Retained Leadership

Fractional
Marketing Director

An experienced Marketing Director embedded in your business on a part-time basis, providing strategic leadership, commercial oversight, agency management, and senior decision-making without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

The problem this solves

Senior marketing leadership. Without the full-time cost.

In many growing businesses, marketing leadership responsibilities sit with the MD, CEO, or commercial leadership team alongside multiple other priorities. Over time, this often creates a marketing function that becomes reactive, inconsistent, or difficult to scale strategically.

At the same time, agencies and junior marketing teams frequently operate without enough senior oversight, strategic direction, or commercial accountability. The result is fragmented activity, unclear priorities, and inconsistent performance.

A Fractional Marketing Director provides experienced senior leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time director-level hire.

What the work involves

Everything a Marketing Director does. On your terms.

This is an embedded leadership role rather than a purely advisory engagement. The focus is on providing ongoing strategic direction, commercial oversight, and practical leadership within the business.

01

Own or co-own the marketing strategy and ensure it stays connected to commercial objectives

02

Attend leadership and commercial team meetings as the senior marketing voice

03

Manage agencies and external partners: set direction, evaluate output, ensure accountability, and support supplier review where required

04

Coach and direct any internal marketing team members

05

Identify and prioritise the highest-value marketing investments aligned to commercial objectives and growth priorities.

06

Oversee campaign planning, execution quality, and performance measurement

07

Build reporting and accountability frameworks that support clearer decision-making and stronger commercial visibility at leadership level.

08

Act as a sounding board for marketing and commercial decisions across the business

Engagement Levels

Three options depending on what the business needs.

01

Foundation

2 days per month

Strategic direction, leadership advisory, and priority setting. Suits businesses that need a senior sounding board and clear direction without deep execution involvement.

02

Growth

4 days per month

Active strategic leadership with deeper involvement in execution, agency management, and team guidance. The most common starting point for businesses with an existing marketing function.

03

Full Fractional

8 or more days per month

High-frequency senior leadership presence. Full ownership of marketing direction, function leadership, and commercial delivery. For businesses going through a significant period of growth or change.

Who is this for

Types of businesses this engagement is designed for.​

01

Growing SMEs and scale-ups that need senior marketing thinking but are not ready to commit to a full-time hire at director level

02

Businesses whose marketing team has execution capability but no strategic leadership

03

Companies spending significant budget on agencies without dedicated senior oversight and strategic direction

04

CEOs and MDs who are currently making all the marketing decisions themselves and know that is not sustainable

05

Businesses where the marketing function has become reactive, inconsistent, or disconnected from wider commercial priorities

06

Companies with a specific 12-18 month growth ambition that requires proper marketing leadership to achieve

Investment and timeline

A minimum three-month engagement followed by a rolling monthly arrangement.

Investment

Cost varies depending on engagement level.

Timeline

3-month minimum with a rolling 30-day exit thereafter. Onboarding takes place in month one and is included in the retainer fee.

How it starts

Most fractional clients start with an audit. That is the preferred path because it means the engagement begins with a clear understanding of the business, established trust, and aligned expectations around priorities and direction.

Direct entry to a fractional retainer is available where that picture is already clear, for example in businesses that have recently completed a strategy project elsewhere or already have a well-defined understanding of the leadership support required.

The pre-engagement conversation will confirm which path makes more sense.

Not sure what you need?

Start with a conversation.

Tell us where the business is today, what challenges the marketing function is currently facing, and where senior leadership support may be needed. We will tell you honestly whether a fractional model is the right fit.