justifying FTE | Specific project need | Ongoing ecommerce complexity at scale |
Common questions from teams evaluating Head of Ecommerce engagements.
Altitude. VP/Head is more strategic, executive-team-partner, board-facing. Director is more operational, team-management, channel-strategy focused. Manager is IC-leaning. Same function, different scope of work. Smaller companies usually want Director-altitude; larger companies want VP-altitude. The calibration session decides what altitude actually fits.
Related but distinct. Fractional ecommerce support is project-bound consulting, discrete deliverables, defined scope. A fractional ecommerce director is in-seat ongoing leadership, managing the team, owning the P&L, running the cadence. Different shapes for different needs.
Fractional is part-time ongoing (2-3 days a week, 2-4 quarter engagement). Interim is full-time defined window (3-9 months, full P&L authority). Interim works for transition coverage; fractional works for sustained senior judgment without the full-time hire.
Week one: P&L review, channel audit, team interviews. Weeks 2-4: 90-day plan with 1-3 highest-leverage levers. Weeks 4-16: execution against the plan. Most engagements ship measurable P&L lift inside the first quarter.
Most engagements run $15K-$35K per month at two to three days per week, scoped to outcome. VP-altitude engagements run higher; Manager-altitude engagements run lower.
Yes. Subscription DTC has its own dynamics, cohort retention, churn programs, replenishment timing, and we have operators who specialize.
Directly. Chameleon Collective is a senior-only collective.
Explore →
Looking for E-commerce Marketing Consultants? Our professional service firm will provide you with trusted and top-rated experts.
Explore →
Hire a fractional director of e commerce operations to run your online store part-time. Senior operations leadership across DTC,…
Explore →
Senior fractional e commerce manager for DTC, retail, and subscription operators. P&L ownership across conversion, merchandising,…
Explore →
Hire a fractional e commerce operations manager to run fulfillment, inventory, and returns part-time. Hands-on store operations…
Explore →
Looking for a Fractional VP of E-commerce? Our professional service firm will provide you with trusted and top-rated experts.
Explore →
Looking for a Interim VP of E-commerce? Our professional service firm will provide you with trusted and top-rated experts.
Explore →
Some companies need a fractional Head of Ecommerce for two to four quarters. Others need a permanent Fractional Head of Ecommerce in seat. Our Recruit practice places senior leaders into IC, fractional, and executive roles.
Get In Touch
Two-week diagnostic across P&L, channel strategy, team, and operating model. Senior ecommerce leader on it from day one.
Fractional Head of Ecommerce engagements for B2B SaaS, DTC, services, fintech, healthcare, and PE-backed portfolio operators, running ecommerce P&L, channel strategy, cross-team coordination, and operating-model decisions as an operating system rather than a project deliverable.
Two-week diagnostic. Where the gaps are, what to fix first, what a 90-day plan looks like. Senior Head of Ecommerce on it from day one.
Schedule an auditReal results from fractional marketing leadership engagements.
Consumer Goods (CPG)
An interim SVP of eCommerce builds John Hardy's digital team and DTC roadmap.
LEARN MORE
Manufacturing & Industrial
Strategic assessment and interim leadership team set marine accessories manufacturer on course to quadruple online scale in two years.
LEARN MORE
Consumer Goods (CPG)
Bain Capital brings in a Chameleon interim leader to redefine Bugaboo's digital strategy and lift website revenue and conversion.
LEARN MORE
