Fractional Creative Director Jobs in Raleigh, NC

Why Join Us:

Indie has grown from a small team into a partner for some of the most exciting brands in CPG and beyond over the past 8 years, and we're not close to done! We are looking for great people who are energized by the opportunity to build & shape what comes next for Indie and are excited to grow along with us.

• A team that leads with empathy and still delivers at a high level. We don't think you have to choose.
• A real seat at the table. You’ll work directly with the CEO and play a meaningful role in shaping the organization and what Indie becomes.
• A team that has already invested in structure (org design, onboarding plans, performance frameworks) — you're scaling a foundation, not fixing a mess
• Competitive salary with real opportunities for growth and professional development.

About Us:
Founded in 2019, Indie Consulting is a fast-growing, strategy-led marketing consultancy that partners with some of the most exciting brands in CPG and beyond! We foster an empowering environment built on creativity and dedication, helping our clients tell their stories with clarity and impact.

At Indie, we’ve created a collaborative culture where professional and personal growth is the norm. Our team leads with empathy, supports one another, and strives to deliver meaningful results that leave things better than we found them. If you’re energized by smart strategy, great people, and real opportunities for growth, we’d love to meet you!

Role Overview:

This is Indie’s senior operations leadership hire, and the mandate is building the systems that let the agency scale with intention, not just keep pace with it. You’ll own resourcing, forecasting, and hiring end to end — including HR and recruiting strategy — turning staffing needs into a plan before they become fire drills. The Ops Manager and Coordinator report directly to you: the Ops Manager supports HR execution alongside her existing ops remit, and the Coordinator supports business ops admin. You’ll also oversee our fractional Controller engagement. You'll report directly to the CEO and partner closely with senior leaders across client services and creative.

This role is a builder’s job. There’s a strong operational foundation already in place — a documented ops ownership model, established finance processes, a working systems stack — and you’ll be expected to bring the resourcing, forecasting, and HR discipline that’s still missing, and keep tightening the systems as the team grows.

Operations & Team Leadership

• Lead Indie’s business operations team — the Ops Manager and Coordinator report directly to you — providing strategic direction that turns day-to-day execution into scalable, repeatable process
• Own HR and recruiting/hiring at a strategic level: talent acquisition, retention, culture, and compliance, with the Ops Manager supporting execution and the Coordinator supporting admin and logistics
• Oversee the fractional Controller engagement — scope, deliverables, and cadence — and flag any gaps to the CEO
• Define and drive operational KPIs, reporting performance to the CEO and leadership team
• Own escalations across ops, finance, and people that require judgment calls, spend decisions, or cross-functional resolution

Hiring, HR & Talent

• Own the hiring process end to end — identifying staffing needs, running recruitment workflows, interviewing, and closing offers — with the Ops Manager and Coordinator supporting sourcing logistics and onboarding
• Set HR strategy and policy: comp philosophy, performance management, employee relations, and multi-state compliance, with the Ops Manager owning day-to-day administration
• Develop and improve onboarding and offboarding standards, and strategies to improve retention and employee satisfaction
• Build proactive hiring pipelines for Indie’s recurring FTE and contractor needs, and own the FTE vs. contractor mix strategy as the firm scales

Resourcing & Forecasting Systems

• Build and own a company-wide resourcing and capacity-planning system connecting utilization, pipeline, and forecasted hiring needs
• Run a recurring forecasting cadence with finance and delivery leads to turn projected client demand into staffing plans
• Set the standard for how resourcing risk and capacity data get tracked, reported, and escalated to leadership
• Flag new-resource needs early and confirm financial fit with finance before a role opens

Finance & Business Operations

• Own annual budgeting, financial forecasting, and profitability analysis, partnering with the Ops Manager (monthly reporting, AR, expenses) and the fractional Controller (books, close, statement accuracy)
• Oversee scope, contract, and vendor management processes run day to day by the Ops Manager and Coordinator
• Set configuration and system-of-record standards across ClickUp, Google Workspace, CRM, AI tooling, and the subscription stack

Process Optimization

• Evaluate and refine operational workflows across HR, finance, new business, and client services
• Build the case for new tooling needed to support day-to-day business functions
• Document SOPs across HR, finance, and ops so process holds and stays consistent as the team grows
• Bring recommendations to leadership on improving operational performance and client satisfaction

• 7+ years in operations, project management, or a related leadership role, ideally in an agency or professional services setting, including experience managing direct reports and cross-functional teams
• Proven experience building or scaling resourcing, forecasting, or capacity-planning systems
• Experience owning HR and recruiting directly — full-cycle hiring, comp, performance, and compliance — ideally on a lean team without a dedicated People/Talent function
• Comfortable overseeing outsourced or fractional finance resources (e.g., a fractional Controller) without owning the technical accounting work directly
• Strong track record analyzing operational and financial metrics, with a focus on resource utilization and efficiency
• Solutions-oriented and comfortable building process from ambiguity, with steady judgment managing direct reports as well as internal and client-facing conversations

Reporting Relationship: CEO

Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent experience in operations leadership considered.

Location: This role is based in New York, NY or Raleigh, NC in a hybrid work setting (split between working from home, shared offices, and client locations).

Performance Bonus: Commission and bonus eligibility up to $230K+ annually, tied to company and individual performance.