The commercial case in numbers
The commercial case for a Fractional Marketing Director becomes clear when you see the numbers alongside each other.
| Fractional Marketing Director | Full-Time Marketing Director | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 1,500 to 6,000 per month | 7,000 to 10,000+ per month salary alone |
| Total employer cost | 18,000 to 72,000 per year | 90,000 to 130,000 per year including NI and pension |
| Commitment | Flexible, rolling monthly | Permanent employment contract |
| Start time | Within 2 to 3 weeks | 3 to 6 months to hire plus notice period |
| IR35 | Outside IR35 when properly structured | Full PAYE obligations |
| Strategic level | Board-level, equivalent seniority | Board-level, equivalent seniority |
| Risk | Low, exit easily if wrong fit | High, employment law protections apply |
What is included in the full-time cost?
A full-time Marketing Director in the UK costs more than just their salary. The total employer cost includes:
- Salary: 70,000 to 100,000+ per year depending on experience and location
- Employer NI at 15 per cent: 10,500 to 15,000 per year
- Pension contributions (3 per cent minimum): 2,100 to 3,000 per year
- Recruitment fee: 15,000 to 25,000, typically 15 to 20 per cent of first-year salary
- Notice period: 3 to 6 months of paying the previous person or covering the gap
- Hidden cost of the hiring process: 3 to 6 months of leadership time spent on recruitment
The total easily reaches 90,000 to 130,000 per year before the person has produced any output.
What is included in the fractional cost?
A Fractional Marketing Director engagement typically costs:
- Advisory level (1 to 2 days per month): 1,500 to 3,000 per month
- Embedded (1 day per week): 2,000 to 3,500 per month
- Embedded (2 days per week): 4,000 to 6,000 per month
There is no employer NI, no pension, no holiday pay, no recruitment fee, and no notice period. You get a senior person who is used to walking into a business and being useful in the first fortnight rather than the first quarter.
The strategic capability comparison
Both options provide board-level strategic capability. The difference is not in the seniority of the input, it is in the cost structure, the commitment, and the risk.
A Fractional Marketing Director delivers equivalent strategic capability at 40 to 60 per cent of the total cost of a full-time hire. You also get an outside view, someone who sits close enough to the business to understand it but far enough out to say the thing your team might not.
When full-time makes more sense
A full-time Marketing Director makes more sense when:
- Your business has 10m+ revenue and a large marketing function that needs a permanent leader
- You need someone in the office five days a week managing a large team
- The role is a stepping stone to a CMO or board position
- You can absorb the 3 to 6 month hiring process without commercial damage
When fractional makes more sense
A Fractional Marketing Director makes more sense when:
- Your business has 1m to 10m revenue and needs senior marketing leadership without the full-time cost
- You need strategic direction and agency management, not someone in the office every day
- You want to start within weeks, not months
- You want the flexibility to scale up or down as needs change
- You want low risk, with the ability to exit easily if the fit is wrong
The bottom line
For most growing UK businesses, a Fractional Marketing Director is the more commercially rational choice. You get the strategic capability you need at a fraction of the cost, with none of the employment risk, and you can start within weeks rather than months.
Book a free discovery call to discuss whether a fractional marketing director is the right fit for your business.