LRO Financial ConsultancySyndicatedFractional
Fractional Financial ControllerHR Consultancy · fractional, interim and permanent HR leaders
HR Consultancy · fractional HR director or chief people officer, briefed and shortlisted
HR consultancy from Fractional Quest means a fractional HR director or chief people officer working in your business on a fractional, interim or permanent basis. Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional HR director or chief people officer for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly.
Reviewed by Fractional Quest · updated 23 October 2026 · 4 sources linked below
- 3–5our shortlist
Fractional seats our founder has held
Climatise
One Up Productions
CK Delta
In the press
- Financial TimesThe executives going ‘fractional’, not freelance
- International FinanceRenting the C-suite, and why the fractional executive era has arrived
The agency
What an HR consultancy covers
This page sets out what an HR consultancy engagement covers, how fractional, project and interim compare, how it runs and what the market publishes on rates. The board below shows current HR leadership roles.
HR consultancy at leadership level is about ownership, not advice. The CHRO owns the people strategy: organisation design, talent, reward, culture and the HR function that delivers them.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional HR director or chief people officer for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly.
Most companies searching for an HR consultant want a senior person, not a firm: a fractional HR consultant who holds the people brief a few days a week, which is the fractional HR director model under another name.
The seat in more depth: CHRO services · HR director services · CHRO recruitment agency · HR consultants.
On the board · last 90 days
Current HR leadership roles on the board
From our jobs feed. Where a posting states no rate, “est” is our estimate from the seat’s published band; ◆ marks days a week the posting states.
9 of 9 roles
Function
Engagement
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional SDR
- Unity AdvisorySyndicatedFractionalReward Lead (Fractional- 12 month FTC)
- Reg Advantage LtdSyndicatedFractionalProduction Lead and Fractional CTO
- Confidential clientOur mandate · available nowFractionalFractional Executive Assistant
- PHIXSyndicatedFractionalPart time / Fractional Finance Director
- CivSec GroupSyndicatedFractionalAcquisition CFO / Finance Director (Fractional)
- Algorithmiq OySyndicatedFractionalFractional Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- Twenty-Nine Palms EntertainmentSyndicatedFractionalBusiness Affairs Executive (Fractional / Per-Project)
Every fractional role in the UK is on the fractional jobs board.
Three seats
What does a fractional seat look like in practice?
Three fractional seats our founder has held. Real companies, named with their permission; we state only what the seat covered.
Fractional seats our founder has held
ClimatiseFractional · go-to-marketA carbon-reporting software company that needed go-to-market leadership before a full-time hire.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market lead
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
One Up ProductionsFractional · go-to-marketA production company that needed both the go-to-market strategy and its execution.
- Seat
- Fractional go-to-market: strategy and execution
- Days
- Two days a week
- Scope
- Go-to-market
CK DeltaFractional · technologyTechnology work: tech stack implementation.
- Seat
- Fractional technology lead
These are seats our founder has held, not placements.
The scope
What an engagement covers — and what it does not
In scope. People strategy and organisation design for the next stage of growth; contracts, the handbook and policies brought up to date with employment law; employee relations casework, disciplinaries and grievances handled properly; restructures, redundancy consultation and TUPE transfers; reward, performance management and coaching for line managers.
Not in scope. Payroll processing and HR administration belong with an HR operations team or a payroll provider. Tribunal claims need an employment lawyer alongside HR; an HR consultant manages the process, a lawyer advises on the claim.
The neighbouring seats. The CHRO owns people strategy at board level; the HR director runs the HR function day to day.
When companies look for HR consultancy: Rapid hiring with no structure, a restructure or redundancy programme, rising attrition, employment law changes to implement, or a board asking for a people plan.
The process
How does a brief become a shortlist?
Six steps, one accountable person at each. We don’t promise a shortlist by a date; the weeks below are what a well-scoped brief usually takes.
