Pexels A Darmel 7641842

Interim vs Permanent Finance Hires: What's right for your business?

Having specialised in placing senior interim accountants in Yorkshire for over 20 years, I’ve seen all kinds of reasons behind the need for a business to recruit new finance staff but how many of those companies made the right call….at the right time? The decision to hire an interim or permanent finance professional is a significant one, and it largely depends on the company’s specific needs, objectives, and resources. Both types of finance jobs have distinct advantages and can provide different types of value to an organisation. In this article, I’ll explore the key benefits of hiring an interim vs a permanent accountancy and finance professional. ​Understanding the Roles: Interim vs. Permanent Finance Professionals Before diving into the benefits, it's essential to understand the fundamental differences between interim and permanent. Interim Finance Professionals: are typically brought in on a short-term basis to address specific challenges or temporary gaps within a company.These professionals are usually highly experienced, often with a broad skill set, and are capable of stepping into a role quickly. Interim finance professionals might be hired for a variety of reasons, including covering for a permanent employee on leave, assisting with a specific project, managing transitions, or handling urgent financial needs. Permanent Finance Professionals: on the other hand, are hired to take on a long-term role within the company. They typically have a more stable and ongoing relationship with the organisation, working closely with other departments and employees to ensure the company’s financial health is maintained and improved. A permanent finance professional is expected to provide continuous support, helping shape long-term strategies, and ensuring business growth and stability. ​With these definitions in mind, let's explore the benefits of each type.​Benefits of Hiring an Interim Finance Professional 1. Flexibility and Immediate Impact: One of the most significant advantages of hiring an interim accountancy/finance candidate is flexibility. Interim candidates are typically available to step in quickly, often within a matter of weeks or even days. This is especially beneficial for businesses that need immediate support within their finance function due to an unexpected situation or an urgent financial project. For example, if a company faces a sudden crisis, such as the resignation of a senior finance executive, a business owner might need an interim finance leader to fill the role temporarily. The interim candidate can quickly assume responsibilities, such as overseeing cash flow management, financial reporting, and budget planning, allowing the business to continue operating smoothly during the transition period. Additionally, interims can be engaged for specific, short-term projects, such as managing the implementation of a new financial system, preparing for audits, or dealing with temporary increases in workload. The flexibility of interim senior finance roles makes them ideal for businesses looking to meet specific short-term goals without the need to commit to a permanent hire. ​2. Cost-Effective for Short-Term Needs Hiring an interim accountant can often be more cost-effective than hiring a permanent one, particularly for short-term or project-based needs. Interims are typically paid a daily or weekly rate, which means businesses do not need to cover the long-term costs associated with a permanent employee, such as pensions, healthcare, and other benefits. For companies operating on tight budgets or with fluctuating financial demands, hiring an interim professional can be a way to access high-level expertise without committing to the ongoing costs of a permanent hire. This is particularly valuable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that may not have the financial capacity to employ a full-time senior finance professional with the expertise required to fulfil their requirements. ​3. Expertise and Specialisation Interim finance professionals often bring a wealth of experience and unique knowledge to the table. Many have worked across various industries, providing them with a broad understanding of different financial challenges and solutions. Their expertise enables them to quickly assess the situation, identify the key issues, and implement strategies that can drive immediate improvements. Whether it’s managing complex financial reporting, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, or implementing cost-saving initiatives, interim finance professionals possess the necessary skills to tackle these challenges quickly and effectively. For businesses that require specialised financial expertise on a temporary or interim basis, hiring an interim professional can be a great solution. ​4. Support During Transitions and Change Businesses that are going through periods of change—whether it’s a merger, acquisition, restructure, or IT system upgrade—can benefit from the support of an interim finance professional. These transitions often require specialist knowledge to ensure a smooth process. They can help with tasks such as conducting due diligence, integrating financial systems, or managing financial communications with stakeholders. Their ability to handle high-pressure situations and adapt to challenges quickly makes them invaluable during periods of change. ​5. Reduced Recruitment Risk If a business is uncertain about hiring a permanent employee or simply wants to test the waters, hiring an interim can reduce the recruitment risk. They are often hired for their ability to deliver results quickly, without the long-term commitment that comes with a permanent role. If the business is not satisfied with the interims performance, they can simply replace them without the added complications that come with a permanent hire. This can be especially important for businesses that may be unsure about