A fractional CMO gives you a few hours a week of strategic advice and usually serves several companies at once
An interim manager works full time or close to it and leads your team through daily execution
Interim marketing manager who runs your team for a fixed term
Your head of marketing just left, is going on parental leave, or you have a rebrand that can't wait for a full search. An interim marketing manager steps in for a set number of months and runs the department day to day. If you need to hire marketing manager talent fast, a senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing matches the right person to your industry within 24 hours.
Free, no obligation. A senior project manager walks you through the analysis.
Free analysis in 24 hours
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your marketing with your competitors'.
Free marketing analysis
- PDF analysis
- 5 competitors
- Prioritized action list
Your analysis is prepared by a senior project manager with 15+ years of experience in marketing.
Key takeaways
The short version
Before you read on
- An interim manager runs the department hands-on for a set term, while a fractional CMO advises on strategy a few hours a week
- Typical engagements last 3 to 12 months and end with a clean handover to a permanent hire
- US market rates run from about $7,000 to $30,000 a month, depending on hours, scope and company size
- You don't sort through resumes: a senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing picks the match for you
- The same project manager stays your single point of contact from the first call to the handover
What to know
What an interim marketing manager does and when to bring one in
Think of this person as a seasoned marketing lead on loan. They join for a defined stretch, usually three to twelve months, and take over the running of your marketing function at a moment when leaving it without a leader would cost you: a sudden departure, a long leave, a team reorganization, a new strategy rollout, or a big push like a rebrand, a new market launch or a marketing automation build.
Interim marketing consultants tend to hand you a slide deck and walk away. An interim lead owns the outcome. They write the plan, manage the people, make budget calls and report to the owner or the board every week.
How we find the right person
If you're looking for a marketing manager for hire, we aren't an agency that sends you whoever is free. We look for a manager who fits your company profile, check their portfolio, references and track record in organizations of a similar size, and only then introduce them. A senior project manager with more than 15 years in marketing oversees the whole engagement, checks progress against the plan agreed at kickoff and keeps quality and deadlines on track. Curious about the lighter, strategy-only option? See our fractional CMO page.
Side by side
Interim lead vs interim CMO vs fractional CMO vs agency
A marketing agency bills by the hour and runs the campaigns you hand over from the outside
An interim manager sits inside your org chart, logs into your systems and makes calls on the spot
Recruiting a permanent marketing director takes two to four months, and a bad hire sets you back further
An interim manager is matched within 24 hours because the vetting was done before you called
An agency account rep coordinates staff and subcontractors while you see little of the actual work
We match you with a manager who knows your industry, and a senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing watches the scope
Who it's for
Situations where companies hire a temporary marketing lead
This isn't a long-term fix. It pays off in a handful of specific moments, and these are the ones we hear about most often.
Your head of marketing leaves without warning
Finding a permanent replacement will take months. The interim lead takes over the team and the budget right away, so campaigns keep shipping and plans don't stall.
Parental leave or an extended medical absence
Your marketing leader is coming back in six to twelve months. Rather than adding permanent headcount, you bring someone in for exactly that window.
A department overhaul or restructuring
You're changing strategy, merging teams or rolling out new tools such as a CRM, an automation platform or a new CMS. A manager who has led rollouts before drives the change and leaves an organized department for whoever comes next.
A project with a clear end date
A rebrand, a new market, getting ready for investors, a brand campaign ahead of a major event. The manager joins for the life of the project and wraps up when it closes.
A growing startup not ready for its first CMO
You're scaling but can't justify a permanent marketing executive yet. The interim lead lays the groundwork (strategy, team, reporting) that a future full-time hire will inherit.
Step by step
How we match you with a manager in 24 hours
Step 1
A call about scope and context
Your project manager asks why you need someone (a vacancy, a leave, a project), for how long, what budget you have and which skills matter, for example ecommerce, B2B software or retail.
Step 2
Matching from vetted marketers
Together with our matching system, the project manager picks a specialist or a small team with interim experience in a similar industry and company size, each with checked references and a documented project history.
Step 3
You meet the match and decide
You talk with the person we picked and decide whether to go ahead. From your first request to the interim lead starting, it usually takes 24 hours.
Step 4
Kickoff and a phased plan
The senior project manager sets the plan for the first weeks with the new lead: taking over the team, priorities and how reporting to leadership will work. After that, they review every phase of the engagement with you.
Good to know
US rate ranges for interim marketing leadership
Smaller company or a single project, part time
Roughly $7,000 to $12,000 a month for three to four days a week. That typically covers running a team of a few people and one main channel, such as performance marketing or content.
