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Marketing director services · fractional, interim, part-time, permanent

Marketing Director Services · fractional, interim, part-time and permanent

marketing director services come in four shapes: fractional, interim, part-time and permanent.

The marketing director runs the marketing function: plans, campaigns, channels, agencies and the team delivering them.

This hub sets out what the seat covers, which shape fits which situation.

Each route has its own page; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5 with rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

Submit a brief → →

How a brief runswhat we undertake

  1. 01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
  2. 02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
  3. 03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
  4. 04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
  5. 05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire a marketing director

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with Marketing Director Services candidates, their day rates and availability.

  1. 0115 minutes, video or phone
  2. 02We scope the role and the days a week
  3. 03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
  4. 04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs
Prefer email? Use the booking page →

Pick a day that suits · live availability

01/ the role

What marketing director services cover

The marketing director runs the marketing function: plans, campaigns, channels, agencies and the team delivering them.

In scope: the annual marketing plan and budget; campaign delivery across channels; agency and supplier management; marketing operations, reporting and attribution; leading the marketing team.

Company-level positioning and growth strategy may sit with a CMO where one exists.

Sales execution belongs to the sales director.

What the seat does day to day is set out in the marketing director role explained; executives looking for this work can see current marketing director roles.

02/ scope

Four ways to buy the marketing director seat

Fractional Marketing Director services

A fractional marketing director holds the marketing director seat on a standing weekly commitment, usually alongside a small number of other clients, and owns outcomes rather than hours.

A fractional marketing director gives an SME a senior marketer on a standing weekly commitment to plan, direct agencies and coach the team.

Fractional marketing director services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Interim Marketing Director services

An interim marketing director works full-time for a fixed term to cover a gap, lead a change or see a transaction through, then hands over.

Interim executives are hired for immediate impact: they expect to take decisions from the first week.

Interim marketing director services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Part-Time Marketing Director services

A part-time marketing director works set days each week for one organisation.

A part-time marketing director works fixed days each week on a pro-rata basis, suited to a business whose marketing workload is steady but not full-time at director level.

Part-Time marketing director services sets out the scope, the rates and how we shortlist.

Permanent Marketing Director

A permanent marketing director is right once the team and the budget need daily leadership.

Our permanent marketing director search page covers the process.

03/ the route

Fractional, interim or permanent?

Four taps. The answer names the route for the seat and the page that covers it.

How much of the week does the work fill?
Is there a fixed end or a programme?
Does the seat sit on the board for years?
Is the need now, or can it wait for a search?

The route · Fractional

A fractional marketing director services.

The work fills part of the week, so buy the days it needs.

A fractional marketing director services holds the seat on agreed days for as long as the seat is needed, and works for other clients on the rest.

The fractional marketing director services routeTalk it through

04/ comparison

Four ways to buy a marketing director fractional, interim, part-time or permanent

The same marketing director seat can be filled four ways. The difference is commitment, contract and how long you need it.

FractionalInterimPart-timePermanent
CommitmentDays a week, ongoingFull-time, fixed termSet days each weekFull-time, open-ended
Usual contractContract for services, often via the executive’s companyDay-rate contract for the mandateOften pro-rata employment; sometimes a contractorEmployment contract
Clients at onceA small portfolioOneOneOne
Best whenYou need marketing director judgement every week, not every dayYou need full-time cover or a change led nowYou want the same person on the same days for the long termThe seat is full-time work for years
ExitNotice period, or convert to permanentHand-over at the end of the mandateEmployment noticeResignation or redundancy

05/ timing

Which shape fits your situation

Match the shape to the work, not the title.

Scenario 01

Weekly judgement

Fractional

You need a marketing director to own decisions every week, but the work does not fill five days.

A marketing team without a senior lead, agencies directing themselves, campaigns that are busy but not measured, or a CEO doing the marketing director’s job.

Scenario 02

Now, full-time

Interim

The marketing director has left mid-plan.

An interim keeps campaigns, budgets and agencies on course.

Scenario 03

Long term

Part-time or permanent

A part-time marketing director works fixed days each week on a pro-rata basis, suited to a business whose marketing workload is steady but not full-time at director level.

A permanent marketing director is right once the team and the budget need daily leadership.

06/ vetting

How we vet the shortlist

Five stages: qualification, mandate fit, reference deep-dive, shortlist and analysis, kick-off.

  1. 01

    Qualification screen

    Verify Marketing Director Services tenure, sector context and stage fit.

    SOURCING
  2. 02

    Mandate fit

    Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.

    MATCHING
  3. 03

    Reference deep-dive

    We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.

    VERIFY
  4. 04

    Shortlist

    Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.

    SHORTLIST OF 3–5

07/ before you brief

Before you buy marketing director services what to decide first

The decisions.

Write down the three decisions the marketing director will own in the next ninety days.

That list decides the shape: weekly decisions point to fractional, a time-bound programme to interim, a steady load to part-time.

The neighbours.

The marketing director runs the function; the CMO sets company-level growth strategy and sits on the board.

The checks.

The UK advertising rules a marketing lead is accountable for: see the CAP Code from the ASA.

For a contractor engagement, agree how it will run in practice, because that decides IR35 status; HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.

08/ questions

Marketing Director services FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in a marketing director.

Ways of filling the marketing director seat without, or before, a permanent hire: fractional (days a week, ongoing), interim (full-time, fixed term) and part-time (set days, one employer), alongside a permanent search. The marketing director runs the marketing function: plans, campaigns, channels, agencies and the team delivering them.
Fractional when you need marketing director judgement every week but not every day; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; part-time when the load is steady and you want the same person long term; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years.
Rates depend on scope, sector and days, and no source we can verify publishes a band for this seat. Each candidate on our shortlist states their own rate, so you compare like with like.
Company-level positioning and growth strategy may sit with a CMO where one exists. Sales execution belongs to the sales director.
You brief us on scope, shape and start date. We come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with rate, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

Book a call →Submit a brief

09/ related

Keep exploring

Adjacent roles and reading.

/fractional-marketing-director-servicesFractional Marketing Director Services

An ongoing weekly commitment.

/interim-marketing-director-servicesInterim Marketing Director Services

Full-time for a fixed term.

/part-time-marketing-director-servicesPart-Time Marketing Director Services

Set days each week.

/what-does-a-marketing-director-doThe marketing director role explained

What the seat does day to day.

/vettingHow we vet

The five-stage process behind every shortlist.

Executive servicesMarketing Director services hubThe marketing director seat, fractionalThe marketing director seat, interimIR35 guide

For hiring managers

Bring the brief. We bring the shortlist.

Sign up now →Book a call

  1. A shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position
  2. Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary or permanent — and non-executive directors
  3. Every candidate through our five-stage vetting
  4. Your briefs and their candidates, in one room
Fractional Quest logo — how to brief marketing director services, marketing director services