Fractional Project Director
Senior project leadership, exactly when you need it.
Not every organization needs a full-time project director. But most need one more than they realize — especially after a major initiative launches and the real work of sustaining it begins.
Who This Is For
You’ve launched something significant — an AI initiative, a new PMO, a major technology implementation. The heavy lifting of the initial delivery is done, but you’re not ready to hand it off entirely. You need senior project leadership to maintain momentum, manage what’s next, and make sure the gains stick.
Or maybe you’re a growing organization that needs executive-level project oversight on an ongoing basis but can’t justify — or don’t yet need — a full-time hire.
Or maybe you have a specific, high-stakes project right now — an AI implementation, a platform migration, a process redesign — and no one internally with the capacity or experience to lead it. The project-based model covers a defined initiative from initiation through closeout and handoff, with a flat project fee and a clear exit condition.
Either way, this engagement gives you the leadership you need without the overhead you don’t.
What I Do
Retainer model — ongoing portfolio leadership You commit to a set number of days per week (typically 1 to 2). In return you get weekly project team check-ins, a bi-weekly executive sponsor update, a monthly written portfolio status report, and a quarterly roadmap review. New initiatives entering the pipeline get chartered and managed as part of the existing scope. Minimum 6-month initial term. Unused hours in a month don’t roll over — the retainer reserves capacity, not a bucket of hours.
Project-based model — a specific initiative, led start to finish Scoped to a named project with defined success criteria and an exit condition. Runs from initiation through closeout and handoff to the operational owner. Flat project fee. Ends when the deliverables are accepted and the handoff is complete — not when the calendar says so.
The hybrid path Most durable client relationships start project-based and convert to a retainer. The project-based engagement demonstrates what working together looks like. As the pipeline of follow-on initiatives grows, the retainer covers the portfolio. This is the most common growth path and produces the best long-term outcomes for both sides.
How It Works
For project-based engagements, scope is fixed at the outset — a named initiative, defined success criteria, and a clear exit condition. The engagement ends when the project is delivered and handed off. Not when the calendar says so.
Fractional Project Director engagements run on a defined commitment structure. You choose a level of involvement — typically half a day to two days per week — and that capacity is reserved for your organization. A day is six billable hours. Hours don’t roll over month to month; the retainer reserves capacity, not a bucket to draw from. Initial term is six months, renewable in six-month increments with 60 days’ notice to exit.
A Typical Retainer Week
Monday — Project team check-in. Sixty to ninety minutes across active initiatives. Not a status meeting. A blocker removal session. Action owners and due dates leave with every participant. Five-line summary distributed the same day.
Wednesday — Executive sponsor check-in. Thirty minutes. Portfolio status, escalations, decisions needed. Nothing in this meeting should be a surprise — anything worth escalating has already been flagged by Wednesday.
Friday — Monthly portfolio status report drafted and distributed the first Friday of each month. Red, yellow, green by initiative. Top three risks. Decisions leadership needs to make in the next two weeks.
Quarterly — Portfolio retrospective with the executive sponsor and functional leads. What completed? What’s in the pipeline? What should be deprioritized, accelerated, or canceled? A strategic conversation, not a status update.
What You Get
What You Can Expect
Senior-level project leadership that keeps your initiatives on track, your team aligned, and your leadership informed — at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. The kind of steady, experienced presence that turns a successful launch into a lasting result.