Fractional Project Manager for Marketing Agencies
I manage client work end to end for marketing agencies on a part-time basis. Twelve years, 79 completed engagements, most of them exactly this role.
The problem you are trying to solve
You are still the person who knows where every project stands. Status lives in your head or in a thread you have not opened in two days. Clients follow up because nobody told them what was happening. Deadlines slip not because the team is slow but because nobody owns the weekly rhythm that keeps work moving forward.
You have considered hiring a full-time project manager. But the role does not fill 40 hours yet. Or you tried and the person needed six months of hand-holding. Or you are not ready for that commitment and need someone who can step in now.
That is the gap a fractional PM fills.
What “end to end” actually means
When I take on a project, here is what I own:
- Intake and scoping. A new project lands. I turn it into a plan with owners, dates, dependencies, and a definition of done before the team touches it.
- The weekly rhythm. A standing cadence of check-ins, blocker removal, and priority calls. The team knows what is due and when without asking you.
- Status and reporting. Clients hear from the agency on schedule. I draft the updates. You send them, or I send them under your name. Either way, nothing falls silent.
- Risk. I flag problems early enough that you still have options. A project that surprises you in week four was already off-track in week two.
- Delivery and retrospective. Work ships. We capture what went wrong and what was slow so the next project starts with that knowledge baked in.
This is not oversight from a distance. I am in the tool daily, moving tasks, chasing blockers, updating timelines. The difference between this and project management delivered as a defined service is simple: that page describes a function. This page is a person in a seat.
How the hours work
I work 10 to 15 hours per week per retainer. That is enough to carry three to five active projects depending on their complexity and how mature your internal processes are. If your projects are well-scoped and your team is responsive, I can carry more. If everything is on fire and nothing is documented, I will carry fewer and spend the difference building structure.
Hours are structured in blocks. I am available during your timezone overlap for calls and real-time decisions. Outside those blocks, I work asynchronously and keep the tool current so nothing waits on me being online.
Who keeps the client relationship
You do. That is the default and it is deliberate. I work behind the agency. Clients see your name, your brand, your communication style. If you want me client-facing for specific accounts, we can arrange that. But the relationship is yours and stays yours.
How to start
Agency Ops Audit
$1,500 fixed
Two weeks. I look at how your delivery actually runs and give you a written 90-day operations roadmap plus one 60-minute readout call. This is the entry point. If the answer is “you do not need me yet,” I will say so.
Fractional retainer
$4,000–$6,000/month
10 to 15 hours per week. 90-day minimum. I take over live projects, establish the rhythm, and keep them moving. This is the arrangement most agency owners end up wanting.
Implementation project
$8,000–$14,000 fixed
SOP library, tool rebuild, automations. If the problem is structural rather than staffing, this fixes the system so the next person (or the next version of your team) can run it without me.
The record
“For nearly 5 years, Monis has been my right-hand as our project manager, expertly handling all aspects of our SEO client work with remarkable skill and dedication… His ability to coordinate our team, manage multiple priorities, and keep everything running smoothly has been nothing short of impressive. I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Marie Ysais, agency owner
“Reliable project managers are easy to find. Project managers who improve operational efficiency, strengthen client relationships, and become a genuine extension of your leadership team are much rarer. Monis is one of those people.”
Brandon Swartzendruber, Blue Carrot Solutions
Every engagement is verifiable. Check the full record on Upwork.
More detail on specific engagements: case studies.
Who this is not for
If you need someone to build your strategy, write your copy, or do the creative work, I am not that person. If you need 40 hours a week of dedicated coverage, you need a full-time hire and I will tell you that directly. If your agency has fewer than two active clients, the retainer will not pay for itself yet.
Related services
If the problem is broader than project management, I also work as a fractional operations manager for agencies that need someone owning the entire delivery function. For a shorter diagnostic engagement, the operations consulting page covers that. All of this sits under the broader delivery operations practice.
Questions
What does a fractional project manager do for a marketing agency?
I take over the day-to-day management of your client projects: scoping, planning, assigning work, running the weekly cadence, reporting status, flagging risks, and making sure things ship. You keep the client relationship and the strategic decisions. I handle everything between “the client said yes” and “the work is delivered.”
How many hours a week, and how many projects can you run?
Ten to fifteen hours per week per retainer. That covers three to five active projects depending on complexity. If your projects are well-scoped and your team responds quickly, I can carry more. If processes are immature, I will carry fewer and use the difference to build structure.
Do you talk to our clients directly?
By default, no. I work behind the agency. Clients see your name and your communication. If you want me client-facing for specific accounts, we can set that up, but the relationship stays yours unless you decide otherwise.
What does a fractional project manager cost?
The retainer is $4,000 to $6,000 per month for 10 to 15 hours per week, with a 90-day minimum. The entry point is the Agency Ops Audit at $1,500, which gives you a written roadmap regardless of whether we continue.
How is this different from hiring a full-time PM?
Three differences. First, I am operational from week one because I have done this exact work 79 times. There is no ramp-up period where you are training someone on your business. Second, you pay for 10 to 15 hours, not 40, which matters when the role does not yet fill a full schedule. Third, there is no employment overhead, no benefits, no notice period. The 90-day minimum gives both of us enough time to know if it works.
How fast can you take over live projects already in flight?
Within the first week. I start by reading whatever exists: the project brief, the task board, any client communication in the last 30 days. Then I talk to whoever on your team knows the most about each project. By the end of week one I can run the status call. By week two I am owning the rhythm. The messier the state, the more I spend in week one documenting rather than changing anything. The goal is continuity first, improvement second.
Start here
The Agency Ops Audit is the lowest-risk way to find out whether I can help. Two weeks, $1,500, a written roadmap you keep regardless. If the answer turns out to be “you need a full-time hire and not me,” I will tell you that too.
Monis Ahmed Khan
Delivery operations for marketing agencies · New Delhi, working US hours
Twelve years running project and delivery operations for digital marketing agencies. 79 completed engagements and a 100% Job Success Score, verifiable on Upwork.