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Key Takeaways
A part-time marketing director leads your marketing for part of the week. You can employ one part time on payroll, or buy one fractionally on a retainer.
Employing one part time costs more than the salary. A director on three days a week at 2026 average CMO-level pay costs about £77,200 a year once employer National Insurance and pension are added.
A fractional director is bought as a service. Estimated UK retainers run from about £2,000 to £6,000 a month, with no payroll or employment obligations.
Part-time employees must not be treated less favourably than full-time staff. Holiday is pro rata, and pension, notice and redundancy rights all apply, so this is a hire, not a supplier.
Pick on the gap you need filled. Choose a director to run a plan that exists. Choose a fractional CMO if nobody owns the growth number.
Article Summary
A part-time marketing director runs your marketing plan and the people who deliver it, for part of the working week. There are two ways to get one in the UK.
You can employ a director part time on payroll. At three days a week on the 2026 average CMO-level salary, that costs about £77,200 a year all in.
Or you can buy a fractional marketing director on a retainer. Estimated retainers run from about £2,000 to £6,000 a month, with no employment costs.
Employment suits a long-term role with fixed days. Fractional suits a business that wants senior help now and the option to flex it.
In this guide
1. What a part-time marketing director does
2. Employed part time or fractional
4. Which one fits your business
Introduction
Owners searching for a part-time marketing director usually want the same thing. Senior marketing help, without a full-time salary.
There are two ways to buy it, and they behave very differently. One is a part-time employee. The other is a fractional director bought as a service.
This guide compares the two on cost, commitment and fit, so you can pick the one your business needs.
Average pay for UK CMOs, marketing directors and vice-presidents was £111,082 in 2026. Three days a week of that is still about £66,600 before employer costs.
1. What a part-time marketing director does
A marketing director turns strategy into a working plan and runs the people or suppliers who deliver it. Part time means the same job on fewer days.
They own the marketing plan, the budget split between channels and the weekly reporting. They manage the team or agencies and fix what is not working.
They sit below a CMO. A CMO owns the strategy and the growth number. If that role is empty, read our guide to the fractional CMO in the UK first.
2. Employed part time or fractional
Employed part time
You hire a director on payroll for set days, often two or three a week. They are your employee, with a contract and pro rata rights.
Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than comparable full-time staff. Holiday and benefits such as bonuses are pro rata. Statutory notice depends on length of service, not hours, so it is not reduced for part-time staff.
Fractional
You buy a set number of days or outcomes each month from a fractional director or provider. They invoice you. There is no payroll.
You can scale the days up or down, and end the arrangement on the agreed notice. Our guide to the fractional marketing director covers this route in depth.
3. What each costs in the UK
An employed director on three days a week costs about £77,200 a year all in. A fractional director retainer runs from about £24,000 to £72,000 a year at the estimated monthly rates.
| Route | Cost, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Employed, 3 days a week | About £77,200 a year (about £6,400 a month) |
| Fractional director | £2,000 to £6,000 a month (estimated) |
| Employed, full time | About £128,300 a year |
The employed figure takes 60% of the £111,082 average for CMOs, marketing directors and vice-presidents, which is £66,649. It is a modelling input, not a quote for any one hire.
Employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 adds £9,247. The statutory 3% pension on qualifying earnings adds £1,321.
Some small employers can claim the £10,500 Employment Allowance against National Insurance, which can lower the employed figure. Recruitment fees are extra.
A fractional retainer covers leadership, not delivery. Ad spend and agency fees sit on top in both routes. Most fractional directors work one or two days a week, against three in the employed figure, so compare cost per day as well as the total.
Employer National Insurance is 15% above a £5,000 annual threshold for 2026 to 2027, and the Employment Allowance is £10,500.
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4. Which one fits your business
Employ part time if the role is permanent, the days are fixed and you want the person inside your culture for years.
Go fractional if you want senior help this month, need to flex the days, or want the role without a permanent payroll commitment.
Go up a level if nobody owns the growth number. A director runs a plan. A fractional CMO decides what the plan should be. See fractional CMO vs agency vs director for the comparison.
5. Five questions before you hire
Who owns the result? Agree the one number they answer for.
How many days, and which ones? Fixed days matter more for an employee than for a fractional director.
What is in the fee? Leadership only, or delivery too.
What happens in the first 90 days? Our first 90 days guide sets out the milestones to expect.
How does it end? Notice for an employee follows employment law. Notice for a fractional director follows the contract.
FAQ
What is a part-time marketing director?
A marketing director who leads your marketing plan and team for part of the week. You can employ one part time on payroll or buy one fractionally on a retainer.
How much does a part-time marketing director cost in the UK?
Employed for three days a week at 2026 average CMO-level pay, about £77,200 a year all in. A fractional director retainer is estimated at £2,000 to £6,000 a month.
Is a part-time marketing director the same as a fractional one?
No. A part-time director is usually your employee with pro rata rights. A fractional director is a supplier who invoices for agreed days or outcomes.
Do part-time employees get holiday and pension?
Yes. Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than comparable full-time staff. Statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks a year, pro rata to the days worked, and workplace pension rules apply in the same way.
Should I hire a marketing director or a CMO?
Hire a director if a strategy exists and needs running. Hire a fractional CMO if nobody owns the growth number and the strategy itself is the gap.
Conclusion
A part-time marketing director gives you senior marketing leadership without a full-time salary. The choice is between employing one and buying one.
Employing costs about £77,200 a year for three days a week and carries the obligations of a hire. A fractional director costs an estimated £2,000 to £6,000 a month and can flex. Match the route to how permanent the role is.
About the author
Yusaf Mahmood is the founder of One Umbrella, a fractional CMO provider and growth partner for owner-led UK businesses.
He runs marketing as someone who has carried the number rather than advised on it.
Work with us
One Umbrella is a fractional CMO provider and growth partner that bases in London and Birmingham. We work with owner-led UK businesses turning over £500k a year or more, and we run the delivery ourselves. Read more about One Umbrella.
Read our guide to fractional marketing, or book a free consultation and we will tell you which level fits.
Sources
Marketing Week, Average marketing salaries down in 2026,
marketingweek.com
HMRC, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027,
gov.uk
The Pensions Regulator, Earnings thresholds,
thepensionsregulator.gov.uk
GOV.UK, Part-time workers’ rights,
gov.uk
Tom Wardman, Fractional Marketing Costs,
tomwardman.com