Interim HR Director & Executive Support

When businesses need an Interim HR Director

The need for an interim HR Director tends to arise at specific moments in a business's life. Some are planned; many are not. Common situations include:

• The HR Director has left — whether planned or suddenly — and the role needs covering whilst a permanent appointment is made
• The business is growing rapidly and has reached the point where it needs senior HR leadership, but has not yet established the function
• A significant period of change or transformation is under way and the existing HR resource does not have the seniority or capacity to lead it
• The board needs experienced HR input for a defined period — perhaps to navigate a specific challenge, lead a programme or provide stability during uncertainty
• There is a question about whether a permanent HR Director is needed at all, and the business wants to assess that before committing to a hire

In all of these cases, the need is the same: experienced, senior HR leadership that can be deployed quickly and operate effectively from the outset.

What I provide

As an Interim HR Director, I operate at board and executive level — not as a support function, but as a genuine member of the leadership team. What that looks like in practice:

Board-level HR leadership

Representing the HR function at board and executive level, taking accountability for the people agenda and providing senior leadership teams with an experienced HR perspective on the decisions they are making. This includes being a credible voice in the room, not a note-taker or a process manager.

Strategic HR planning

Working with the CEO and leadership team to establish or sharpen the HR priorities for the business — what needs to happen, in what order, and why. Strategy that is grounded in the commercial reality of the organisation, not a generic HR framework applied from outside.

Leading or developing the HR function

Where an existing HR team is in place, I lead it — providing direction, developing capability where needed, and ensuring the function is operating at the right level. Where no HR function exists, I assess what is needed and begin to build it in a way that is sustainable after the interim period ends.

Supporting the CEO and leadership team

Acting as a trusted adviser to the executive — available for the difficult conversations, the judgement calls and the situations where an experienced external perspective is more useful than an internal one. Many CEOs find this one of the most valuable aspects of the engagement.

Establishing HR priorities, governance and direction

Bringing order and clarity to the people agenda — identifying what matters most, establishing or improving governance structures, and ensuring the business has the foundations in place to manage its people effectively. This is particularly important in businesses that have grown quickly without a senior HR presence.

Engagement models

Interim HR Director assignments are scoped individually, following an initial consultation in which I understand the situation and what is needed. Engagements typically take one of the following forms:

• Full-time interim for a defined period — stepping in to cover a departure or lead through a significant period of change, operating on a full-time basis for an agreed term
• Part-time or fractional arrangement — providing director-level HR leadership on a part-time basis, typically suited to businesses that need consistent senior presence without the cost of a full-time resource
• Project-based transformation leadership — leading a specific piece of work — a restructure, a culture change programme, a post-acquisition integration — for the duration of the project
• Advisory input alongside existing HR resource — providing senior strategic oversight and support to an existing HR team that has the operational capability but lacks director-level leadership

All arrangements are agreed upfront, with clear scope and expectations. Fees are discussed directly — there are no standard day rates on this website, because the right structure depends on what the business needs.

What makes an effective interim HR Director

An interim HR Director is not the same as a permanent hire. The dynamics are different. You cannot afford a lengthy induction period; the business needs someone who understands organisations quickly, earns credibility with senior stakeholders from the first week, and can make sound judgements without the luxury of time.

That requires a particular kind of experience — not just seniority, but breadth. Having worked across different industries, different ownership structures, different sizes of business and a wide range of organisational challenges over more than 35 years, I assess situations quickly and act decisively. I know what I am looking at, I can read the dynamics of a leadership team rapidly, and I know where the most important leverage points usually are.

I also leave. That may sound obvious, but it matters. A good interim HR Director builds the capability and confidence within the organisation so that the arrangement can end cleanly — either because a permanent appointment has been made, or because the business can sustain itself without the same level of senior HR input. I plan for that from the beginning.