- Day 001The 15-minute callThe seat, the engagement shape, the days or hours, the start date and the budget. No account needed; a call or a written brief.You and us
- Week 102Scope agreed in writingThe outcome the seat exists for, which days, and how the engagement will run for IR35. A brief that describes a person rather than a job, we rewrite with you.Us
- Weeks 1–203Search and approachWe approach people who aren’t looking and verify prior tenure in the seat at your scale and stage.Us
- Weeks 2–304References, taken by usFrom recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.Us
- Week 305Shortlist of three to fiveEach with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out. You interview and decide.You
- Week 406Kick-offScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.You, them and us
What it costs
CHRO rates what the published benchmarks say
Every figure is the named source’s own published band. Fractional Quest publishes no fees: each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate.
| Benchmark | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Interim CHRO day rate | £900–£1,500 | Robert Walters 2026 (London contract) |
Against the alternatives
Four ways to buy HR expertise fractional, project, interim or permanent
The same HR problem can be bought four ways. The difference is who does the work, for how long, and who is accountable afterwards.
| Fractional HR leader | Project consultancy firm | Interim executive | Permanent hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A fractional HR director or chief people officer, days a week | A defined deliverable | A leader full-time for a fixed term | A full-time leader for years |
| Who does the work | One named senior person | A team, often with a partner who sold it | One named senior person | Your employee |
| Accountable after | Yes — they stay | No — the project ends | Until the hand-over | Yes |
| Best when | You need senior judgement every week, not every day | The work is a one-off with a clear output | You need full-time cover or a change led now | The seat is full-time work for years |
| Usual contract | Contract for services, often via the leader’s company | Statement of work | Day-rate contract for the mandate | Employment contract |
The decision
When HR consultancy is the right call
Three situations, and the shape that fits each.
- GrowthHeadcount is outrunning HRThe team has doubled, contracts are inconsistent and managers are handling difficult cases alone. A fractional HR lead puts structure in place a few days a week.
- ChangeA restructure or TUPE transferConsultation has to be run fairly and lawfully, on a timetable. An interim HR director runs it full-time and hands back a settled organisation.
- Before a hireNot yet sure what HR role you needA fractional chief people officer sets the people plan, then defines and helps recruit the permanent HR role when the business is ready for one.
Vetting
How do we vet a senior HR consultant?
Five stages before anyone reaches a shortlist of three to five.
- Pedigree screenTenureWe verify prior tenure in the seat, at the scale and stage you need. No consultant presenting as an executive.
- Mandate fitFitFit to your stage, sector and the problem the seat exists to solve, not a CV keyword.
- Reference deep-diveVerifyWe take references ourselves, from recent clients and boards: what they delivered, not what they titled it.
- ShortlistShortlistThree to five candidates, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- Kick-offStartScope, first-month outcomes and the contract agreed before day one.
The full process is on how we vet.
how it runs
How our HR consultancy works from brief to the first ninety days
Brief. A scoping call on the problem, the shape (fractional days, an interim mandate or a permanent seat), the start date and what success looks like in the first ninety days. A good brief names the decisions the HR leader will own.
Shortlist. We search for your brief and come back with a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or salary, availability and IR35 position set out, assessed through our five-stage vetting.
Contract. You choose; the consultant contracts with you directly, usually through their own company for fractional and interim work. Agree how the engagement will run in practice, because that decides its IR35 status — HMRC’s guidance for clients sets out who makes the determination.
Cadence. A fractional HR leader works best on fixed days with a standing slot with the CEO. Review the days each quarter. An interim works to a written mandate with review points and a hand-over date.
fractional or firm
Fractional HR consultant or an HR consultancy firm? who stays accountable
HR consultancy firms are typically bought for a defined project: a handbook rewrite, a pay benchmarking exercise, an HR system selection or a single restructure. They hand back a deliverable and leave.
A fractional HR consultant is a different purchase: one senior person who holds the brief week after week and answers for the outcome. A fractional CHRO sets the people strategy, policies and leadership development on a standing weekly commitment, with HR administration handled by the team or a provider.
Out of scope either way. Payroll processing and HR administration belong with an HR operations team or a payroll provider. Tribunal claims need an employment lawyer alongside HR; an HR consultant manages the process, a lawyer advises on the claim.
Standing. Check professional standing before you sign: the CIPD — the professional body for HR and people development; Acas — free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.
London
HR consultancy London and nationwide
Fractional Quest Ltd is registered in Covent Garden. Our HR consultancy briefs come from London companies and from across the UK, and a fractional HR leader can work a mix of on-site and remote days. Say in the brief which days you need on site.
