fractional executive recruitment

Hire Fractional CMO

Hire Fractional CMO: define the marketing decisions that need a senior owner each week, the days available to make them, and the work the existing team will still deliver.

Brief us on this role →

CMO briefChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Direction

Set the market, customer and positioning decisions the CMO will lead.

Direction

Set the market, customer and positioning decisions the CMO will lead.

Budget

State who recommends investment and who approves it.

Measurement

Agree the evidence the CMO will use to judge marketing work.

Team

Separate leadership of the function from campaign delivery by staff or agencies.

Hire Fractional CMO: what must the role own?

Set the market, customer and positioning decisions the CMO will lead.

DirectionSet the market, customer and positioning decisions the CMO will lead.

BudgetState who recommends investment and who approves it.

MeasurementAgree the evidence the CMO will use to judge marketing work.

TeamSeparate leadership of the function from campaign delivery by staff or agencies.

Role reference: Chartered Institute of Marketing framework. It describes marketing leadership, financial decisions and integration of marketing strategy with business strategy.

What changes when the CMO is fractional?

A fractional CMO owns an ongoing marketing remit on agreed days. The brief must say who can act between those days and which decisions stay with the CEO.

fractionalChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Days

Agree the recurring days and which decisions cannot wait for the next scheduled session.

Days

Agree the recurring days and which decisions cannot wait for the next scheduled session.

Authority

Give the leader clear decision rights on those days, rather than an advisory title without ownership.

Cover

Name who handles urgent work between the agreed days.

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 growing business with a marketing team

The business has people delivering campaigns, but the CEO still decides positioning, budget and priorities each week. It needs a senior owner for those decisions on agreed days.

The fractional CMO sets direction, reviews evidence and decides priorities with the CEO.

The appointment owns

The fractional CMO sets direction, reviews evidence and decides priorities with the CEO.

Another owner retains

The team and its agencies keep delivering campaigns; the CEO retains final company investment approval.

How should you assess CMO 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

Positioning

Ask for a before-and-after example of a market or customer choice the candidate owned.

Positioning

Ask for a before-and-after example of a market or customer choice the candidate owned.

Investment

Ask how they made a marketing budget decision with incomplete evidence.

Leadership

Ask how they worked with a delivery team and its agency partners.

Cadence

Test how they would make decisions and cover urgent questions between working days.

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.

How much of the week does the work fill?

Is this a defined assignment with an end?

For a continuing part-week role, is this an employee?

The working pattern · fractional

A fractional CMO

An external executive owns a continuing remit on agreed days. Set the decision rights and cover between those days.

Read the fractional CMO hiring brief →

What must happen before the CMO starts?

Give access to current plans, customer evidence, budget and agreed measures.

A clear startChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Baseline

Give access to current plans, customer evidence, budget and agreed measures.

Baseline

Give access to current plans, customer evidence, budget and agreed measures.

Authority

Name the decisions the CMO may make and those reserved for the CEO.

Calendar

Set working days, leadership meetings and a contact for urgent matters.

First decision

Choose one current marketing decision for the new CMO to resolve with the team.

1
Baseline
Give access to current plans, customer evidence, budget and agreed measures.
2
Authority
Name the decisions the CMO may make and those reserved for the CEO.
3
Calendar
Set working days, leadership meetings and a contact for urgent matters.
4
First decision
Choose one current marketing decision for the new CMO to resolve with the team.

A useful CMO brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.

What should the brief say?

Hire Fractional CMO begins with direction, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

15 minutes · video or phone

Brief us on a CMO

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.

Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

Open the booking calendar →

Hire Fractional CMO

Hire Fractional CMO: what must the role own?

What changes when the CMO is fractional?

How would this work in a real brief?

How should you assess CMO candidates?

Does this hiring pattern fit the work?

What must happen before the CMO starts?

What should the brief say?

Brief us on a CMO

Bring the brief. We bring the shortlist.