Fractional HR leadership

Why fractional is the smart choice

If you're growing your organisation and need senior HR leadership on a weekly or monthly basis, but aren't yet ready for a full-time executive hire, fractional support brings that experience to your table for a fraction of the cost.

The value of getting it right

Annual investment comparison

Full-time Head of HR (total cost, year one)

$200k–$350k+

Fractional Head of HR

Typically less than half the cost

Priced on application, based on the time and scope you need.

Full-time Head of HR cost includes: base salary $160k–$255k1, employer KiwiSaver at the 3.5% minimum $5.6k–$8.9k2, employer ACC levies about $1.2k3, bonus $5k–$20k*, other benefits $5k–$15k*, plus one-off executive search fees of 15–20% of base salary, $24k–$51k* (year one). All figures NZD excl. GST.

No extended notice period. No long-term employment liability. After the minimum term, exit with 30 days' notice.

What you get instead of a full-time hire

  • Senior-level capability already operational, with low onboarding lead time
  • Deep experience across people strategy, governance, workforce design and responsible AI
  • An independent perspective that is commercially grounded and honest
  • Flexibility to scale up or step back as your organisation evolves
  • Trusted associates I can bring in when you need extra capacity or specialist expertise
  • No fixed overhead, no recruitment risk, no long-term commitment beyond the minimum term

When your people systems are designed well, everything else moves faster.

Avoiding one ER issue

$19k–$56k

The average cost to an employer of defending a personal grievance at the Employment Relations Authority was over $19,000 if they won, and nearly $56,000 if they lost (EMA, 2019).4 Strong governance helps prevent them.

Engagement pays

23%

Teams in the top quartile for engagement are 23% more profitable and 18% more productive in sales than those in the bottom quartile.5

"The cost of getting people strategy wrong is always higher than the cost of getting it right."

WorkTheory Co.

Two ways to work together

Fractional rates are lower than my ad hoc project rate, in return for a minimum three-month commitment.

Fractional Senior HR Advisory

From $2,200 + GST per month

Remote senior HR advice on hand when you need it, for a minimum three-month term, then month to month.

Fractional Head of HR

Pricing on application

Embedded Head of HR support on a fractional basis, for a minimum three-month term agreed in advance.

Find the right level of support

If you're not sure which option suits you, book a short conversation and we can work it out together. Or start with a starter session: three clear priorities for your next 30 days, with the $950 + GST fee credited against your first month if you go ahead within 30 days.

Book a 15-minute chat (opens in a new tab)

SOURCES

  1. Hays Salary Guide FY26/27, Head of HR / HR Director, organisations with 250–1,000 employees: typical $194k, range $160k–$255k (NZ).
  2. Inland Revenue, KiwiSaver changes. Minimum employer contribution 3.5% from 1 April 2026.
  3. ACC levy rates 2026/27, summarised by Xero NZ. Employer Work levy (average $0.69 per $100) and Working Safer levy ($0.08 per $100), on liable earnings up to $156,641.
  4. Employers and Manufacturers Association, reported in Deck stacked against employers in disputes (2019). Includes legal costs, awards and lost wages.
  5. Gallup, Q12 Meta-Analysis, 11th edition (2024). 183,806 business units across 347 organisations.

* WorkTheory estimate based on typical senior HR leadership packages and NZ executive search terms.