What is an interim CHRO?
An interim CHRO (Chief Human Resource Officer) is a temporary leader of the HR function in a company. They may also have other titles such as HR Director, HR Manager, Personnel Manager, Chief People Officer, or Chief Culture Officer, or a combination of these.
As an HR leader, they are an important part of the management team and responsible for leading the HR department and ensuring the organization has the right people in the right positions. Areas such as personnel, payroll, health and safety, labor law, training and development, and recruitment often fall under the responsibility of the HR leader.
An interim CHRO is a temporary leader who can step in at short notice to lead the HR function and create value from day one. They have previously worked in a similar role and have experience relevant to your specific assignment.
Whether you need to staff up, downsize your workforce, or are facing a crisis or imminent restructuring and lack the expertise or capacity, an experienced interim HR leader can be a valuable investment.
Our clients often request HR leaders who have a strong understanding of the business, are strategic and analytical, stay updated on digital tools, and have experience in implementing and leading change in companies while fostering employee engagement and understanding.
When and why to hire an interim CHRO?
- Leadership Transitions: During sudden departures or planned successions in HR leadership, an interim CHRO ensures operational continuity and stability.
- Organizational Transformations: Interim CHROs bring expertise in change management, culture integration, and talent alignment during mergers, acquisitions, or restructuring.
- HR Strategy Development: They provide fresh perspectives, industry best practices, and experience in optimizing HR functions to develop or refine HR strategies, policies, and processes.
- Crisis Management: Interim CHROs handle HR crises swiftly, ensuring compliance with regulations and implementing effective resolutions.
- Talent Acquisition and Development: They lead recruitment efforts, talent assessment, and succession planning to attract and retain top talent and build a strong leadership pipeline.
Hiring an interim CHRO offers experienced HR leadership, expertise in navigating HR challenges, and the ability to drive strategic HR initiatives. It allows organizations to effectively manage their human capital and align HR practices with business objectives for sustained success.
How do we find the best interim CHRO candidate for you?
We have perfected our method over more than 20 years and built a network of over 3000 experienced leaders, with a global reach of 60,000 interim leaders. Our primary strength as an interim service provider is understanding, evaluating, and finding solutions while continuously following up on the business. We also assess the effectiveness of the interim assignment for 2-3 years after completion. When you reach out to solve your leadership challenge, we follow this process:
- Together with you, we define the assignment and set the objectives for the assignment period.
- We advertise the assignment to our interim leaders, screen the best applicants, and send them to you anonymously.
- Together with you, we select candidates for interviews and conduct them (all candidates are quality assured before the interview).
- You choose your preferred interim leader.
- The interim leader begins the assignment!
We provide ongoing support and follow-up for both you and the interim leader throughout the assignment.
A selection of our completed interim CHRO assignments
Read more about our CHRO assignments below. See all our reference articles here, and feel free to contact us for references related to your assignment. We also provide leaders for similar positions, such as HR Director, HR Manager, HR Leader, Personnel Manager, HR Officer, Chief People Officer (CPO), Organizational Director, Personnel and Administration Manager, HR Executive, Director of Human Resources.
