Fractional Director of E Commerce Strategy: Senior Ecommerce Leadership, In-Seat Without the FTE

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.

Talk to a Fractional Head of Ecommerce

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

Why teams hire a Chameleon Head of Ecommerce

Senior at multiple altitudes

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.

P&L ownership, not project work

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.

Cross-channel by design

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.

Why hire a fractional Head of Ecommerce or Director of Ecommerce Strategy from Chameleon Collective

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.

P&L ownership is the role

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.

Strategy vs operations vs cross-functional

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.

What our fractional ecommerce leadership engagements cover

Channel P&L ownership, contribution margin, AOV, retention, CAC payback, monthly forecast, board narrative.
Cross-channel strategy, DTC + Amazon + retail + wholesale operating model.
Team leadership, direct management of ecommerce team, hire plans, leveling, agency-portfolio decisions.
Conversion + merchandising programs, PDP, cart, checkout, search, category architecture, replenishment.
Paid acquisition strategy, channel mix, agency oversight, creative cadence.
Lifecycle marketing, email and SMS programs, retention sequencing, repeat-purchase mechanics.
Platform + tech decisions, Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, headless decisions, integration architecture.
Transition to permanent VP or Director, or self-sustaining model.

How We Compare

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

Frequently asked questions

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.

Related Services

Need a permanent Head of Ecommerce?

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.

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