Fractional CHRO services, without a full-time CHRO hire
Senior HR judgement a few days a month, without the full-time salary. We take the people decisions off your desk so you can get back to running the business.
Here’s what usually happens. Somewhere between 50 and 300 people, you quietly become the head of HR. Nobody decided that. It crept up on you, one pay exception and one manager dispute at a time, because there was never anyone senior enough to catch them first. Your junior HR person can run the admin beautifully. What they can’t do is tell you how to structure a leadership team, or quietly flag that your best engineer is three weeks from resigning.
That’s the gap a fractional CHRO fills. You get someone who has built people systems before, sitting close enough to your business to make real calls, for a few days a month instead of a high six-figure salary on the books. Senior thinking, sized to exactly what you need right now.
So what does a fractional CHRO actually do?
No slide decks lobbed in from the sidelines. We sit inside your business and work the decisions that move it:
People strategy that tracks your business plan
We turn where the company is heading into how many people you need, in what shape, and by when.
A sounding board for the hard calls
A co-founder exit, a leader who isn’t scaling, a restructure. You get someone who has navigated these before.
Air cover for your HR team
Your junior team keeps running the day to day. We give them the senior direction and coaching they’ve been missing.
Org design and hiring priorities
Who reports to whom, which roles to open first, and where one good hire quietly fixes three problems.
Pay governance
Simple rules for how pay decisions get made, so they stop being one-off negotiations.
Performance and retention
A clear read on who’s thriving, who’s at risk, and what to do about it before they hand in their notice.
A monthly rhythm
A short dashboard and a standing review, so people decisions happen on a calendar instead of in a crisis.
An example of what you’ll actually get
Every month, a one-page read on the health of your people function. No 90-slide deck. Just the numbers you can act on in ten minutes:
And a standing monthly rhythm. Week one, dashboard review with you. Week two, a working session with your HR team. Week three, a manager or leadership focus. Week four, hiring and pay decisions cleared in a single sitting.
Is this you?
- You’re 50 to 300 people, and people issues keep landing back on your desk.
- You have a capable but junior HR team that needs senior direction.
- You’re entering a new stage: funding, a new market, a merger, fast headcount growth.
- You’re not ready to pay for a full-time CHRO, but gut-feel HR has started to cost you.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fractional CHRO?
A fractional CHRO is an experienced Chief Human Resources Officer who works with your company part-time, usually a few days a month, instead of as a full-time employee. You get senior HR leadership and judgement on strategy, org design, pay and retention, without carrying a full executive salary.
How is this different from an HR consultant or recruiter?
A recruiter fills roles. A typical consultant delivers a project and leaves. A fractional CHRO sits inside your leadership team with a standing mandate, owns the people agenda over time, and is accountable for outcomes, not just a report.
How much does a fractional CHRO cost in India?
Far less than a full-time CHRO, whose total cost runs well into the tens of lakhs per year. Fractional engagements are usually a fixed monthly retainer, sized to how many days you need. We scope it to your stage, so you pay for senior time, not a full salary.
How quickly can you start making a difference?
We start with a People Risk Audit to find where the money and risk are leaking, then act on the top one or two issues within the first few weeks. You see movement early, not after a long discovery phase.
Related services: Compensation & Pay Structure and Career Architecture.
Better people decisions.
Most people problems are visible long before they blow up
Not sure you need a full CHRO yet? Start with a People Risk Audit. We’ll show you where your people risks sit and what they’re quietly costing you. No prep needed.