What does a fractional communications director actually do?

The short answer is whatever your communications function needs most.

For some organisations that means starting from scratch, developing a clear narrative, defining audiences and strategy.

A fractional communications director builds that foundation: identifying what your organisation actually stands for, who needs to hear it, and what it will take to reach them in a way that lands.

For others the strategy exists but the execution is the problem. A fractional communications director fixes that — not by delegating it down, but by doing it.

For others still, the need is more specific: a product launch that needs a strategy; a crisis that needs managing; a CEO who needs to build a public profile; a podcast that needs reshaping.

Fractional engagements can be scoped around a single challenge and expanded from there.

What all of these have in common is that they require genuine seniority.

A fractional communications director is not a consultant who hands you a document and leaves and they are not a junior hire who needs managing.

They attend the meetings that matter, ask the questions nobody else is asking, push back when the strategy is wrong and take responsibility for outcomes.

They operate as a senior member of your team — without the permanent headcount.

That requires a serious and broad skill set, which is why it matters enormously who you hire.