Interim manager

What it means

An interim manager is an experienced manager a company hires for a limited time, usually several months to a year, to deal with a specific situation. They may temporarily replace a departing director, lead a restructuring, a new system implementation, integration after an acquisition or preparing the business for sale.

They differ from a consultant in that they do not just advise but manage directly and answer for the result, and from an ordinary employee in that they arrive with a clear task and deadline and leave once it is done. It is often a situation of change that insiders lack the time or distance to handle.

The advantage is speed: an interim manager starts within weeks rather than months and needs no training in the basics of management. They bring experience of similar situations in other companies and are not tied by internal relationships.

How it works in practice

An interim manager usually works under a commercial contract, such as a mandate contract, as a sole trader or through their own company. With long work for a single client and full integration into the organisation, the risk of disguised employment should be considered.

If they are to be registered as managing director, the commercial register entry, a directorship agreement and their liability need attention. A director’s remuneration follows special tax and contribution rules that differ from an invoice for consultancy.

At handover we help with the financial side: current figures, open liabilities, tax deadlines and the state of the books. The interim manager then knows from day one where the company stands and does not have to work it out alone.

What to watch out for

A common mistake is a vague brief. An interim manager without a specific goal and powers becomes an expensive administrator. The brief should set out measurable results, a deadline and which decisions they may take on their own.

The second risk is leaving without a handover. When the mandate ends, the company must be able to carry on alone. Preparing a successor or internal team should be part of the task, so that the changes do not fall apart once they have gone.