Interim executive search · Interim executive search firms · Executive search for interim management

Interim executive search how it works and when to use it

Interim executive search finds a senior executive for a fixed-term, full-time assignment: covering a vacancy, leading a change or running a business until a permanent hire starts.

It works like a permanent search, with a brief, a search, a shortlist and interviews, but the candidate is judged on what they can deliver within the term.

To hire an interim executive well, agree the outcome and the end date before the search starts.

We recruit interim, fractional, part-time, temporary and permanent executives, and non-executive directors.

On every brief we send a shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out.

Every candidate goes through five-stage vetting first.

Brief us on an interim hire →See the roles

How a brief runswhat we undertake

01Brief30-MINUTE SCOPING CALLDay 0
02Shortlist of 3–5VETTED · RATE BENCHMARK · IR35After the brief
03InterviewsYOU MEET THE SHORTLISTYour diary
04Scoped startFIRST-MONTH OUTCOMES AGREEDYou set the date
05Fractional, interim and permanentIR35 POSITION SET OUTOn every brief

Shortlist3–5

3–5

Shortlist · with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 set out

Vetting · stages before a candidate reaches you

9.6 months

Average interim assignment · interim managers surveyed

IIM survey, 2025

15 minutes · video or phone

Book 15 minutes to hire an interim executive

Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with interim executive candidates, their day rates and availability.

0115 minutes, video or phone
02We scope the role and the days a week
03A shortlist of 3–5 after the call
04Fractional, interim and permanent briefs

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Pick a day that suits · live availability

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On the board · last 3 months

Interim executive jobs on the board

4 on the board · 1 confirmed open

Browse every role on the board →

Live interim executive roles

Fractional recruitment works differently from a permanent search — shorter, scoped by days a week, and priced on the engagement. Send a interim executive brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five vetted candidates.

01/ the role

What interim executive search is, and what it is not

An interim executive steps into a senior role full-time for a set period, then hands over.

Interim executive search is the work of finding that person: defining the brief, approaching people who fit it, assessing them and bringing back a shortlist.

The usual triggers are a sudden departure, a long absence, a turnaround, a transaction, or a gap while a permanent search runs.

Common seats include an interim CEO, an interim CFO, an interim CMO and an interim CTO.

How it differs from permanent search

A permanent search looks for someone to own a seat for years, so it weighs long-term fit and potential.

An interim search looks for someone who has done this exact job before and can start soon, so it weighs evidence of recent, similar assignments.

How it differs from an interim management provider

Many interim recruitment agencies and interim management providers put forward people from their own register.

A search goes beyond the register to people who are not looking, and assesses each one against your brief before you see them.

Online marketplaces sit at the other end: you browse profiles and do the assessment yourself.

Our interim executive recruitment page covers the wider market, roles and day rates.

02/ scope

How to hire an interim executive

1. Write the brief

Set out what the interim must deliver, by when, who they report to and what they inherit.

Name the end of the assignment: a permanent hire starting, a project finished, or a date.

2. Run the search

The search maps people who have done this job in a business like yours, including those not looking.

Ask for their recent assignments, not just their titles.

3. Take a shortlist of 3–5

Each candidate on our shortlist comes with day rate or pay, availability and IR35 position set out.

Each has been through our five-stage vetting first.

4. Interview against the brief

The CIPD’s guidance on selection splits the work into shortlisting and assessment, with structured, objective processes.

Use the same questions for every candidate, and add a case from your own business.

5. Agree the start

Agree the day rate, the days a week, the notice on both sides and how IR35 status will be decided.

Then confirm who signs the contract: the interim’s own company, an umbrella company or the search firm.

6. Plan the handover

Write the exit into the brief from day one.

A good interim leaves a written handover, a team that can run without them, and a clear brief for whoever comes next.

03/ comparison

Interim search, permanent search or an interim provider?

Three routes to a senior leader. Choose by how long you need them and how much of the assessment you want done for you.