Mid-size company, full time
Roughly $12,000 to $20,000 a month for full-time hours, several channels, a media budget and regular reporting to leadership.
Large project or transformation
Roughly $18,000 to $30,000 a month, usually for three to nine months, on work like a rebrand, a new market entry or an automation rollout in a bigger organization.
What you get
Why a matched interim lead beats a cold search
Getting your temporary marketing leader through us changes how you find that person and how the work gets overseen.
A plan agreed at kickoff
Your interim lead and the senior project manager set the plan at the start of the term: priorities, milestones and who on your team owns what, so the first weeks go straight into the work.
Checked before you ever meet them
Every manager goes through a portfolio review, reference checks and an interview about real projects, so your leadership team doesn't have to run its own search.
Fit for your industry and size
We match on industry, team size and the kind of job at hand, whether that's covering a vacancy or steering a transformation. Availability alone never decides it.
Steady oversight of the work
A project manager with over 15 years in marketing keeps an eye on the engagement, measures pace and quality against the plan and stays in regular contact with you and your interim lead.
What you can count on
Clear ground rules before your interim lead starts
Whether you need interim CMO services or a hands-on manager, you'll know how the engagement works before anyone logs into your systems.
Fast start
No more than 24 hours pass between your request and your first conversation with the matched manager.
Vetted in advance
Managers join our pool only after a portfolio review, reference checks and an interview about real leadership work.
A monthly report with next steps
Every month your project manager walks you through what your interim lead delivered and the plan for the month ahead, with everything kept in one place.
Oversight by a 15+ year veteran
Your project manager measures scope, pace and quality against what was agreed at the start and keeps the engagement on schedule through the full term.
Checklist
How to tell if a temporary marketing lead is right for you
Before you commit, run through these points. If most of them sound familiar, an interim lead is likely a good fit.
Checklist
- A senior marketing role is open and you don't want the team running without oversight
- Your marketing leader is due back from leave in six to twelve months
- You're running a project with a firm end date, such as a rebrand, a market launch or a tool rollout
- You need someone who has run a team day to day, not just advised one
- A two to four month hiring process isn't something you can wait for
- You want a vetted match before the first interview and someone overseeing the work, without building your own recruiting process
FAQ
Questions companies ask us
Short answers. The free analysis call covers anything specific to your company.
01What is the difference between an interim marketing manager and a fractional CMO?
A fractional CMO, sometimes called a fractional marketing manager at the mid level, puts in a few hours a week on strategy and typically serves several clients at once. An interim manager works full time or nearly full time for a fixed stretch and runs your team, budget and live campaigns directly.
02Is an interim chief marketing officer the same as an interim manager?
They overlap but sit at different levels. An interim CMO owns marketing strategy at the executive table and often reports to the CEO or board. An interim manager focuses more on running the team and channels. Tell us which gap you have, and your project manager will match the right seniority.
03How quickly can an interim manager start?
Usually within 24 hours of your request. Your project manager picks a specialist or a small team from marketers we vetted in advance, and you decide after one conversation whether to move forward.
04How much does an interim marketing manager cost in the US?
Market rates start around $7,000 a month for part-time hours and reach about $30,000 a month for full-time work on a large transformation. Where you land depends on scope, industry, company size and how long you need the person.
05Who handles the agreement for an interim hire?
You work with us, not with the manager as a separate vendor. A senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing sets the scope, hours and phases with you, reviews each phase as it's delivered and keeps the work tied to what you agreed.
06How long do companies usually keep an interim lead?
Most engagements run three to twelve months, depending on the reason: covering a vacancy, a parental leave, a project or a department overhaul. When the term ends, the manager hands the function over to a permanent hire or to your in-house team.
07How is an interim manager different from hiring a marketing agency?
An agency runs assigned campaigns from outside and bills for its team's hours, often with a coordination markup on top. An interim manager joins your structure, gets access to your systems and people, and makes decisions on site like an employee would.
Free analysis
See where your marketing stands, then decide what to do next
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your channels with your competitors', plus a call with a senior project manager who has run marketing for 15+ years.
- Analysis within 24 hours
- No obligation
- PDF covering 5 competitors
- Team picked by your PM
Free marketing analysis
- PDF analysis
- 5 competitors
- Prioritized action list
Your analysis is prepared by a senior project manager with 15+ years of experience in marketing.
Are you a marketer with experience in a specific industry? Join the team