When key personnel gaps appear, due to parental leave, unexpected exits, restructures or reputational crises, organisations often face a familiar dilemma: should we appoint a permanent hire now, or bring in interim support while we plan ahead? The right choice depends on your organisation’s current priorities, internal dynamics, and future ambitions.

At Ellwood Atfield, we work with organisations across corporate, NFP, Government, regulatory, and membership sectors to appoint both interim and permanent professionals across communications, policy, and advocacy specialisms. The following summary sets out key considerations for both routes and how to maximise the value of each appointment.

‍

When to Consider an Interim Appointment?

An interim professional can provide calm, clarity, and experienced delivery when time is tight and business continuity is key. Typical scenarios include:

• Temporary cover for parental leave, sabbaticals, or secondments
• Periods of change - restructures, team reviews, or after a senior exit
• Urgent reputational pressure, where experienced crisis support is needed
• While recruiting for a permanent role and needing to maintain momentum

Interims are usually overqualified, delivery-focused professionals who bring immediate credibility and deliver results from day one. They can steady teams, lead through ambiguity, and leave behind a clear framework for what comes next. 

Where a business is undergoing restructuring, and the longer-term role requirement is likely to evolve, hiring an interim is a great way of bringing in capacity and ‘plugging the gap’ while an organisation defines the permanent brief. This can help to avoid a misshire in the longer term. A strategic interim leader is also a brilliant way of hiring senior-level support to help create strategy and restructure teams, before stepping back out of the business and leaving a positive legacy behind them.

‍

When a permanent hire is likely to be a better fit

Permanent leaders (or long-term FTCs) are essential when the role requires long-term ownership, where the requirement is niche and requires access to a wider candidate talent pool and / or where the role remit is unlikely to evolve in the short-to-medium term. This path is typically right when:

• An organisation is building a function and is clear of the skills required to achieve long-term goals
• Key relationships (internal or external) need continuity and trust
• There’s a need for visibility and alignment at Board level 
• Your business operates in a complex stakeholder landscape and long-term relationships need to be built quickly for maximum outcomes 
• There has been upheaval within the function and a short-term hire is more likely to disrupt than add value 
• Your recruitment budget is restricted and doesn’t allow for both interim and permanent support 
• Your priority is to invest in long-term capacity, growth or change

We support organisations in identifying what success looks like, not just now, but in 12–24 months time, and we help to advise hiring managers on best-practice hiring strategies that help to achieve this. 

‍

How to decide what’s right

Rather than comparing interim vs permanent in binary terms, the better question is: what support do we require in the immediate versus long-term to achieve strategic goals? This will vary depending on:

• Urgency: Are critical priorities being delayed?
• Complexity: Are you navigating stakeholder pressure, policy change, or scrutiny?
• Team dynamics: Do you need a steadying presence or a longer-term cultural fit?
• Internal appetite: Is the organisation ready to commit long-term, or still evolving?

Budget will always be part of the conversation, but it shouldn't drive the decision alone. Interim hires offer flexibility and immediate value. Permanent hires offer continuity and longer-term alignment. Both serve different strategic purposes.

Our perspective

When clients ask our advice about the best approach to hiring interim versus permanent corporate affairs support, we define context, budget and strategic priorities. Specific objectives might include:

• Helping a charity appoint a trusted interim to help secure long-term funding
• Placing a Director of Corporate Affairs in a highly-regulated business during a period of intense media scrutiny 
• Supporting a trade body to cover a skills gap during a period of restructuring 

Whether interim or permanent, we prioritise cultural alignment, clarity of purpose, and long-term impact.

Need further advice?

If you're navigating a leadership gap or planning for future capability, we’d be happy to explore the options with you.

➔ Start with a conversation - confidential, consultative, and focused on your goals.

‍