London employers face the same employment law as the rest of Great Britain; what changes is the market for senior HR people and the day rates they quote. Each candidate on a shortlist states their own.
The right route
Agency, recruiter, interim or permanent?
Three taps. Say how much senior work there is, for how long, and whether it is one leader or a run of hires; the tool names the route.
The route · Fractional recruiter
An embedded fractional recruiter.
A hiring plan to work through below the leadership team is a talent-acquisition job: a recruiter inside your business for part of the week, paid for their time. We don’t supply them; the page below explains the role.
The route · Non-executive director
A non-executive director.
Independent oversight and constructive challenge, not executive direction. We recruit NEDs through the same brief process.
The route · Advisor
An advisor, not yet a seat.
Less than a day a week of senior input is advisory. Buy it as a scoped engagement; when it grows into a day or more, brief us for a fractional executive.
The route · Interim
An interim executive.
Four or five days for a fixed period is interim: cover for a departure, a turnaround or a transaction. The IIM puts the UK average at £907 a day and ten months.
The route · Permanent
A permanent search.
Four or five days of work, ongoing, is a full-time seat. We recruit permanent executives through the same brief process.
The route · Fractional executive
Brief a fractional recruitment agency.
Senior judgement for part of the week: a fractional CFO, CTO, CMO or COO on one to three days. We come back with a shortlist of three to five, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
We recruit executives. We don’t supply embedded fractional recruiters; where that is the right route, the tool says so.
Clients
What do companies say about our fractional work?
From a company where our founder has held a fractional seat. Name and logo given with the client’s permission.
“Excellent fractional support for building both our go-to-market strategy and our execution.”
Charlie AndersonDirector, One Up ProductionsWhere we are
Where is Fractional Quest?
Where we are
71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Fractional Quest Ltd, registered in England and Wales, no. 17322105. This is our registered office; meetings are by appointment, and most briefs start on a 15-minute call.
Questions
HR Consultancy questions, answered
HR consultancy puts senior HR expertise into a business. Through Fractional Quest that means a fractional HR director or chief people officer on a fractional, interim or permanent basis, owning: people strategy and organisation design for the next stage of growth; contracts, the handbook and policies brought up to date with employment law; employee relations casework, disciplinaries and grievances handled properly.
Fractional Quest is a recruitment agency, not a consulting firm: we do not employ consultants or sell a team. We find a fractional HR director or chief people officer for your brief — fractional, interim or permanent — and they contract with you directly. You get one named senior person rather than a team sold by a partner, and they stay accountable for as long as you need them.
Fractional when you need senior HR judgement every week but not every day; a project consultancy when the work is a one-off with a clear deliverable; interim when you need full-time cover or a change led now; permanent when the seat is full-time work for years.
It depends on the shape and the days. Published bands for the seat: Interim CHRO day rate £900–£1,500 (Robert Walters 2026 (London contract)). Fractional Quest publishes no fees; each candidate on a shortlist states their own rate, so the cost of HR consultancy is the rate times the days you agree.
It depends on how the engagement runs in practice — control, substitution and whether the HR consultant is part and parcel of your organisation, not on the label "consultant". For medium and large private-sector clients the client makes the status determination. Every candidate on our shortlist states their IR35 position.
Not usually. Outsourced HR is often a provider running HR administration and an advice line. HR consultancy through Fractional Quest puts a named senior HR leader into the business, who owns policy, casework and people strategy. The outsourced HR services page compares the two.
Yes. A restructure or redundancy programme is one of the commonest reasons to bring in an interim HR director: they plan the selection, run the consultation and support managers through it. Acas publishes guidance on the process; specialist legal advice still comes from an employment lawyer.
Sources
Where does every figure on this page come from?
The primary publisher for each number, linked. Where a figure is our own arithmetic, the page says so where it appears.
- HMRC
- legislation.gov.uk
- 1Understanding off-payroll working (IR35) HMRCStatus depends on how the engagement runs; medium and large clients make the determination.
- 2Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 HMRCEmployer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year.
- 3
- 4Employment Agencies Act 1973 legislation.gov.ukThe law a recruitment agency works under; no fee to a work-seeker.
