Interim Management

We are one of the largest organisations placing senior interim managers in the UK – and certainly the largest provider of interims to the public sector.

At any given time we will have a broad range of roles, spread across our practices, and we see a high level of loyalty from our candidates because we respect their professionalism and take their development seriously.

Like all Veredus services, we are particularly strong on senior leadership roles in both the public and the private sector. For instance, when Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, was looking for an Interim Chief Executive to lead the organisation through a period of change, we were able to put candidates forward from both our database of interim managers and our wider network in the not-for-profit sector. The successful candidate brought enormous experience from former roles as Chair of The Electoral Commission, Director General of the British Red Cross, and Managing Director of the BBC World Service. This was his first interim assignment.

Organisations increasingly see interim managers as a positive part of their overall recruitment strategy and we frequently place people into project management roles, mentoring roles (often very senior practitioners, on a part-time basis) or roles that steer organisations through times of change.

For example, People First, the housing Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) in Slough, made a strategic decision to hire an interim Chief Executive, rather than to make a permanent appointment. The end of the national housing subsidy system means ALMOs need to reflect on their future role and with the likely introduction a ‘self-financing’ regime in Slough, the organisation wanted someone to review potential opportunities on a short-term basis.

Through the downturn, many organisations are restructuring and an expert ‘outsider’ can often be more independent and objective, and may find it easier than a permanent employee to make tough decisions.

We are also seeing new roles, such as Director of Transformation, as clients seek individuals with programme management experience to drive major change. Candidates with private-sector sales and marketing expertise, able to develop a keener commercial focus in public services, are also in demand.

In the private sector, clients rely on our ability to provide interims with deep knowledge and specific skills. For example, a client required a Programme Manager to shape the bid for a major outsourcing contract. This role required deep industry expertise alongside the programme management skills. We identified the individual on an interim basis to develop the bid, and this person joined the company on a permanent basis once the contract was awarded.

We are also seeing a strong demand for financial management skills across different professional areas. For one international financial services company we recently recruited a Finance Director to advise on scenario planning and commercial deal structure, then, post-award, a financial services technology guru to shape the transition phase. For a utilities company, we recruited a Finance Director with a Plc background to join the Board in order to strengthen commercial decision-making and lead change.

Why interim management is different

Interim management sits alongside our other search and selection services, so we can offer a bespoke approach to building capacity and capability in response to any client brief. And the local reach of our regional offices means that we can provide the same level of support to clients anywhere in the UK.

We are expert at interpreting the business need, clarifying the role, and identifying the transferable skills which the right candidate must bring.

The interim market is different in several key respects.

We tend to be called in at very short notice – often without a formal brief, and with a demanding combination of factors: experience, availability, and the imperative to fit into an existing structure and culture.

The need to respond quickly means the search process relies heavily on the quality of the candidates with whom we already work.

Interim managers usually need to be over-qualified for the roles they go into. The focus tends to be on creating stability and promoting good management, so their skills and understanding of the business context must be second-to-none.

At Veredus, with 10,000 experienced, senior professionals on our books, we have access to a large number of very talented people with a wide range of sector and functional specialisms, including senior General Management, Finance, HR, Marketing & Communications, IT, and Procurement.

Rigorous selection – unrivalled support

At a time when many people are moving into freelance work, upholding professionalism and quality is more important than ever. We believe our clients get the best interim results from people for whom interim management is a career choice, not those who are ‘between jobs’.

With interim management, the contractual arrangement is between the client and us, and the interim and us. The client does not have a contract with the interim directly, and pays only for the days actually worked.

We keep in regular touch with both interim and client, and manage the situation actively through a well-structured reporting process.

We believe that the professionalism and thoroughness of our approach brings business benefits to our clients – and the level of repeat business we get seems to bear this out.

We are often successful in filling demanding roles, such as those requiring an unusual mix of experience, or into organisations needing turnaround. For example, Michael Frater was brought into Surrey County Council as Interim Chief Executive at a difficult time. Surrey had dropped in CPA ratings from four stars to one star, and was seen as poorly performing because of failings in its Children’s Services. Michael rebuilt the trust and confidence between Executive Directors and Members, rebuilt the management team and successfully launched the process of a fundamental culture change, which will be continued by his permanent successor.

Clients tell us that our interims leave legacies – developing in-house staff, creating structures and teams, or setting up systems for the future – that help to build capacity and capability for our clients.

We see ourselves as leaders in the interim management sector, and are a founder member of the Interim Management Association.

Our interim managers tell us they like working with Veredus because we provide a great deal of support. We take their professional development very seriously, and work in partnership with Frontiers CPE, the leading coaching organisation specialising in interim management capability.

We have developed our own half-day seminar for potential interims, which we run monthly for senior managers considering becoming interims – and we give an honest appraisal of what it’s like, because being an interim can be a very challenging but highly rewarding career choice.