The appointment owns
The fractional director narrows priorities, gives agencies one brief and reviews qualified response with sales on a recurring rhythm.
fractional hiring brief
Hire a Fractional Marketing Director
Hire a Fractional Marketing Director: give a senior marketing operator recurring days to choose priorities, direct the team and make campaign investment accountable.
Brief us on this role →Marketing Director briefChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Growth problem
Choose the market, channel or customer-journey decision the appointment must improve first.
Part 02 / 04
Budget authority
Set which spend and supplier choices the director can make on their own.
Part 03 / 04
Delivery team
Name the employees and agencies who execute between the director’s days.
Part 04 / 04
Claims approval
Set who checks evidence and signs off public claims before publication.
Hire a Fractional Marketing Director: what must the role own?
Choose the market, channel or customer-journey decision the appointment must improve first.
Growth problemChoose the market, channel or customer-journey decision the appointment must improve first.
Budget authoritySet which spend and supplier choices the director can make on their own.
Delivery teamName the employees and agencies who execute between the director’s days.
Claims approvalSet who checks evidence and signs off public claims before publication.
Role reference: Advertising Standards Authority: CAP Code. The Code governs non-broadcast advertising. A director should know who approves claims and evidence before campaigns go live; the Code does not define the marketing director job.
What changes when the Marketing Director is fractional?
A fractional marketing director directs a continuing programme on agreed days. An agency delivers defined work; an employed part-time director holds an ongoing employee seat. State who approves claims, spend and supplier work when the director is away.
fractionalChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Days
Agree the recurring days and which decisions cannot wait for the next scheduled session.
Part 02 / 04
Authority
Give the appointee clear decision rights on those days, rather than an advisory title without ownership.
Part 03 / 04
Cover
Name who handles urgent work between the agreed days.
Part 04 / 04
Review
Review the scope when the workload changes; do not assume the original pattern will always fit.
How would this work in a real brief?
The hiring decision becomes clearer when the work and its boundary are written down together.
Illustrative brief · a company with several agencies and no clear owner
Campaigns are live across channels, but no one decides which audience deserves budget or connects the results to sales feedback.
The fractional director narrows priorities, gives agencies one brief and reviews qualified response with sales on a recurring rhythm.
Another owner retains
The internal team and agencies execute daily; the CEO approves major investment and the appropriate owner signs off regulated or sensitive claims.
How should you assess Marketing Director candidates?
Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.
The evidenceChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Budget decision
Ask candidates to stop one channel and explain what evidence would change the decision.
Part 02 / 04
Agency direction
Request an example of changing an agency brief and holding delivery to it.
Part 03 / 04
Claim review
Test how they verify a proposed customer or performance claim.
Part 04 / 04
Between-day cover
Ask which decisions can wait and which need an internal owner immediately.
Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.
Does this hiring pattern fit the work?
Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.
The working pattern · fractional
A fractional Marketing DirectorAn external professional owns a continuing remit on agreed days. Set the decision rights and cover between those days.
What must happen before the Marketing Director starts?
Share segment performance, spend, agency contracts and sales feedback.
A clear startChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Evidence
Share segment performance, spend, agency contracts and sales feedback.
Part 02 / 04
Authority
Agree budget, supplier and claims approval rights.
Part 03 / 04
Calendar
Set recurring planning and review sessions with the delivery team.
Part 04 / 04
First decision
Choose the channel or customer journey to change first.
- 1
Evidence
Share segment performance, spend, agency contracts and sales feedback.
- 2
Authority
Agree budget, supplier and claims approval rights.
- 3
Calendar
Set recurring planning and review sessions with the delivery team.
- 4
First decision
Choose the channel or customer journey to change first.
A useful Marketing Director brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.
What should the brief say?
Hire a Fractional Marketing Director begins with growth problem, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
15 minutes · video or phone
Brief us on a Marketing Director
Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.
- 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
- 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
Pick a day that suits · live availability
