Fractional HR Director
Senior HR leadership for companies that are ready to get HR right.
Most companies that come to us have reached a point where HR can no longer be absorbed by leadership. Headcount has grown, people decisions are becoming more complex, and the absence of a formal HR function is starting to create real risk: inconsistent onboarding, no policy framework, managers making consequential decisions without guidance.
We provide senior HR leadership on a fractional basis, typically one to two days per week, working directly with founders and senior leadership to build the HR foundation the organisation needs. This is not generalist HR support. It is experienced, executive-level HR applied at the moments that matter most.
- Leadership time is being consumed by people issues that shouldn't require your involvement
- New hires are onboarded inconsistently depending on who's managing them
- There's no policy framework, or what exists hasn't been maintained
- Managers are making performance, compensation, and conduct decisions without a clear structure
- You're aware of employment risk but don't have the expertise to assess or address it
If any of those reflect where things stand, a conversation is a practical starting point.
What we provide
- Senior HR leadership embedded in your organisation from day one
- A clear assessment of your current HR risk and capability gaps
- Policies, governance, and people frameworks built for your stage
- Direct support for founders and leadership on complex people decisions
- Manager enablement so decisions are made consistently and confidently
- A foundation that scales with the organisation, not a stopgap
- Flexible engagement model, typically one to two days per week
How we work
Building the HR foundation from the ground up.
Each engagement follows a structured path from an initial assessment of where HR risk sits through to a sustainable operating model with clear ownership and direction.
Understand your current HR risk and gaps
We conduct a structured review of where people risk is concentrated, what is being absorbed by leadership, and where the absence of HR structure is creating the most exposure. This establishes a clear priority order and engagement plan.
Establish immediate HR leadership and address priority issues
We embed at a senior level, providing direct support to founders and leadership on complex people decisions. The most urgent risk areas are addressed first, and a clear decision support structure is established for managers.
Develop the policies, frameworks, and processes the organisation needs
We build the core HR infrastructure appropriate to the organisation's size and direction: a policy framework, consistent onboarding, performance and conduct structures, and the governance needed to make decisions reliably.
Create an operating model that grows with you
We put in place the structure, workflows, and manager capability to sustain HR as the organisation continues to grow, and identify where AI-enabled tools can handle routine employee demand at scale.
Case Study
Building HR from the ground up
The following illustrates what a Fractional HR Director engagement looks like in practice for a growing company building formal HR capability for the first time.
Context
A technology company of 65 people had never built a formal HR function. As headcount grew, people management had defaulted to the founders and a senior operations lead. Onboarding varied significantly by team, there was no documented policy framework, and a number of people decisions had been made without a clear structure or understanding of employment risk. The organisation recognised it had outgrown the informal approach but was not ready to commit to a full-time Head of HR.
Next step
Start with a conversation
There are usually clear signals when HR needs to come off the founders' plate: people decisions are taking too long, onboarding is inconsistent, managers are asking questions no one can confidently answer, or employment risk is quietly accumulating in the background.
A short, no-obligation, conversation can help establish what's driving the situation, whether a fractional arrangement is the right fit, and what a sensible first step looks like.