Part-Time CPO

UK Part-Time Chief People Officer Search — Ongoing 2-3 Day Per Week CPO Engagements at Scaling Firms, SMEs and PE-Backed Companies

Exec Capital provides retained Part-Time Chief People Officer search across the UK SME, scaling firm, and private equity backed firm community. The Part-Time CPO is a specific senior people function delivery model — typically structured as an ongoing single-employer engagement at 2-3 days per week, with the senior People leader holding the firm’s named CPO role on a continuing basis but at materially less than full-time hours. Part-Time CPO appointments are common at UK firms where senior people leadership capability is essential — typically post-Series A scaling firms, owner-managed UK SMEs, PE-backed portfolio companies in scaling phases, and pre-IPO firms preparing the people function for the listed-firm transition — but where the firm’s headcount, budget, or operational complexity does not yet warrant full-time CPO engagement. The model is structurally distinct from the fractional Chief People Officer model (multi-client engagement on a day-rate basis serving 2-5 client firms), the Interim CPO model (full-time but time-bound, typically 3-9 month gap-fill or transition assignments), and the broader full-time UK Chief People Officer recruitment market.

A note on the job title: on this page, CPO means Chief People Officer, the board-level leader for people strategy, organisation design, leadership, reward and culture. The same three letters are also used for a Chief Procurement or Purchasing Officer; if that is the role you are hiring, see our fractional Chief Procurement Officer page instead.

UK Part-Time CPO appointments have grown materially through 2018-2024 alongside the broader maturation of the senior people function as a strategic C-Suite tier role. The shift from traditional Head of HR / HR Director seniority to senior strategic Chief People Officer seniority reflects the increasing importance of senior people leadership at firms scaling through Series B-C funding rounds, mid-market PE-backed platforms managing post-acquisition cultural integration, and SMEs investing in management quality, talent strategy, and the senior dimensions of organisation design. Part-Time CPO appointments give scaling firms access to senior People leadership at C-Suite tier capability without the budget commitment of full-time engagement, with senior CPO candidates frequently bringing strategic capability built at FTSE 250 or major firm level to scaling firms at materially smaller scale.

How It Works: Hiring a Part-Time Chief People Officer

A part time CPO search follows the same disciplined process as a full-time board appointment, adjusted for the realities of a role that runs two or three days a week. We agree the timetable with you at briefing, because it depends on how specialised the brief is, how many stakeholders need to meet candidates, and how much notice the preferred candidates need to give on their existing commitments.

The CPO Role and Distinction From Traditional CHRO Positioning

The Chief People Officer designation has emerged through 2015-2024 as the strategic senior people leadership title at scaling firms, technology firms, and modernising larger firms — distinct from the traditional Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and HR Director positioning that historically defined senior people function leadership. Understanding the role distinction matters at the brief stage because senior CPO and senior CHRO candidates draw from materially different career backgrounds.

Chief People Officer (CPO) positioning — the CPO designation typically signals senior strategic people leadership focused on the strategic dimensions of the people function: talent strategy and senior talent attraction, organisation design and senior team architecture, leadership development and succession planning, culture and engagement strategy, total rewards strategy and senior compensation framework, diversity equity and inclusion strategy, and the senior commercial dimensions of senior people function leadership. The CPO typically operates as a senior C-Suite tier role with reporting line direct to the CEO and material accountability to the Board for the firm’s senior people function strategy.

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) positioning — the traditional CHRO positioning extends across both the strategic dimensions of senior people leadership and the operational HR scope (employee relations, HR operations, benefits administration, payroll oversight, compliance, employment law). CHRO appointments at major UK firms (FTSE 100, FTSE 250) typically operate with broader functional scope than the CPO designation, with senior leadership across both strategic and operational dimensions. Cross-references with our wider CHRO recruitment practice support firms specifically seeking the broader CHRO functional scope.

