Interim HR director · Interim HRD · What one does, how long, what it costs
Interim HR Director · what one does, how long, what it costs
An interim HR director is a senior HR leader who runs the people function full-time for a fixed term, through a restructure, a transfer, an integration, a serious employee-relations case or a vacancy, and then hands over. They lead HR with the authority of the role; they are not a consultant and not an HR manager covering casework.
This page sets out what an interim HR director does, how long one stays and what one costs. To hire an interim HR director, or to browse interim HR director jobs, go to our interim HR director hub. We recruit interim, fractional, part-time, temporary and permanent HR leaders, and send a shortlist of 3–5 on every brief.
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
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes to hire an interim HR director
Tell us the scope and the days a week. We come back with HR director 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
Pick a day that suits · live availability
On the board · last 3 months
Interim HR director jobs on the board
No Interim HR director roles on the board in the last three months. Showing HR leadership roles instead.
Current interim HR leadership roles
Fractional recruiting starts with the brief, not the CV pile. Send a HR director brief and we come back with a shortlist of three to five candidates, each through five-stage vetting.
01/ the role
What is an interim HR director? The HR seat, full-time, for a fixed term
An interim HR director takes the HR director’s job in full for a defined period: the people plan, the HR team, employee relations, policy, reward and the advice the chief executive relies on. The Institute of Interim Management describes interim managers as independent executives at board or near-board level, working over a finite time span, and notes that their independence helps when difficult and unpopular decisions have to be taken. In HR that is often the reason to bring one in.
Where the seat sits
Three titles cover the top of HR. A head of HR usually runs the function day to day. An HR director sits on the leadership team and is accountable for it. A chief people officer or CHRO owns people strategy at board level, usually in larger businesses. In a smaller company the three can be one job. For the board-level seat, see interim CHRO; for what that role covers, what a CHRO does.
What one does, first week to handover
The IIM’s guide sets out five stages: entry, diagnosis, proposal, implementation and exit. For an HR director the diagnosis is the open cases, the contracts and policies in force, the consultation duties a programme may trigger and the state of the HR team. The proposal is a timetable the chief executive signs off. Exit leaves the records, the policies and a team that can run without the interim, and often the brief for the permanent HR director.
02/ scope
How to hire an interim HR director
Name the programme, the end date and who signs off. Look for someone who has run the same programme before, and take references from the chief executive and any employment lawyer involved. CIPD membership levels give a quick check on standing: Chartered Member for strategic and operational expertise, Chartered Fellow for people influencing at senior levels.
Our interim HR director hub covers the hiring steps, the legal triggers in detail and interim HR director jobs on its board. For a permanent appointment, see HR director recruitment. We send a shortlist of 3–5 with day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after five-stage vetting.
03/ comparison
Interim HR director vs fractional HR director vs permanent
The same seat, filled three ways. Choose by the shape of the work, not the title.
04/ timing
When to hire an interim HR director
Four situations that need a senior HR leader full-time for a period, and what each should leave behind.
Scenario 01
A restructure
Where proposed redundancies reach the statutory threshold, Acas explains that collective consultation is a legal duty. The interim owns the timetable, the selection and the records.
Scenario 02
A transfer or merger
When a business changes owner, TUPE usually moves the jobs, terms and continuity of employment across. The interim runs the transfer and the harmonisation that follows.
Scenario 03
A serious case
A grievance against a senior leader or a run of claims needs someone independent of the history. The Acas Code of Practice is the minimum, and a tribunal looks at the procedure used.
Scenario 04
A vacancy
The HR director has left and the permanent search will take time. The interim keeps the function running and helps the chief executive define the permanent role.
05/ vetting
How we vet interim HR directors
What we undertake on every brief, before a candidate reaches you.
- 01
Qualification screen
Verify HR director 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
06/ interim hr director
Interim HR director: how long one stays, and what one costs
No source publishes an average term for interim HR directors alone. Across every discipline, the IIM Interim Management Survey 2026 puts the average assignment at 10.0 months and the average interim day rate at £907, or £1,004 in the private sector. Those are all-discipline averages, not an HR director’s rate.
We have not found a verified published day rate for an interim HR director that we can cite, so we do not quote one. Two benchmarks sit either side of the seat. For a permanent HR director, Robert Half’s 2026 guide gives a median of £110,250, with the middle half between £92,000 and £128,750. For the chief people officer seat, the Robert Walters Salary Survey 2026 gives a London contract rate of £900–£1,500 a day.
The total is the day rate times the days worked, with no employment cost after the term. For permanent pay in more detail, see HR director salary; for part-week HR leadership, fractional HR jobs.
07/ ir35
IR35 and the interim HRD
An interim HR director may be a fixed-term employee or work through their own company. Only the second brings the off-payroll working rules (IR35) into play. In most cases the client decides the status; for a small client outside the public sector, the interim’s own company decides (HMRC guidance for clients). Status turns on how the assignment runs in practice. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
08/ questions
Interim HR director FAQ
The questions people ask before bringing in an interim HR director.
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.
