Hire Director of Growth — growth programs, run well
A Director of Growth runs growth programs hands-on: the experiment pipeline, activation and retention initiatives, and the analytics that keep them honest — usually with a small team and borrowed engineering time. More operational than a head, closer to the work than a VP: the person who turns a growth strategy into shipped tests and measured results, week after week.
I'm Omer Muneer Qazi, a Dubai-based Fractional CTO & Solutions Architect with 15+ years of experience and 100+ projects delivered across 6 countries. I vet growth directors on operating skill: backlog management, experiment design, and the ability to get engineering time without formal authority. For function-level ownership, see hire a head of growth.
Growth operated, not just planned
Experiment pipeline management
The backlog kept full and prioritized, tests designed properly, results read honestly. A steady throughput of learning, not bursts of activity followed by silence.
Activation initiatives
Programs that move new users to value faster: onboarding improvements, trial experiences, and first-session optimization, each measured against its baseline.
Retention programs
Churn fought systematically: at-risk identification, re-engagement campaigns, and winback flows, run as ongoing programs rather than one-off efforts.
Analytics & instrumentation
The dashboards and event tracking the programs depend on, kept accurate. The director owns the uncomfortable truth that bad data kills good growth work.
Cross-team coordination
Engineering time secured, product aligned, marketing briefed — the soft power to run growth without owning all the resources.
Results reporting
Monthly reporting on program performance: what moved, by how much, and what is next. Clear enough for the CEO, detailed enough for the team.
From growth ideas to growth results
A structured engagement with no surprises — you’ll always know what’s happening and what’s next.
Program audit
Current growth efforts inventoried: what is running, what is measured, what is actually working. The honest baseline.
Roadmap & resourcing
A 90-day program roadmap with resourcing needs spelled out — including the engineering time that has to be negotiated.
Execution cadence
Programs run on a visible cadence: experiments ship, results get read, winners get scaled. Momentum becomes routine.
Optimize & expand
Winning programs get more investment; the roadmap evolves with the learnings. Growth compounds instead of restarting quarterly.
Why hire a director of growth through a Fractional CTO
Growth directors are judged on throughput and rigor, and both are checkable: I ask for their experiment logs and program results, and I verify they understand the statistics behind their claims. I also confirm they can operate inside your engineering reality — a director who needs a dedicated team to function will stall in a lean org.
To scope a growth director role around your actual programs, contact me.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Director of Growth cost?
Full-time roughly $120k–$170k. Contract directors work well for program-based engagements where you need senior operation without a permanent hire.
What team do they have?
Small: often an analyst and a marketer, plus negotiated engineering time. They are selected for the ability to deliver without a large dedicated org.
First 90 days?
Audit, roadmap, first programs running, instrumentation tightened. Measurable program results typically appear in the second quarter as tests compound.
How is success measured?
Program-level metrics: activation rate movement, retention cohort improvements, experiment throughput and win rate — all tied back to efficient growth.
Director of Growth vs Head of Growth?
The director runs programs and the experiment pipeline hands-on. The head owns the growth function and its strategy. If the strategy exists and needs operating, hire the director.
Operate growth properly
Describe your current growth efforts — I will tell you what a director should run first.