the long-term financial strategy or need time to evaluate the suitability of a new hire before committing to them permanently. ​Benefits of Hiring a Permanent Finance Professional 1.Long-Term Strategic Support ​A permanent finance hire, hopefully, becomes an integral part of the company’s long-term strategy. This individual will be responsible for the company’s ongoing financial health, working closely with management to shape business decisions, optimise financial performance, and align the company’s financial goals with its strategic objectives. Permanent finance professionals can help businesses by offering consistent advice on areas like tax planning, financial forecasting, and long-term investment strategies. They can also assist with employee development, fostering a strong financial team, and providing training and mentorship to junior staff members. For businesses that require a stable, long-term financial presence to guide growth and sustainability, hiring a permanent finance professional is often the best option. ​2.Stronger Company Culture and Relationships One of the key benefits of having a permanent employee is their ability to build strong relationships within the company. Unlike interim professionals, who may only interact with a limited number of people during their contract, permanent professionals have the time to embed themselves within the company culture and form deeper connections with other employees, teams, and departments. A permanent finance professional can work collaboratively with other departments, helping to align financial strategies with broader business objectives. Over time, they develop a deep understanding of the business’s operations, challenges, and goals, which allows them to make more informed decisions and offer tailored financial advice. ​3.Continuity and Stability Hiring a permanent finance professional ensures continuity and stability in your company’s financial management. This is especially important for businesses that require ongoing oversight and management of financial processes. A permanent professional will have a long-term commitment to the company’s financial success, ensuring that key financial tasks—such as budgeting, reporting, and compliance—are consistently handled. Stability is particularly important businesses that require ongoing financial planning and risk management. A permanent finance professional will be able to navigate both the everyday challenges and the long-term issues that might arise, such as economic downturns, changes in regulation, or shifts in market conditions. ​4.Deeper Understanding of the Business A permanent finance hire has the time to truly understand the intricacies of the business. Over time, they become deeply familiar with the company’s goals, challenges, and nuances, which allows them to make better financial decisions and anticipate potential issues. This in-depth knowledge helps to align financial decision-making with the company’s vision, ensuring that financial strategies support business growth in a meaningful way. Businesses that operate in competitive industries or rapidly changing markets can benefit from having a finance professional who is attuned to the local market conditions and the specific needs of the business. ​5.Employee Retention and Development A permanent finance professional is often tasked with developing and mentoring junior employees. By investing in the development of the finance team, they help ensure that the company has a pipeline of talent to support future growth. For businesses that plan to scale or expand their operations, having a permanent finance professional who can recruit, train, and develop a team of skilled finance staff is a key advantage. This helps build a more robust and capable finance function within the company, which is especially important for long-term success. ​​​Interim vs. Permanent Finance Professionals Both interim and permanent finance candidates offer unique benefits to businesses, and the choice between the two largely depends on the company’s specific needs and goals. Interim finance professionals provide flexibility, expertise, and cost-effectiveness for businesses that need short-term support or specialised assistance. They are particularly well-suited for project-based work, transitional periods, or covering gaps in the workforce. On the other hand, permanent finance professionals offer long-term strategic support, stability, and the ability to foster strong relationships within the company. They are ideal for businesses seeking continuous guidance on financial matters, long-term growth, and the development of a cohesive financial strategy. ​Ultimately, the right choice for your business will depend on factors such as the scope of the work required, the financial health of your organisation, and your long-term goals. By carefully weighing the advantages of both options, you can make an informed decision that best supports the success of your business. ​Need help deciding whether an interim or permanent finance professional is right for your business? At Sharp Consultancy, we’ve been advising and supporting businesses across Yorkshire for over 30 years—matching them with the right finance professionals at the right time. Whether you need immediate interim support or are planning a strategic permanent hire, our teams in Leeds and Sheffield can guide you through the options. 📞 Call us today on 0113 236 6300 / 0114 261 1700 or 📧 email stuartdouglass@sharpconsultancy.com to discuss your hiring needs with one of our expert consultants. ​Sharp Consultancy is a specialist finance and accountancy recruitment partner for businesses across Yorkshire and the North East Midlands. With a deep understanding of the local market and access to a network of high-calibre professionals, we help organisations secure the talent they need to succeed. If you're looking to strengthen your finance team, CONTACT US to speak to one of our expert consultants to find out how we can help.