HR Director / Head of HR positioning — Director-tier and Head-tier HR appointments operate at materially less senior level than CPO or CHRO appointments, with focus on operational HR delivery, employee relations management, HR business partnering, and the operational dimensions of HR function leadership. HR Director appointments typically report into a CPO or CHRO at firms with senior people function leadership in place.

The CPO designation has become particularly common at UK technology firms, scaling SaaS firms, modernising professional services firms, and selected major UK firms repositioning their senior people function as a strategic C-Suite role. Part-Time CPO appointments accordingly target senior candidates with the strategic CPO background and capability rather than the operational CHRO or HR Director background.

In practice the titles overlap more than the definitions suggest, and many businesses use them interchangeably. What matters for a part-time hire is the substance: will this person set people strategy and sit on the leadership team as an equal to the CFO and COO, or will they mainly run HR operations well? If the honest answer is the second, a senior HR Director is usually the better and cheaper appointment. Our guide to the difference between a Chief People Officer and an HR Director works through the question in more detail, and the Chief People Officer job description sets out a typical full-time scope you can scale down to part-time days.

The Part-Time CPO Model — How It Differs From Fractional and Interim Arrangements

The Part-Time CPO, Fractional CPO, Interim CPO, and full-time CPO models serve materially different firm scenarios and draw from different senior candidate pools. Understanding the model distinction is essential at the brief stage.

Part-Time CPO model — the CPO is the firm’s named CPO operating on an ongoing basis at 2-3 days per week (sometimes 3-4 days per week at slightly larger firms). The Part-Time CPO holds the senior People role at the firm, attends senior leadership team meetings as the senior People representative, owns the firm’s people strategy and senior People decisions, and accepts personal accountability for the role in the same way as a full-time CPO. The arrangement is structured as ongoing employment or as a continuing services agreement, with materially longer commitment expectations than interim engagements. Compensation is typically structured as pro-rated CPO salary (calibrated against the equivalent full-time CPO compensation at the firm’s scale) plus equity participation where applicable.

Fractional CPO model — the Fractional CPO operates on a day-rate basis serving 2-5 client firms simultaneously, with no single client firm holding the candidate’s senior CPO role exclusively. The Fractional CPO is the firm’s principal external senior People support but is not the firm’s named CPO. Our fractional Chief People Officer and fractional CHRO practice, linked above, supports firms specifically seeking the Fractional model.

Interim CPO model — the Interim CPO operates full-time on a defined 3-9 month assignment to fill a gap (departing CPO succession, parental leave cover) or support a specific transition (post-acquisition integration, organisation restructuring, senior team transition). The Interim CPO holds the firm’s CPO role for the assignment duration but operates with explicit time-bound engagement. Our Interim CPO page, linked above, supports firms specifically seeking the Interim model, and our interim CHRO practice covers the same need where the title is CHRO.

Full-time CPO model — the standard CPO appointment with the candidate operating full-time as the firm’s senior People leader, typically structured as full-time employment with the standard senior compensation framework. Our full-time Chief People Officer recruitment practice, linked above, supports firms seeking full-time CPO appointments.

Part-Time CPO vs Part-Time HR Director vs Interim CPO vs HR Consultancy

Most businesses that call us about a part-time Chief People Officer are choosing between four realistic options. The right one depends less on budget than on what you need the person to own. The table below sets out the trade-offs as we see them in practice.

If the table points you to a hands-on HR leader rather than a board-level CPO, our part-time HR Director recruitment page covers that route, and our HR Director recruitment practice handles full-time appointments. Many growing businesses start with a part-time HR Director and step up to a part-time or full-time Chief People Officer as headcount, investor scrutiny and the complexity of reward and organisation design increase.

When to Hire a Part-Time Chief People Officer: Permanent, Part-Time, Fractional or Interim

The decision is rarely about whether you need senior people leadership. By the time a CEO calls us, they usually do. The question is how much of it, for how long, and whether the person needs to be part of the business or advising it from outside. Use the comparison below to test which format fits.