Interim executive searchPermanent executive searchInterim provider or marketplace

You getA shortlist of interims, searched and assessed against your briefA shortlist of candidates for an open-ended rolePeople from the provider’s register, or profiles you browse

SuitsA full-time leader for a fixed term, chosen from a wide fieldA seat that needs one owner for yearsA role you can assess yourself, from a known pool

Usually engagedOn a day rate, often through their own companyAs an employeeOn a day rate, through the provider or their own company

Watch forWho decides IR35 status, and whenNotice periods in the timetableHow far the pool reaches beyond the register

04/ vetting

How we vet interim executives

What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.

01
Qualification screen
Verify interim executive tenure, sector context and stage fit.
SOURCING
02
Mandate fit
Match to your situation — stage, board dynamics, timing.
MATCHING
03
Reference deep-dive
We take references ourselves, from recent past clients — real outcomes, not titles.
VERIFY
04
Shortlist
Three to five candidates with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
SHORTLIST OF 3–5

05/ interim executive search firms

Interim executive search firms: what to ask before you brief one

Who does the work?

Ask which named consultant runs your search day to day, and how many other searches they are running.

How are candidates referenced?

Ask who took each reference, from whom, and whether the referees saw the candidate’s work on a recent assignment.

How is IR35 handled?

Under the off-payroll working rules (IR35), status is decided by how the engagement runs: a medium or large client makes the determination, and for a small client outside the public sector the interim’s own company decides.

Which rules does the firm work under?

GOV.UK’s guidance says the Employment Agencies Act and the Conduct Regulations apply to executive search consultants, and a limited-company contractor can opt out of the Regulations only by notice given before they are introduced to a hirer.

What will you pay, and for what?

Members of the REC agree to its Code of Professional Practice, which says fees, charges and services must be disclosed to clients before an assignment is accepted, so get the terms in writing before the search starts.

Compare executive search firms side by side, or see how a fractional recruitment agency differs when you need part of the week, not all of it.

06/ executive search for interim management

Executive search for interim management: where search and interim meet

The Institute of Interim Management describes itself as the professional body for independent interim professionals, working at or near board level.

Its annual survey covers the firms that place them, described in one edition as executive search interim management firms.

Executive search for interim management applies the search method to a fixed-term seat.

The difference from an interim provider is reach: the search approaches people who fit the brief, not only those already registered and available.

The Institute’s 2025 survey of interim managers put the average assignment at 9.6 months and the average day rate at £894.

Plan the brief, the budget and the handover around a term of that kind.

Interims usually work through their own company, so check it on the Companies House register along with their past directorships.

Acas notes that employment status turns on the contract, what was agreed and how you work together in practice.

07/ questions

Interim executive search FAQ

The questions people ask before bringing in an interim executive.

Interim executive search finds a senior executive for a fixed-term, full-time assignment, such as covering a vacancy, a turnaround or a transaction. The firm writes the brief with you, searches beyond those already looking, assesses candidates and brings back a shortlist.

Write a brief that names the outcome, the reporting line and the end of the assignment, then interview a shortlist against it with the same questions for every candidate. Agree the day rate, the days, the notice and how IR35 status will be decided before the start.

The Institute of Interim Management’s 2025 survey put the average interim day rate at £894. On every brief we set out each candidate’s day rate or pay on the shortlist, so you can compare like with like.

Ask who runs the search day to day, who takes the references and from whom, how IR35 status will be decided, and whether the firm follows the Conduct Regulations. Ask for the terms in writing, including what you pay and when, before the search starts.

It is the search method applied to a fixed-term seat: a written brief, an approach to people who fit it, assessment and a shortlist. An interim provider usually puts forward people from its own register instead.

They overlap, but a search goes beyond a register to approach people who are not looking, and assesses each against the brief. See interim executive recruitment for the wider market.

The IIM’s 2025 survey put the average assignment at 9.6 months. Set the end in the brief, whether it is a date, a project finished or a permanent hire starting.

It can, when the interim works through their own company: status is decided by how the engagement runs, and a medium or large client makes the determination (GOV.UK). Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.

Book 15 minutes · shortlist of 3–5

Bring the brief. We architect the team.

A shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.

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