What Is Interim Management?

An interim manager is a senior, experienced executive deployed into an organisation on a temporary, full-time basis to fill a leadership gap, lead a specific programme, or stabilise a function through a period of change.

The interim manager is not a consultant: they take direct accountability for outcomes, manage internal teams and supplier relationships, and operate at the same level of authority as a permanent employee in the equivalent role. The engagement has a defined purpose and a planned end date, but the accountability is real while it lasts.

In the UK, interim management is a recognised professional discipline represented by the Institute of Interim Management (IIM), which maintains a professional register of verified practitioners. Daniel Jacobs is an IIM Full Member, with verified assignment history across multiple organisations and peer-assessed credentials.

What Does an Interim Manager Do?

An interim manager takes direct leadership responsibility for a defined period. Unlike a consultant, they do not deliver a report and leave: they take the seat, manage the function, make decisions, and are accountable for the outcomes during the engagement.

Typical mandates include:

• Covering a sudden CIO, CISO, CEO, or CFO departure until a permanent successor is appointed
• Leading a business through a specific transformation or M&A integration event
• Stabilising a function or programme that has lost leadership or direction
• Providing specialist senior leadership for a project that the existing team lacks the experience to lead
• Bridging a restructure while an organisation’s permanent structure is being designed

Interim vs Fractional vs Consultant vs Permanent: The Four Models Compared

	Interim	Fractional	Consultant	Permanent
Time commitment	Full-time, temporary	Part-time, ongoing	Project-based	Full-time, ongoing
Duration	6-18 months	Open-ended retainer	Project term	Indefinite
Accountability	Direct: leads the function	Direct: leads part-time	Advisory only	Direct: full ownership
Best for	Crisis, M&A, gap coverage	Steady-state leadership, ongoing programmes	Specific expertise or report deliverable	Long-term strategic leadership
Output	Business outcomes	Business outcomes	Deliverable (report, plan, recommendation)	Business outcomes
Typical engagement	Day rate (often outside IR35)	Monthly retainer	Project fee	Salary + benefits
Notice period	As agreed	30-60 days	Project milestone	3-12 months

When Do Organisations Bring in Interim Management?

The most common triggers are:

• Sudden or unplanned departure: A senior leader leaves without a successor ready. The organisation cannot wait months for a permanent hire. An interim takes the seat immediately.
• Transformation or change programme: A major ERP implementation, M&A integration, or restructure requires full-time senior leadership that the existing team cannot provide.
• Crisis or turnaround: A function is underperforming, a programme is failing, or an incident requires immediate senior accountability.
• Specialist expertise gap: The organisation needs a specific capability for a defined period, such as cybersecurity leadership during a certification programme or M&A integration.
• Leadership capacity: The business has grown beyond what its current leadership structure can manage, but is not yet ready for a permanent hire at the required level.

How Long Does an Interim Engagement Last?

Most interim engagements run for three to eighteen months. The typical technology or security interim assignment runs six to twelve months. Shorter engagements of one to three months occur in crisis situations. Longer engagements of twelve to twenty-four months occur in complex M&A integrations or major transformation programmes.

The exit is planned from the outset, not improvised at the end. A well-structured interim engagement includes a knowledge transfer phase and a handover plan for the incoming permanent successor or strengthened internal team.

How Are Interim Managers Engaged and Paid?

UK interim managers typically operate as limited company contractors, invoicing through their professional services company. Engagements are usually structured as fixed-term contracts with a defined day rate or monthly fee. The client organisation makes an IR35 determination for each engagement.

Interim managers are not employed: they are self-employed professionals operating under a statement of work or services agreement. This means no employer NI, no pension contribution, and no notice period beyond what is agreed in the contract.

Interim Management in Technology and Security

Technology and security interim management is a specialist category within interim management. The most common mandates include:

• Interim CIO or CTO: technology leadership during a gap, transformation, or M&A event
• Interim CISO: security leadership during a gap, certification programme, or incident response
• Combined interim CIO and CISO: a single practitioner holding both mandates simultaneously, appropriate for most organisations under 5,000 employees
• Interim IT Director: operational technology leadership during a leadership gap

Starkhorn provides interim CIO and CISO services to UK mid-market and PE-backed organisations. Daniel Jacobs has held both mandates concurrently at VetPartners (BC Partners-backed, GBP 1.2bn, 14,000 staff) and Jardine Motors Group (GBP 2bn), and holds IIM Full Member status with verified assignment history.

Read more about Starkhorn’s interim CIO and CISO service

How to Choose an Interim Manager

The most important criteria for choosing an interim manager are:

• Verified assignment history: Not a CV of roles, but evidence of completed interim assignments with named organisations. IIM Full Member status is the UK benchmark for this.
• Direct accountability, not advisory: An interim who has run a function, managed a team, and been accountable for business outcomes is different from a consultant who has advised on the same issues.
• Speed to mobilise: Interims should be able to start within days, not months. An interim who needs a three-month notice period is not truly available as an interim.
• Sector and scale fit: Experience at the scale and complexity of your organisation. An interim who has only worked in FTSE 100 businesses is not necessarily the right fit for a 500-person mid-market company.
• Independence: No commercial interest in a particular vendor or technology outcome. An interim who recommends a system they have a relationship with is a consultant with a conflict, not an independent leader.

Frequently Asked Questions