Service
Fractional IT Director
Part-time IT leadership. Full-time accountability.
You have an MSP handling the day-to-day and maybe an internal IT hire or two. What's missing is someone who sets the priorities, owns the roadmap, and makes sure both are actually delivering. ClearStack fills that gap for a fraction of a full-time Director's cost.
What's Included
What a Fractional IT Director does for your organization
IT Strategy, Roadmap & Budget
I establish and maintain your internal IT strategy, priorities, standards, and budget recommendations, so every dollar spent maps back to a business reason.
MSP Relationship Ownership
I own the MSP relationship end to end: setting priorities, allocating work, and holding the provider accountable for the performance and value you're paying for.
Project Direction & Tracking
Every MSP-led initiative gets directed and tracked from definition through completion, scope, dependencies, status, and outcomes, so nothing quietly stalls.
Vendor & Proposal Scrutiny
MSP recommendations, proposals, projects, and recurring services get reviewed and challenged before they reach leadership for approval, not rubber-stamped.
Executive & Risk Advisory
I advise your executive team on technology, cybersecurity, risk, lifecycle planning, and internal IT investment decisions in plain business language.
Internal IT Coordination & Reporting
I coordinate and prioritize internal IT staff's tasks against the approved roadmap, clarify ownership and handoffs across MSP and internal resources, and deliver a concise monthly update on progress, priorities, decisions needed, risks, and vendor performance.
Role Boundaries
What this role is, and isn't
Direction, Not People Management
This is not a people-manager position. There are no direct reports, compensation decisions, or formal performance reviews. I provide functional direction and task prioritization; formal personnel accountability stays with each employee's assigned manager, backed by my fact-based input for coaching and feedback.
Alongside Your MSP, Not In Place Of It
I don't take over delivery. Your MSP still builds and maintains; I make sure they're pointed at the right priorities and held to the outcomes they committed to.
Alongside Leadership, Not In Place Of It
I bring recommendations and clear analysis. Final approval authority always stays with your leadership team.
Who This Is For
Built for lean IT operations
10+ Years of Operating Experience
Every Fractional IT Director engagement is led by someone who has held titles like IT Director, Head of IT, or senior IT operations leader inside small and mid-sized businesses, not a generalist consultant learning on your budget.
Proven MSP Management
A track record of managing outsourced MSPs and IT service providers, including performance, projects, contracts, and escalation, so your provider relationship runs on accountability, not hope.
Broad Technical Fluency
Strong working knowledge across infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity, identity, endpoint management, business applications, and IT governance, enough to challenge any recommendation on its merits.
Most engagements run approximately 30 to 40 hours per month, structured around your board and budget cycles, reporting directly to your CFO or CEO. It's independent, direct, organized leadership, not a large internal team, sized to what a $10M to $30M B2B company actually needs.
How this differs from the Fractional CIO retainer: the Fractional CIO ($9,500 per month, 18 to 22 hours per month) sets technology, security, and AI strategy and reports to leadership and the board. The Fractional IT Director focuses on day-to-day IT operations: owning the MSP relationship, directing the roadmap, and coordinating internal IT staff. It fits companies that need hands-on IT accountability more than executive-level strategy.
Fit criteria: B2B companies at $10M to $30M in revenue with an MSP, one or two internal IT staff, and no senior IT leader. The buyer is the CEO, CFO, or COO. Engagements start with the Clarity Audit at $2,500.
How an engagement starts
Every engagement follows the same three steps: a 20-minute fit call, the Clarity Audit ($2,500 fixed fee, 2 to 3 weeks), and a fractional CIO retainer ($9,500 per month) if the audit shows a fit. The audit fee credits toward your first retainer month when you sign within 30 days of the findings presentation.
Start With a Clarity Audit