Signs a part-time Chief People Officer is the right answer:

• Your headcount has outgrown founder-led people management, but there is not yet five days a week of genuinely strategic people work.
• You have an HR manager or HR business partner who runs operations well but needs a senior leader to set direction and support them.
• Investors or the board are asking for a people plan, a reward framework, succession cover or better engagement data, and nobody on the leadership team owns it.
• You are preparing for an acquisition, a refinancing, an exit or an IPO and need the people function to stand up to due diligence.
• Employment law changes are increasing the cost of getting dismissals, harassment prevention and sickness absence wrong, and you want a senior person accountable for that risk.

Signs another format will serve you better: if you need someone in the building every day to steady a business after a leadership departure, interim is usually right; if you need occasional senior advice and a sounding board, a fractional arrangement through our fractional C-suite service may be enough; and if the people agenda already fills a full week, you should hire a permanent full-time CPO.

When UK Firms Use Part-Time CPOs — Five Common Scenarios

UK Part-Time CPO appointments typically arise in five common firm scenarios. Understanding which scenario applies shapes the senior search engagement design.

Scaling firm post-Series A through Series C

Scaling UK firms post-Series A through Series C funding (typically 50-300 employees, £5m-£50m revenue) frequently use Part-Time CPO appointments as senior people leadership scales beyond Head of People or HR Director scope. Scaling firms at this stage typically need senior strategic people leadership for scaling team architecture, senior talent attraction, leadership development and succession planning, culture management during rapid scaling, total rewards strategy as the firm’s compensation framework matures, and the senior dimensions of organisation design as the firm grows beyond the founder-led phase. Part-Time CPO appointments support this scaling phase before full-time CPO engagement becomes financially warranted.

Owner-managed SME at scale needing senior People capability

UK SMEs at the owner-managed £5m-£50m revenue scale frequently use Part-Time CPO appointments as the firm’s permanent senior People arrangement — particularly at firms where the founder-CEO or founder-MD recognises the importance of senior people leadership but the firm’s headcount and operational complexity do not yet warrant full-time CPO engagement. Part-Time CPO appointments at owner-managed SMEs can extend across multi-year periods as the firm’s preferred ongoing arrangement, with the senior CPO becoming a long-term senior team member contributing to the firm’s strategic people direction.

PE-backed portfolio company in scaling phase

Private equity backed portfolio companies at the lower mid-market scale (typically £10m-£75m revenue, £2m-£15m EBITDA) frequently use Part-Time CPO appointments during specific phases of the PE hold period — typically post-acquisition cultural integration, senior team transitions following management changes, scaling phase senior people leadership, pre-exit organisation design, and the senior People dimensions specific to PE-backed firm operations. Cross-references with our wider private equity recruitment practice support senior PE-backed firm appointments.

Pre-IPO firm preparing the People function for listed-firm transition

UK firms preparing for IPO frequently use Part-Time CPO appointments in the pre-IPO preparation phase to mature the senior People function for the listed-firm transition. Pre-IPO Part-Time CPO scope typically includes total rewards strategy preparation for the listed-firm framework (long-term incentive plans, share schemes, listed-firm executive remuneration arrangements), senior leadership succession planning aligned with the IPO timeline, organisation design for the listed-firm operating model, and the senior People dimensions specific to the IPO transaction process.

Specialist sector firms at niche scale

Specialist UK firms in niche sectors — biotech and life sciences firms in early commercial deployment, specialist financial services firms at boutique scale, professional services firms at partnership scale, specialist technology firms at sub-£25m revenue — frequently use Part-Time CPO appointments as the firm’s preferred ongoing arrangement reflecting the firm’s specific scale and structure. Specialist sector Part-Time CPO appointments often combine senior strategic People leadership with sector-specific people function dimensions.

