Why become an Interim Manager?

Interim Management is about actively removing yourself from the permanent job market in favour of seeking interim assignments of your choice.

A career in Interim Management offers challenge, reward and a flexible way of working, without some of the more traditional constraints of permanent employment. As the focus is more about delivery and outcome, rather than the need to be present at work every day, this often allows you to plan your workload around your lifestyle – rather than the other way round. Typical assignments last an average of 3 to 9 months with an opportunity to build in lengthy breaks between assignments, if desired.

Interims thrive on being faced with complex organisational challenges and the chance to make excellent use of the skills and experience that they have gained during their permanent career. They also have the advantage of not being pulled into company politics or having to always follow traditional ways of working – leaving them free to make a positive and lasting impact on organisations.

Interim management is rapidly becoming the choice of enterprising professionals who are in need of a new and exciting challenge, and who are in a position to give up the security of a guaranteed monthly pay cheque in favour of some of the greater rewards of a career in Interim Management.

We asked some of our interim managers why they made the move into interim management and what they gained from it:

"After a successful career in local government I took early retirement from my role as corporate director of development of a northern metropolitan council. I wished to use my experience both of urban regeneration and of performance management in an alternative career path. I wished to work for myself and interim management offered opportunities similar to consultancy work without the pressures of joining a large practice."

Interim operations director, Bradford Urban Regeneration Company

"I wanted a better work/life balance, by working fewer hours than had previously been the case. I also wanted the stimulation of different working environments, new challenges and new learning."

Interim executive director, Strategic Health Authority

"I was interested in getting greater control over the work I did and to reflect my interests by developing a range of part-time public appointments. IM gave me the flexibility to do this and the opportunity to work in different environments."

Borough Solicitor, London Borough Council

"My own reaction has been that it has given me confidence in my own knowledge base. It is difficult to know how much you know until you come to apply it in another setting. Short interim assignments are the ideal place to apply accumulated knowledge."

Interim Operations Director, Urban Regeneration Company

"The roles are diverse and challenging, you meet a variety of people and hopefully you learn from the role whilst using your own experience to good effect. The roles are rewarding financially and, in the challenging work climate of today, you should be able to extend your value to employing organisations."

Interim finance director, Commercial organisation

Next: Interim Management Frequently Asked Questions

Latest articles on the Interim Channel

The UK Interim Management sector

A recent series of surveys by Ipsos\Mori for the Interim Managers’ Association has estimated that the UK interim management market is now worth an estimated £1bn in terms of the value of fees spent on interim managers.

Life as an interim manager

Malcolm Smith has been an interim manager for two and a half years. Here, he shares his experiences and advice for anyone thinking about moving into interim management.

Interim management has traditionally been seen as a reactive response to organisational failure. Increasingly, a new breed of interims are emerging – people who regard interim management as a career and have transferable leadership skills to work across sectors.

Your CV is an important sales document and your first, and often your only chance, to make a good impression. You also need to bear in mind that the CV of an Interim Manager does not necessarily follow the same rules as that of a CV that you might use to secure a permanent job.