Strategic People Leadership Without Full-Time CPO Investment
Fractional CPO services and people strategy consulting for growth-stage companies. Get experienced executive leadership when you need it—from someone who's built and scaled people functions at high-growth startups.
THE CHALLENGE
You're scaling fast. Your people challenges are scaling faster.
Maybe you've outgrown your founding team's ability to manage people informally, but you're not ready—or can't justify—a full-time Chief People Officer. Maybe your HR team is junior and tactical when you need strategic leadership. Maybe people issues are creating drag on growth, and your executive team doesn't have the bandwidth or expertise to solve them.
You need experienced people leadership. You need it now. But you need it in a form that fits your stage and budget.
Strategic People Consulting for Growth-Stage Companies
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Fractional Chief People Officer
Part-time strategic leadership for your people function. We serve as an embedded member of your executive team—leading people strategy, coaching your HR team, and solving the complex challenges that come with rapid growth.
Ideal for: Series A-C companies that need executive-level people leadership without the full-time cost
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Organizational Design & Development
Structure your organization for scale. We help you design team structures, define roles, establish reporting relationships, and create the operating systems that support your next stage of growth—whether you're at 50 employees or 500.
Ideal for: Companies restructuring after funding, M&A, or rapid headcount growth
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Internal Communications & Change Management
Align your organization around what matters. We build communication frameworks that keep employees informed, engaged, and moving in the same direction—especially critical during periods of change, growth, or transformation.
Ideal for: Companies navigating major transitions, leadership changes, or culture evolution
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Employee Engagement & Culture Strategy
Create a workplace where people want to stay and do their best work. We diagnose engagement challenges, design targeted interventions, and build the cultural infrastructure that attracts and retains top talent.
Ideal for: Companies with engagement or retention challenges, or those intentionally building culture at scale
The Experience of a CPO, the Flexibility of a Consultant
We bring something most fractional providers can't: real experience building and scaling people functions at high-growth companies.
As a former Chief People Officer at a venture-backed startup through acquisition, we've navigated hypergrowth, M&A, organizational redesigns, and culture transformations from the inside. We've built people functions from scratch. We've made the hard calls. We know what works in fast-moving, resource-constrained environments because we've lived it.
Our approach combines strategic rigor with practical execution. We're not consultants who hand you a deck and disappear. We embed with your team, solve real problems, and build the capabilities your organization needs to thrive—with or without us.
15+ years progressive people leadership | Former startup CPO | ICF PCC | Georgetown & Brown certified | UPenn Master's in progress
Is This Right for Your Company?
We work with growth-stage companies across industries that share a few characteristics:
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Stage
Series A through C, or equivalent growth trajectory—typically 50-500 employees
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Situation
You need experienced people leadership but can't afford or don't yet need a full-time CPO
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Team
You may have a junior HR team, a generalist operations lead handling people, or no dedicated HR function at all
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Challenge
You're facing growth-related people challenges—hiring at scale, retention issues, organizational misalignment, culture questions, or leadership development gaps
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Mindset
You see people strategy as a competitive advantage, not just an administrative function
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Industries we've served include:
Technology, Fintech, Proptech, Healthcare, Professional Services, and other growth-focused sectors where talent is a key differentiator.
Flexible Engagement Models
Model 1: Fractional CPO Retainer
Ongoing part-time strategic leadership. We join your executive team on a retained basis—typically 2-4 days per month—providing consistent strategic guidance, leading your people function, and coaching your HR team.
● Regular executive team participation
● Strategic people planning and execution
● HR team development and mentorship
● Board and investor-ready people materials
Engagement: Monthly retainer, typically 6-12 months
Model 2: Strategic Projects
Focused consulting engagements for specific challenges. When you need expert help on a defined initiative—compensation redesign, organizational restructuring, engagement survey and action planning, or internal communications overhaul.
● Scoped deliverables and timeline
● Knowledge transfer to your team
● Implementation support included
Engagement: Project-based, typically 2-4 months
Model 3: Advisory & Coaching
Strategic counsel for founders and HR leaders. When you have capable team members who need guidance, thought partnership, or development support to level up their impact.
● Regular advisory sessions
● On-call support for urgent issues
● Coaching for HR leaders stepping into bigger roles
Engagement: Flexible scheduling
Common Challenges We Address
Strategic & Structural
● People strategy and annual planning
● Organizational design and restructuring
● Leadership team alignment
● Succession planning
● M&A people due diligence and integration
● Compensation and equity strategy
Cultural & Operational
● Employee engagement diagnosis and improvement
● Internal communications strategy
● Performance management design
● Culture definition and activation
● Change management and transformation
● HR team development and capability building
Iris Shkedy
From the moment Rita joined us as a fractional Internal Communications and Leadership Development partner, she made a meaningful impact. She delivered value both operationally and strategically, managing day-to-day communications, while leading a full strategic redesign of the function, including mapping the current state, defining roles, designing the operating model, and creating actionable activation plans.
Rita also played a central role in leadership development, co-designing and facilitating our three-day global offsite that ignited an ownership mindset across our leadership team. Her work significantly contributed to strengthen the alignment, collaboration, and engagement across our leadership community.
Beyond her expertise, Rita is a true partner—strategic, creative, fast, dedicated, and exceptionally perceptive. She learns organizations quickly, tailors her plans to what the business truly needs, and consistently elevates the teams she works with. Any organization seeking fractional support in internal communications or leadership development would be incredibly fortunate to have her.
VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Payoneer
FAQ
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A Fractional CPO becomes part of your leadership team—attending exec meetings, making decisions, and owning outcomes. We're not outside advisors delivering recommendations; we're embedded leaders driving execution alongside you.
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Most engagements range from 2-4 days per month, depending on your needs and stage. Some companies need more intensive support during critical periods, then scale back as internal capabilities grow.
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That's often the goal. We build the foundation, develop your team's capabilities, and can help you recruit and onboard your full-time CPO when the time is right—then transition out gracefully.
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No. While much of our experience is with venture-backed companies, we work with any growth-stage organization facing the challenges that come with scaling—whether you're VC-backed, PE-backed, bootstrapped, or a growth division within a larger organization.
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Absolutely. Many engagements start with a focused project—organizational redesign, engagement survey, compensation review—and evolve from there based on what we discover together.
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We can typically begin within 2-4 weeks of initial conversation, depending on current commitments. For urgent situations, we can sometimes move faster.
APPLY NOW
Let's Talk About Your People Challenges
Every engagement starts with a conversation. We'll learn about your situation, discuss what might help, and determine if we're the right fit—no obligation, no pressure.