Interim HR Leadership

I was speaking recently with a Chief People Officer about the role interim leaders can play during periods of change. One point stayed with me. We often talk about interim executives in terms of speed, capability and impact. All true. But perhaps one of the most underrated benefits is that they create space. In a world that moves quickly, an interim can give an organisation the chance to pause without standing still. They allow executives, boards and leadership teams the time to properly prepare for what comes next, whether that is a permanent appointment, a broader transformation, or a more considered transition. That space matters. It can mean time to reset expectations, clarify the brief, stabilise a team, work through complexity, and make better long-term decisions rather than rushed ones. The best interim leaders do more than step into a gap. They help create the conditions for a stronger next step.

An interim executive needs to sell themselves differently from a permanent candidate. You are selling instant impact, credibility and adaptability. Lead with urgency & outcomes: * Frame yourself as a solution to a pressing need – crisis, transformation, turnaround or growth Position yourself as ‘plug-and-play’ leadership: * Highlight experience stepping into ambiguous situations * Emphasise adaptability to different industries, cultures and business models Sell track record, not tenure: * Use case-study storytelling in your resume, LinkedIn and interviews: challenge – action – result * Keep each example short and outcome-focused * Make numbers your friend – revenue lifted, costs saved, markets entered, crises resolved Play the ‘fresh eyes” advantage: * Permanent executives are often tied to the politics of the past * You bring objectivity, free from internal politics, allowing faster decisions * You can make difficult calls without risking long-term relationships Make it about the client’s risk reduction: * Low-risk because of your proven record in similar challenges * Self-sufficient, minimal handholding required * Outcome-focused, you leave the organisation stronger than you found it Use the ‘exit story’ in your pitch: * Interims not only fix problems but ensure a clean handover * Show how you’ve left sustainable systems, teams and processes in place * This reassures them you’re not creating dependency , you’re creating value Example 30-second elevator pitch: “I’m an experienced interim CFO who specialises in stabilising high-growth and distressed businesses. In my last assignment, I stepped in after a sudden leadership departure, secured $30m in refinancing within 60 days and implemented controls that reduced cash burn by 40%. I’m brought in when decisions need to be made quickly and I leave when the team is stronger and the ship is steady." Let me know if I have missed anything. #interimexecutive #interimleadership #interimsolutions #fractionalexecutive

Six months to hire. Three months to onboard. And that's if everything goes to plan. For most companies replacing a People & Culture leader, the honest timeline from vacancy to someone actually functioning in the role is closer to 9 to 12 months. LinkedIn's Future of Recruiting report puts average time-to-fill for senior P&C roles at 16-20 weeks. That’s before notice periods, which for director-level positions commonly run multiple months. Senior leaders then typically need a further 3 to 6 months to reach full effectiveness in a new environment, depending on industry experience. That's not a hiring problem. That's a business risk sitting quietly in the calendar. Because the business doesn't freeze while the process runs. A restructuring that needs a steady hand. A compliance issue that needs ownership. A leadership team that needs a thinking partner. An acquisition that needs someone managing the people side of integration. These don't wait for an onboarding plan to complete. The gap isn't just an empty chair. It's nine months of compounding exposure, e.g. decisions deferred, culture unmanaged, people problems escalating without a senior voice to contain them. According to SHRM, the average direct cost of a single hire runs approximately CHF 4,700 before lost productivity or management time. Senior roles much costlier. A mid-level People & Culture Director in Switzerland commands CHF 120–160k annually (Salary Expert, 2024), plus contributions and onboarding. The math on nine months of vacancy is rarely done and rarely comfortable once it is. The question worth asking isn't whether to run the permanent search. It is. The question is what carries the business through it. #CHRO #CPO #Interim #InterimHR #Transformation

"We aren't in a rush, Chris. We’ve got an interim in place, so we’re going to take our time and find the 'perfect' fit." Whenever I hear that, I start counting. Not just the days, but the dollars and the culture points that are about to leak out of that community. I had a client last year who fell into what I call the "Interim Trap." They had a solid person filling the Executive Director seat on a temporary basis. It felt safe. It felt responsible. On the surface, the building wasn't on fire, so they figured they could spend six months "dating" every candidate in the tri-state area. But here’s what they didn't see from the corporate office: The staff was living in a state of permanent "wait and see." The high-performers...the ones who need a vision to buy into...started taking calls from recruiters because they didn't know who their boss would be in ninety days. The culture didn't break...it just evaporated. By the time they finally decided to pull the trigger on a permanent hire, they’d spent nearly $200k on interim fees, travel, and housing. But the real bill came later. They lost their best Director of Nursing and two top sales leads because nobody wanted to go down with a ship that felt like it was idling in neutral. An interim leader is a life jacket; it’s meant to keep you afloat...for a short amount of time. If you stay in "interim mode" too long, you aren't being diligent...you’re being stagnant. Your best people don't want a placeholder; they want a partner. In this market, "taking your time" is often just a polite way of saying you’re willing to pay a premium to watch your culture drift. Are you looking for the "perfect" person, or are you looking for the leader who is ready to actually move the needle today? Stop waiting for the storm to pass and start building the team that can sail through it.

Something interesting is happening in the HR world right now… There hasn’t necessarily been an increase in roles — but the shape of those roles is changing. Over the past few months, I’ve seen a real rise in interim, project-based and fixed-term HR positions across Ireland — particularly in organisations going through transformation, mergers or large-scale change. Transformation projects, restructures, IR challenges — they all need experienced HR professionals who can deliver impact and hit the ground running. Is it harder to attract talent for contract roles? Yes, it can be. But there’s a growing group of HR professionals who are actively choosing this route — for the flexibility, autonomy and influence it offers. It feels like we’re entering a new chapter for HR careers — portfolio-style, project-led and built around outcomes, not job titles. Has anyone else observed the same? 👇