The Part-Time CPO Senior Candidate Pool

UK Part-Time CPO senior candidates draw from specific senior career communities. Understanding the candidate pool dynamics is essential for senior search engagement design.

Senior CPOs and CHROs transitioning to portfolio-of-engagements arrangements — the principal Part-Time CPO candidate pool. Senior People leaders typically transition to Part-Time CPO engagements after 15-25+ years of full-time senior People function history at scale firms, frequently from FTSE 250, FTSE Small Cap, PE-backed UK firms, or major private firms. These candidates typically operate with one or two Part-Time CPO appointments alongside selected non-executive director or advisory roles, building a portfolio of senior engagements rather than continuing in full-time senior employment.

Senior CPOs returning from international assignment to portfolio arrangements — UK-trained senior People leaders returning from major international assignments (US, Hong Kong, Singapore, continental Europe) who choose to build Part-Time CPO portfolios on UK return rather than returning to full-time senior CPO employment. International repatriation candidates frequently bring extensive international business knowledge, multi-jurisdictional capability, and cross-cultural senior leadership capability that supports complex Part-Time CPO scenarios.

Senior consulting and advisory candidates with CPO experience — senior consultants from major management consulting firms (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte Consulting, PwC People & Organisation, EY People Advisory) with prior senior CPO or senior People function experience who transition to Part-Time CPO appointments at scaling firms or PE-backed firms. Consulting background candidates typically bring strong analytical capability, organisation design experience, and senior advisory background that supports complex Part-Time CPO scenarios.

Senior People Directors progressing to senior portfolio CPO roles — senior UK People Directors who have built senior careers at FTSE 250 firms or major private firms and progress to Part-Time CPO appointments as the senior career step beyond full-time People Director seniority. The progression from senior People Director to Part-Time CPO is increasingly common at the senior end of the UK People leadership market.

Professional standing matters too. Many senior candidates hold Chartered Fellow or Chartered Member status with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and the CIPD Profession Map is a useful reference when you define the capabilities the role needs. We treat professional membership as supporting evidence rather than a requirement: for a part-time Chief People Officer, a track record of setting people strategy in a business like yours, and doing it on limited days, counts for more.

Compensation Calibration at Part-Time CPO Level

UK Part-Time CPO compensation typically operates on a pro-rated basis calibrated against the equivalent full-time CPO compensation at the firm’s scale. Realistic compensation calibration at the brief stage requires understanding of the firm’s specific scale, sector, and the senior candidate’s full-time-equivalent expectations.

Pro-rated base salary — typical Part-Time CPO base salary operates as a pro-rated portion of the equivalent full-time CPO salary at the firm’s scale. The full-time-equivalent figure scales with the firm’s size, sector, ownership and complexity: a CPO at a PE-backed platform or a pre-IPO business will expect a higher full-time equivalent than one at a smaller owner-managed firm, and the part-time salary follows from that figure and the number of days agreed. For an official reference point, the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2026 provisional) puts the full-time median gross annual pay for the broad “human resource managers and directors” occupation at £61,445; that group covers HR managers as well as directors, so board-level Chief People Officers sit well above it. Our HR Director salary guide and C-suite salary guide give more context, and we calibrate the package with you at briefing.

Day-rate structure as alternative — some Part-Time CPO engagements operate on a day-rate basis rather than salary basis, particularly at firms preferring services agreement structures. Day rates reflect the candidate’s seniority, the complexity of the brief and the number of days committed; where we place a CPO on a day rate, the rate we quote includes our fee.

Equity participation — Part-Time CPO engagements at scaling firms, PE-backed firms, and pre-IPO firms typically include meaningful equity participation alongside cash compensation. Equity arrangements vary materially across firm scenarios — share options, growth shares, restricted equity, performance shares, and (at scaling firms) founder-equivalent equity arrangements all appear in Part-Time CPO compensation packages depending on firm structure. Equity participation frequently dominates total economic value at successful firm exits or IPO transactions.

