Fractional CSO & ESG Leadership

Your portfolio companies need sustainability leadership. A full-time CSO costs £200k+ and takes months to find. Big consultancies charge £25k per month for junior teams who disappear after the deck. There's a better way.

What is a Fractional CSO?

A Fractional Chief Sustainability Officer provides senior ESG leadership on-demand. Think of it as fractional sustainability consulting meets C-suite expertise. You get the strategic thinking of a full-time sustainability officer, the flexibility of fractional services, and none of the recruitment headaches.

Private equity funds and growing businesses use fractional CSO services when they need real expertise, not just advisory decks.

Why this matters

Investors demand credible ESG strategies and CSRD-compliant reporting. But quality sustainability talent is scarce, expensive, and often overshoots what you need.

Meanwhile, your CFO is drowning in sustainability requirements they never signed up for. Hiring takes months. Consultancies are expensive. Your fractional sustainability officer starts in weeks.

How PulseCSO's fractional CSO service works

We provide experienced sustainability leaders who embed into your team from day one. Not consultants writing reports. Not recruiters sending CVs. Actual practitioners who've built ESG programmes at companies like yours.

Your fractional ESG consultant will:

  • Develop investor-grade sustainability strategies that create value, not just tick boxes

  • Handle complex reporting (CSRD, TCFD, SBTi) while building your team's capability

  • Scale up for intensive projects, scale down for business as usual

Fractional CSO vs Traditional Options

Criteria PulseCSO Fractional Interim Recruiter Big-4/Sustainability Consultancy Full-time CSO
Time to expert impact 1-2 weeks 3-6 weeks 4-6 weeks 3-6 months
Client screening time 2-3 hours (meet 1-2 experts) 10-15 hours (CVs + interviews) 10+ hours (scoping) 60+ hours (full process)
Quality assurance Assessed by senior CSOs with 20+ years experience Vetted by recruiters Brand reputation Interview process
Knowledge transfer Through collaboration, can be structured Through daily collaboration Limited handover Depends on individual
Ongoing support We ensure success You're on your own Project manager HR handles it
Cost structure £6-15k/month, flexible £7-17k/month, flexible £25k+/month £15-25k/month + overheads
Flexibility if needs change Switch expert or pause Start again (more fees) Renegotiate contract Complex exit process

  • Completely flexible. Most clients start at 3-4 days per month, ramping up for reporting seasons or strategic reviews. You can adjust monthly with 30 days notice. No lengthy contracts, no minimum terms. If you need to pause for a quarter, that's fine too.

  • Fractional CSO services typically range from £6,000-12,000 per month, depending on seniority and time commitment. That's cheaper than the cost of a full-time hire, but with all the flexibility and with none of the recruitment fees or employment overhead. We'll propose a transparent day rate after understanding your specific needs.

  • Interim recruiters find contractors. We provide managed expertise. They'll send you several CVs to interview, then step back. We'll match you with one pre-vetted expert and ensure the engagement succeeds. This is analogous to a dating app vs a matchmaker who knows both parties personally. We're practitioners who've actually done the job, not recruiters matching keywords.

  • Absolutely. Most sustainability work follows a predictable rhythm: intensive strategy development, steady-state implementation, then reporting spikes. A seasoned Fractional CSO who's done this before can achieve in days what might take a new hire months to figure out.

  • Perfect. Many clients use a Fractional CSO to prove the value of sustainability investment before committing to a permanent role. We'll help define the role, build the business case, and even support your recruitment process. Some fractional experts are open to converting to permanent if there's mutual fit.

FAQs

“Gemma joined us during a period of significant change and has been outstanding. She brings a pragmatic and commercially focused approach, expertly managing diverse stakeholders while driving us towards high ESG performance. Her strategic insight and hands-on support have been invaluable.”
— Alison Douglas, Strategic Delivery Director (SME), Axiom

Why work with Pulse?

Apart from increasing sustainability performance…

    • As sustainability leaders ourselves, we understand your needs and can precisely match you with the right expert

    • Receive a curated shortlist of pre-vetted specialists, not an overwhelming pile of CVs

    • Access both our core bench of trusted experts and our extended network of specialists

    • Average time from initial conversation to full proposal is under a week

    • Streamlined process saves you time and resources

    • Rapid deployment of expertise when you need it most

    • Fractional leadership that adapts to your needs - no long-term cost burden of a full-time hire.

    • Scalable resources to match project scope, ensuring cost-effectiveness at every stage.

    • On-demand access to expert guidance, allowing you to pivot swiftly as business or regulatory landscapes evolve.

    • One-month cancellation notice for enhanced flexibility and peace of mind.

    • Non-dogmatic/ idealistic advice

    • Focus on value-add: grounded in business realities, balancing sustainability with bottom-line objectives.

    • Targeted support that aligns with your brand identity and resonates with key stakeholders.

    • Your expert is backed by our entire bench of sustainability leaders

    • Access to collective knowledge across sectors and specialties

    • Ongoing support and guidance from our wider team

    • Regular knowledge sharing and best practice updates

Connect With Us

Get in touch to find out more or for a free Discovery Session

dan@pulsecso.com