Insights
Fractional CMO job description
Most fractional CMO briefs describe a marketing manager. This is the version that describes a chief, with the accountabilities and KPIs written in.
In short
A fractional CMO job description should define the mandate, not the tasks: ownership of marketing strategy and budget, accountability for a named revenue or pipeline number, leadership of the internal team and agencies, a fixed time commitment of one to three days a week, and a defined term with a handover plan.
Purpose of the role
The fractional CMO owns the marketing function and its contribution to revenue. They set the strategy, allocate the budget, lead the team and external partners, and report to the CEO and board on the agreed metrics. The role is part-time in hours and full-weight in accountability.
Core responsibilities to include
- Own the marketing strategy and the annual plan, and align it to the commercial plan.
- Control budget allocation across channels, agencies, tools and headcount.
- Own a named number: pipeline, qualified leads, CAC and payback, or marketing-sourced revenue.
- Line manage the internal marketing team, set objectives and run performance reviews.
- Select, brief and hold accountable all external agencies and freelancers.
- Own positioning, messaging and pricing input alongside the commercial lead.
- Report to the leadership team and board on a fixed monthly cadence.
- Build the operating rhythm and documentation so the function runs without them.
Requirements and terms worth stating explicitly
- Has personally controlled a marketing budget of at least a comparable scale.
- Has line managed a marketing team, not only advised one.
- Has been measured on a revenue or pipeline number in a previous role.
- Time commitment: state the exact days per week and the term, typically six to twelve months.
- Decision rights: what they can approve alone and what needs the CEO.
- Handover: a named deliverable at the end of the term, not a goodwill promise.
The clauses most briefs get wrong
Two mistakes recur. The first is listing execution tasks (run campaigns, manage social) which turns a chief role into a doer role and attracts the wrong candidate. The second is omitting decision rights, which leaves the fractional chief unable to change anything and everyone frustrated by month three.
As CMO of LeoVegas we ran a EUR 120M marketing budget and a team of 100+, delivered around EUR 50M of incremental revenue and lifted EBITA by 18 points, work that fed an exit to MGM north of EUR 607M. As managing director of the Italian market we took revenue from EUR 3M to EUR 18M in under a year.
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Frequently asked questions
What should a fractional CMO be accountable for?
One named number agreed upfront, usually marketing-sourced pipeline or revenue, plus efficiency measures like CAC and payback. If nobody can state the number, the role is not defined yet.
How many days a week should the job description specify?
Two to three for most companies between EUR 5M and EUR 50M in revenue. Write the exact days in rather than a vague monthly hour count.
Should a fractional CMO job description include team management?
Yes, if you have a team. A chief who cannot set objectives or run reviews for the marketers is an adviser with a misleading title.
What term should a fractional CMO mandate run for?
Six to twelve months with a review point at three. Shorter rarely allows results to show, longer without a review invites drift.
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