Bonus arrangements — Part-Time CPO bonus arrangements typically operate on a pro-rated basis aligned with the firm’s bonus framework. Performance criteria typically reflect the firm’s commercial KPIs alongside People-function-specific deliverables (senior team retention, organisation design milestones, culture and engagement outcomes, talent strategy delivery).

Total economic positioning — strong Part-Time CPO senior candidates building portfolios of 1-2 senior Part-Time engagements alongside non-executive director appointments frequently achieve total economic positioning materially comparable to full-time senior CPO compensation while operating with the flexibility advantages of portfolio-of-engagements arrangements. That matters when you set the offer: a candidate comparing your role with their other portfolio commitments will judge it on days, flexibility, equity and the quality of the leadership team as much as on salary.

Employment Rights Act: Why Senior People Leadership Matters Now

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is the largest change to UK employment law in a generation, and it is being brought in over several stages. For many owner-managed and PE-backed businesses it is the trigger for putting a senior people leader on the leadership team for the first time. The government’s implementation timetable sets out the stages, and Acas guidance on the Act explains what each change means for employers.

The January 2027 changes deserve particular attention. With the qualifying period falling to six months and no ceiling on the compensatory award, a poorly handled dismissal becomes a larger financial risk, and the quality of hiring, probation and performance management matters more. A part-time Chief People Officer is well placed to redesign those processes, train line managers and make sure the board understands where the exposure lies. We include the Act explicitly in briefs where it is driving the hire, and we test candidates on how they have handled comparable change.

What a Part-Time CPO Typically Delivers in the First 90 Days

On two or three days a week, the first quarter has to be focused. The best part-time CPOs agree a short list of priorities with the CEO at the start and report against it. A typical first 90 days looks like this.

Days 1–30: diagnose

• Meet the leadership team, the HR team and a cross-section of managers and staff.
• Review contracts, policies, handbooks, reward structures, absence and turnover data, open employee relations cases and any tribunal exposure.
• Check readiness for the Employment Rights Act stages already in force and those due in 2027.
• Agree with the CEO what the CPO owns, what the HR team owns and how the part-time days are scheduled.

Days 31–60: plan

• Present a people plan linked to the business plan: organisation design, key hires, leadership gaps and succession cover for critical roles.
• Set out a reward framework covering salary bands, bonus and, where relevant, equity.
• Agree a small set of people measures for the board pack, such as turnover, absence, engagement and time to hire.

Days 61–90: deliver early wins

• Fix the highest-risk gaps found in the diagnosis, such as outdated contracts, weak probation processes or missing harassment-prevention measures.
• Start leadership development for line managers, who carry most of the employment risk day to day.
• Report to the board on progress and confirm priorities for the next two quarters.

Our guide on how to hire a Chief People Officer covers interview questions and assessment exercises that test whether a candidate can deliver this kind of plan.

How Exec Capital Approaches Part-Time CPO Search

UK Part-Time CPO search at Exec Capital follows a retained methodology calibrated to the specific dynamics of senior part-time People function leadership recruitment.

Brief development — initial work focuses on defining the firm’s specific Part-Time CPO requirement (firm scale, sector context, scaling phase or PE-backed context), the specific scenario the appointment supports (scaling phase support, owner-managed firm permanent arrangement, PE-backed firm hold-period support, pre-IPO preparation, specialist sector firm), the days-per-week expectation, the People function scope under the CPO (whether the role extends to operational HR or focuses on strategic People leadership only), the realistic compensation envelope including equity arrangements, and the candidate-fit dimensions specific to the firm’s senior team and Board.

Senior candidate identification — UK Part-Time CPO candidate identification operates across senior CPOs and CHROs operating with established Part-Time CPO portfolios, senior CPOs transitioning to portfolio-of-engagements arrangements, senior consulting candidates with CPO experience, senior CPOs returning from international assignment to portfolio arrangements, and senior People Directors progressing to senior Part-Time CPO seniority. Coverage is structured by sector specialisation and senior career trajectory.

