Services

Five engagement shapes. One methodology.

Every engagement runs on the Manager Operating System — adapted to stage, vertical, and urgency. Pricing is hidden behind discovery calls; scope and shape are visible up front.

Tier 0

VC Fund Partnership

Multi-year retainer

For venture funds: the embedded People Partner your portfolio deserves.

Office hours for portfolio CEOs and Heads of People
Quarterly Manager Operating System Index — VC-branded
Founder onboarding kit for new portcos
Quarterly portfolio people-health review
Exec search facilitation

Talk about a fund partnership

Tier 1

Diagnostic Sprint

2-week fixed-scope engagement

2 weeks. Fixed scope. Manager Operating System Diagnostic + 90-day roadmap.

Manager Operating System Diagnostic (6 dimensions)
Gap report against vertical-stage benchmarks
Prioritized 90-day roadmap
Final readout with CEO (and VC partner if introduced)

Start a Diagnostic Sprint

Tier 2 — Most clients start here

Fractional CHRO Retainer

12-month retainer (primary tier)

12-month default. Standing exec sync plus the Manager Operating System productized for your stage.

Standing exec sync — weekly or biweekly
Annual comp band refresh + leveling
Q3 performance cycle — design + calibration facilitation
Manager Operating System Curriculum cohort for your managers
Manager-loading and span-of-control review
AI-driven HR transformation (the 80% who haven't acted yet)
Quarterly business review — board-ready people scorecard

Book a discovery call

Tier 3

Project Engagement

Fixed-fee, scoped

Fixed-fee, scoped. For specific outcomes that don't need a year.

Leveling overhaul (4–6 weeks)
Performance cycle launch (6–8 weeks)
Comp redesign (4–6 weeks)
AI use policy + AI-driven transformation (4–8 weeks)
HR tech selection (3–4 weeks)
HR Due Diligence — M&A or investor (1–2 weeks)
Operating model design (6–8 weeks)

Scope a project

Tier 4

Rapid Response

Daily rate; optional retainer-of-availability

When something is on fire. Daily-rate or retainer-of-availability.

Crisis & restructuring — RIFs, restructurings, exec exits
Workplace investigations (with partner counsel)
Compliance, ER & risk advisory
Workforce analytics & AI emergencies
Public-incident comms

Call for rapid response

Specialty engagements

Inside Rapid Response.

When something is on fire.

Crisis, restructuring, investigations, compliance, and AI emergencies don’t fit Sprint/Retainer/Project shapes. These specialty practice areas live inside Tier 4 — daily-rate or retainer-of-availability, often paired with employment counsel.

Crisis & Restructuring

· RIF design, sequencing, comms, package design
· Restructuring tied to layoffs
· Hiring freeze and cost-out exercises
· Executive departures and forced exits
· Public-incident comms
· Wind-downs done humanely

Workplace Investigations

· Harassment / discrimination investigations (with partner counsel)
· Misconduct / fraud / IP investigations
· Executive misconduct — board-facing
· Hotline / whistleblower triage
· Climate / culture investigations

Compliance, ER & Risk

· Multi-state employment law posture (with partner counsel)
· Pay transparency and pay-equity compliance
· WARN-Act / mass-layoff compliance
· 1099 vs W2 classification
· Handbook + policy library

Workforce Analytics & AI

· People dashboards & KPI architecture
· HRIS implementation, integrations, data hygiene
· Predictive analytics for attrition, hiring, comp drift
· AI policy crisis response

Call for rapid response

Fit

What we don’t do.

We turn down work outside fit. The right answer for a buyer is sometimes “not us” — and saying so saves everyone time.

· Sub-10-person teams (operating model doesn’t pay back yet)
· Pure HR outsourcing / payroll / benefits administration
· Executive search as a primary engagement (we facilitate, partner with retained search firms)
· Single-engagement workplace investigations without partner counsel
· 401k / benefits brokerage
· Employment-law advice that should come from counsel
· Diversity training delivery (we design programs; specialists deliver)