Fractional
A Chief People Officer who holds the seat
When the fractional seat is the right call
- The company has outgrown its HR manager but cannot yet fund the full-time seat.
- The board is asking people questions the leadership team cannot answer with confidence.
- Growth, an acquisition or a leadership change has put the people plan on the critical path.
Where she sits and what she decides
Reporting line
Finesse reports to the chief executive and sits with the leadership team, as a full-time Chief People Officer would.
Board visibility
The board or sponsor sees a one-page people scorecard each month and hears from her directly when the agenda calls for it.
Working rhythm
A standing session with the chief executive, a seat in the leadership meeting, and time with the people team and the managers who carry the plan. The rhythm is agreed in the scope.
Decision rights
She owns the decisions that belong to the people function and brings a recommendation on the ones that belong to the chief executive or the board. Which is which is written down at the start.
What the seat covers
- Executive people partnership and organization design
- Talent acquisition and workforce strategy
- Compensation, rewards and pay equity
- Performance, leadership and culture
- People operations, systems, data and AI enablement
Outside the seat
- Payroll or benefits administration
- Legal representation
- Open-ended employee relations casework
- HR support bought by the hour
People scorecard
Structure only
| Metric | Now | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount against plan | [ ] | [ ] |
| Open critical roles | [ ] | [ ] |
| Time to fill, critical | [ ] | [ ] |
| Regretted attrition | [ ] | [ ] |
| Roles inside a pay band | [ ] | [ ] |
| Manager standard adoption | [ ] | [ ] |
| Performance cycle completion | [ ] | [ ] |
| People cost per employee | [ ] | [ ] |
The board gets the same page every month, with the numbers the plan is built on.
The questions leaders ask
How does it start?
With a 30-minute conversation about what is changing in the business. If there is a fit, you receive a written scope that names the decisions, the deliverables and the rhythm.
What happens to my HR manager?
They usually get better. Most HR managers are excellent at operations and have never had a senior leader to learn strategy from. The engagement is designed to leave them stronger, with a people function they can run.
How is this different from a consultant?
Finesse sits in the seat rather than beside it. Decisions get made, managers get managed, the board gets its page, and the work is measured by what changes in the company, not by what lands in a deck.
Can you help hire a full-time Chief People Officer later?
Yes. When the company is ready for the full-time seat, Finesse helps define the role, runs the search and hands over to the person she found.
Tell us what is changing
In 30 minutes, we will talk through the decision in front of you and what we would examine first.