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Interim head of HR · hiring brief

Hire an Interim Head of HR

Hire an Interim Head of HR: name the reason (a vacancy, a restructure, a merger), the people decisions the interim owns, and the handover to the permanent head of HR.

Brief us on this role →See head of HR roles

Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 1 November 2026 · 4 sources linked below

  • 3–5on every shortlist
  • 5stages of vetting
  • IR35set out on every brief
Hire an Interim Head of HR: leadership meeting in a Covent Garden office (illustration)

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Interim head of HR roles first, then the seat in any engagement and the wider function when the board runs short.

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In the press

The brief

Hire an Interim Head of HR: what must the role own?

Vacancy, restructure, merger or rebuild.

  • 01ReasonVacancy, restructure, merger or rebuild.
  • 02CasesOpen employee relations matters.
  • 03ChangeThe programme they lead.
  • 04HandoverWhat the successor inherits.

Role reference: CIPD Profession Map. The CIPD Profession Map sets out standards for people professionals, against which to assess an interim head of HR.

Interim HR

Hire an interim head of HR or a fractional CHRO?

Full-time cover or part-week strategy.

Hire an interim head of HR for full-time cover or a defined change. A fractional CHRO suits ongoing people strategy on a few days a week.

Agree the exit at the start; it shapes every decision the interim takes.

The working pattern

What changes when the head of HR is interim?

An interim head of HR leads the HR function full-time for a defined period: policies, cases, the HR team and any change programme.

The illustrative brief: a restructure without an HR lead. The head of HR left as a restructure begins.

The appointment owns: An interim head of HR leads consultation and the HR team for six months.

Another owner retains: The CEO and board decide the structure.

The case is illustrative; it does not describe a Fractional Quest placement.

From brief to start

How do you hire an Interim Head of HR, step by step?

Hire an Interim Head of HR, in practice: the first three steps are ours; the last four are what has to be true before the first day. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date.

  1. Day 0
    01
    The 15-minute call
    What the head of HR must own, the working pattern, the start date and the budget.
    You and us
  2. Week 1
    02
    Scope agreed in writing
    The outcome the seat exists for, the days, and how the engagement will run for IR35.
    Us
  3. Weeks 1–3
    03
    Search, references, shortlist
    We approach people who aren’t looking, verify tenure, take references ourselves and return three to five.
    Us
  4. Week 4
    04
    Terms
    Outcome, authority and dates.
    You
  5. Before day one · 2
    05
    Cases
    Open cases and advisers.
    You
  6. Before day one · 3
    06
    Team
    Meet the HR team.
    You
  7. Before day one · 4
    07
    Plan
    A thirty-day plan.
    You

Assessment

How should you assess each candidate?

Hire an Interim Head of HR on evidence: put the same work in front of each candidate before comparing answers.

  1. Comparable work
    Ask for a restructure or consultation they ran.
  2. Authority
    Test a decision that needs legal advice.
  3. Team
    Ask how they led an inherited HR team.
  4. Handover
    Ask how they handed over.

Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.

Vetting

What happens before anyone reaches your shortlist?

Five stages before a candidate reaches a shortlist of three to five.

  1. Pedigree screen
    Tenure
    We verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
  2. Mandate fit
    Fit
    Fit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
  3. Reference deep-dive
    Verify
    We take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
  4. Shortlist
    Shortlist
    Three to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
  5. Kick-off
    Start
    Scope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.

The full process is on how we vet.

Questions

Hire an Interim Head of HR: questions, answered

A brief to hire an Interim Head of HR begins with reason: Vacancy, restructure, merger or rebuild. Then a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

Read next

Related hiring and role pages

Sources

Where does every reference on this page come from?

  • cipd.org
  • HMRC
  • legislation.gov.uk
  1. 1
    CIPD Profession Map cipd.org
  2. 2
    Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRC
    Status depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
  3. 3
    Check employment status for tax (CEST) HMRC
    HMRC’s own status check for each engagement.
  4. 4
    Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.uk
    The law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.

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