Strategic vs operational People leadership assessment — explicit assessment of the candidate’s senior People leadership orientation (strategic CPO positioning vs traditional CHRO operational scope) ensures fit between the firm’s senior People leadership requirements and the candidate’s senior career background. Senior CPO candidates with strong strategic People leadership backgrounds typically thrive at Part-Time CPO appointments at scaling firms, while senior CHRO candidates with broader operational scope may fit better at firms requiring full-time CPO/CHRO engagement.

Engagement structure assessment — explicit assessment of the candidate’s preferred engagement structure (employment vs services agreement, days-per-week preference, board director appointment willingness, location and travel arrangement, restrictive covenant compatibility with the candidate’s other portfolio engagements) ensures fit between the firm’s structural preferences and the candidate’s portfolio arrangement.

Interview process — typically 3-5 rounds for Part-Time CPO appointments, generally compressed compared to full-time CPO process given the experienced senior candidate pool. Interview process typically includes CEO-led senior interview, Board chair engagement, peer C-Suite leader engagement (CFO, CTO, CRO, COO), and (at PE-backed firms) PE firm portfolio operations team engagement at advanced shortlist stage.

Offer construction and onboarding — Part-Time CPO offer construction typically involves negotiation around days-per-week structure, base salary or day-rate calibration, equity participation arrangements, board director appointment, restrictive covenant compatibility with the candidate’s other portfolio engagements, and the practical onboarding logistics of senior part-time arrangement. Successful offer construction at Part-Time CPO level requires understanding of the candidate’s full portfolio context including other Part-Time engagements, non-executive director appointments, and broader senior career arrangements.

Every search is run by our specialist team, with Adrian Lawrence FCA overseeing each mandate. Three things make a part-time Chief People Officer search different from a full-time one, and we work through each of them at the brief. First, the model: a part-time CPO is your CPO, holding the role and the accountability, not an adviser on a retainer, and a brief that blurs that line produces the wrong shortlist. Second, the candidate pool: the strongest candidates are often already running a portfolio, so availability, days and conflicts have to be tested early. Third, seniority: a CPO brief needs candidates who have set people strategy at leadership-team level, not only run HR operations well.

Engagement and Fees

We agree the fee structure with you at briefing, once we understand the role, the format and the search required. In outline:

• Retained search is our standard approach for part-time Chief People Officer appointments. It gives the search a dedicated team, a defined process and a shortlist built from a full market map rather than from whoever is actively applying. Our guide to retained vs contingent executive search explains when each model fits.
• Contingent arrangements can suit some less specialised people roles below board level; we will tell you honestly if we think that is the better route for your hire.
• Interim and fractional placements are charged on a day-rate basis, and the day rate we quote includes our fee, so you see one figure.
• What is included: briefing and role definition, market mapping, candidate approach and assessment, referencing, interview management, offer negotiation and follow-up through onboarding.

If you would rather talk it through first, call us on 0203 834 9616 or use our contact page.

Who We Place Part-Time Chief People Officers With

Our part-time CPO clients are usually businesses where people decisions have become too important for the founder, CEO or finance director to carry alongside everything else, but where a full-time board-level People leader would be more than the business needs today. Typical clients include:

• Venture-backed scale-ups growing headcount quickly after a funding round and needing organisation design, hiring plans and an equity-aware reward framework.
• Owner-managed SMEs professionalising the people function as the founder steps back from day-to-day management.
• Private equity-backed portfolio companies working through integration, management change or exit preparation, where investors want a credible people plan.
• Professional services firms managing partner and fee-earner reward, career paths and retention.
• Technology, life sciences and specialist financial services businesses competing for scarce skills and needing a senior leader to shape the employee offer.
• Charities, membership bodies and education providers that need board-level people leadership on a constrained budget.

