Interim
Full-time cover for a vacant senior role, for six to twelve months, with a defined end. One client at a time, because that's what full-time honestly means.
Someone left and the work didn't. A search is running and will take six months you don't have. An acquisition, a restructure, or a regional launch created a role before the headcount existed. Or the permanent hire arrived, didn't work, and you need the function held steady while you decide what to do about it.
An executive on your org chart, not a consultant on your invoice list. I attend your management meetings, carry the number the role carries, hold the team if there is one, and hand over to the permanent hire with the function in better shape than I found it. The handover is part of the engagement, not an afterthought at the end of it.
Full-time equivalent, one client, six to twelve months, defined end date from the start. A fixed first month, then a monthly fee for the remainder plus an outcome component tied to what we agreed in month one. An interim engagement consumes the whole practice — which is why there is only ever one.
If you're comparing day rates across an interim-management panel, take the panel. They will quote lower and you will get someone competent. This practice is for the case where the role matters enough that you want the same person from month one to handover, in a market where being wrong is expensive.
The difference in one table
| Interim | Fractional | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Full-time equivalent, one client | 2–6 days per month, ongoing |
| Term | 6–12 months, defined end | 6-month minimum, open-ended |
| Typical trigger | Someone left, or a search is running | The market is real, the headcount isn't approved |
| Buys you | A vacant role covered now | A role you can't yet fund full-time |
| Capacity cost | The whole practice | One of three |
| Month one | Fixed fee. It can end in "don't fill this role yet" — the fee is the same either way. | |
| After month one | Monthly fee plus an outcome component tied to what we agreed in month one. | |
Tell me which role is open and what has to be true in six months. If it's the wrong role, I'll say so.
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