Sector matters less than stage and ownership. A candidate who has led people strategy through a PE hold period will adapt to most PE-backed businesses faster than one who knows the sector but not the investor relationship, and we weight shortlists accordingly.

Other Ways to Hire a Chief People Officer

This page covers the part-time route. If a different format suits your business better, our other pages cover each one: full-time permanent appointments through our Chief People Officer recruitment practice; fixed-term cover through our interim CPO, interim CHRO and interim HR Director services; multi-client arrangements through our fractional CHRO practice; and hands-on HR leadership on a reduced week through our part-time HR Director service. If you are weighing a fractional against a full-time people leader, our article on fractional vs full-time HR Directors sets out the trade-offs.

Part-Time CPO Roles: Information for Candidates

If you are a senior People leader looking for part-time Chief People Officer or portfolio roles, please register with us through our candidate registration page and browse current roles on our executive jobs board. We keep in touch with senior candidates between searches and contact you when a brief fits your experience, days and location.

Frequently asked questions

What is a part-time Chief People Officer?

A part-time Chief People Officer is a senior People leader who holds the CPO role in one business on reduced hours, usually two to three days a week, on a continuing basis. They own people strategy, organisation design, leadership development, reward and employment risk, and sit on the leadership team reporting to the CEO.

How many days a week does a part time CPO work?

Most part-time CPO roles are two or three days a week. Some larger businesses agree three to four days, and some smaller ones start with fewer days and increase them as the business grows. We agree the pattern at briefing and test it with candidates before shortlisting.

What is the difference between a part-time CPO and a fractional chief people officer?

A part-time CPO is your named Chief People Officer on reduced hours, usually employed or on a continuing services agreement, and is accountable for people outcomes in your business. A fractional chief people officer typically works across several clients on a day-rate basis and provides senior input without always holding the role. The line between the two is not fixed, so we make sure the brief is explicit about which you need.

Do we need a part-time CPO or a part-time HR Director?

Choose a part-time CPO if you need someone to set people strategy and sit at the leadership table as a peer of the CFO and COO. Choose a part-time HR Director if you mainly need hands-on HR leadership: policies, employee relations, compliance and running the HR team. Many businesses hire an HR Director first and add a CPO later.

How much does a part-time Chief People Officer cost?

Cost depends on the full-time-equivalent package at your scale and the number of days agreed. A salaried part-time CPO is paid a pro-rated salary, often with bonus and equity; a CPO on a services agreement is paid a day rate. We give you a realistic view of the market at briefing rather than a generic figure.

Should a part-time CPO be employed or engaged through a services agreement?

Both are common. Employment gives continuity and clarity for a role that holds a named leadership position. A services agreement can suit candidates running a portfolio, but you need to consider the off-payroll working rules (IR35) and how restrictive covenants and confidentiality work alongside their other roles. Take advice on the right structure for your business.

Can a part-time CPO sit on the board?

Yes. Some part-time CPOs are appointed as statutory directors; more often they attend board meetings for people items and report to the board through the CEO. The right answer depends on your governance and investor arrangements, and it should be settled before the offer.

How does the Employment Rights Act affect hiring a part-time CPO?

The Act raises the stakes on sickness absence, harassment prevention, tribunal exposure and, from 1 January 2027, unfair dismissal after six months’ service with no cap on the compensatory award. Many businesses are hiring a part-time CPO to own that risk, redesign probation and performance management, and train managers. We build those requirements into the brief and the candidate assessment.

Is a CPO a Chief People Officer or a Chief Procurement Officer?

Both titles use the same initials. This page is about the Chief People Officer. If you are hiring a Chief Procurement or Purchasing Officer, our fractional CPO page linked near the top of this page covers procurement leadership.

How long does a part-time CPO search take?

It depends on the brief, the candidate market and the notice candidates need to give on existing commitments. We agree the timetable with you at briefing and keep you updated at each stage, so you can plan around it.