Read article

Sharp Consultancy - Privacy and Cookie Policy

​Sharp Consultancy (‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’) is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected and that Sharp Consultancy is compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This privacy policy (‘Privacy Policy’) explains how Sharp Consultancy uses the information that we collect about you and the procedures that Sharp Consultancy has in place to protect your personal information.

Who is the data controller for the information you provide us?

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation, Sharp Consultancy is the data controller. Sharp Consultancy processes personal information in relation to its own staff, candidates and clients.

We ensure that the information you supply to us is processed fairly and lawfully, with care and skill and will only be used for the purposes set out in this privacy policy.

In case of any queries regarding the information we hold on you, please send an email to data@sharpconsultancy.com or write to, for the attention of our Compliance Officer: 202 Meadowhall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S9 1BN

What kind of information do we collect from you?

Sharp Consultancy will collect personal information about you, including but not limited to your name, address, contact details and any information you have provided to Sharp Consultancy in relation to future employment such as your CV, references and qualification certificates.

On occasion, we may also collect sensitive personal information with your consent, for example, information relating to your health.

We will collect personal information from you by telephone, in person, in writing including all forms of electronic mail and through our website. On occasion, we may look at publicly available sources such as LinkedIn and other job boards, but we do not usually record any personal information. In the case that we do, we will contact you within the timescale required by applicable data protection laws.

How is your information used?

First and foremost, we will use your personal information to help us provide you with the best possible service in our capacity as a recruitment and consultancy service. Your personal information may be held, used, processed and disclosed by us for the following reasons:

  1. To provide our recruitment and consultancy services to you, as listed on our site and to facilitate the recruitment process.

  2. To answer your questions and enquiries.

  3. To enable you to submit your CV or apply online for jobs.

  4. To notify you about vacancies that we believe you may be interested in, where you have consented to do so and can unsubscribe at any time.

  5. To send you details of reports, promotions, offers, networking and client events, and general information about the industry sectors which we consider may be of interest to you.

  6. To send your personal information to clients in order to apply for/ assess your suitability for a job, where you have consented to do so.

  7. To match your details with job vacancies and to assist us in finding a position that is most suitable for you.

  8. To fulfil our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, for your future temporary employment.

  9. To fulfil contractual obligations with our clients.

  10. For internal record-keeping.

  11. To maintain our business relationship, where you are a user of our website, a client or candidate.

  12. To enable us to send you targeted, relevant marketing materials or other communications.

  13. To improve our customer service and to make our services more valuable to you (including carrying out customer satisfaction surveys and tailoring our website to enrich your online experience).

  14. To determine the effectiveness of promotional campaigns and advertising.

  15. From time to time, we may contact you to make sure that the information stored on our system is complete, up to date and accurate.

  16. To notify you of changes to our services.

  17. If Sharp Consultancy and/or part of its business is sold or integrated with another business, your details may be disclosed to Sharp Consultancy’s advisers and any prospective purchasers and their advisers and new owners of the business.

  18. To third parties where we have retained them to provide services that we, you or our client have requested including but not limited to references, qualifications, criminal reference checking services, verification of the details you have provided from a third party source and skill test results.

  19. To trusted third parties who perform functions on behalf of Sharp Consultancy and provide services to us, such as professional advisors including accountancy and legal firms, IT support and cloud based service providers. These third parties have to comply with similar undertakings of privacy and confidentiality as Sharp Consultancy.

  20. To comply with our legal, regulatory and compliance obligations in connection with the detection of crime or the collection of taxes or duties or to verify your identity.

Our legal basis for processing personal information?

Our legal basis for the processing of your personal information is our legitimate business interests, although we will also rely on contract, legal obligation and consent for specific uses of data.

  • We will rely on contract as a legal basis, if we are negotiating or have entered into a placement agreement with you or your organisation. In order to enter into a contract, we will need you to supply certain personal information as the contract will contain obligations on both your part and our part such as financial information to pay you.

  • Certain categories of your personal information may contractually be required as per instructions of our clients. In these circumstances, you will need to provide such personal information. We, or our client, may not be able to enter into a contract with you if the information is not provided.

  • We will rely on legal obligation if we are required to hold information on you to fulfil our legal obligations. There are some statutory and regulatory obligations which relate to businesses’ generally, for example complying with tax, bribery, fraud/crime prevention and cooperation with regulatory authorities such as HMRC.

  • Where you have entered into a contract with us and refuse to provide any information required by law such as information and documentation to establish your right to work and verification of identity, we reserve the right to end our business relationship with you.

  • We will process your personal information on the basis that you have consented to do so for one or more specific purposes. For example, you will have provided your written or verbal consent for us to use your information to receive specific marketing updates and to send your personal information to clients in order to apply for/ assess your suitability for a job.

  • You can withdraw your consent at any time.

  • The remainder of the processing is carried out under our legitimate business interests or the interests of a third party (client). We don’t consider any of the processing will prejudice you in any way and instead will help us offer a more tailored, efficient service for everyone.

  • We consider it to be reasonable to retain records of our dealings and transactions to ensure our business runs smoothly and to provide the best service possible.

  • We consider it to be reasonable to expect that if you are looking for employment or have posted your CV on a publicly available source, you are happy for us to collect and store this information to offer or provide our recruitment services to you.

  • You have the right to object to this processing if you wish by sending an email to data@sharpconsultancy.com . Please note, that in some cases we may continue to retain some information if we have an overriding business interest or legal obligation to do so.

Who has access to your information and where will it be held?

The information you supply may be disclosed to Sharp Consultancy staff in the UK, and with your prior consent, agents and employers seeking candidates for employment. Your information will also be disclosed to people to whom we may transfer rights and obligations in connection with our business, such as professional advisors like accountants and to any organisations that provide a service to Sharp Consultancy such as cloud based service providers, and who have agreed to keep your information confidential.

Our servers are all hosted from a datacentre in the UK which is ISO 27001 certified. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy, Sharp Consultancy protects all data from being disclosed to any other third parties except when required by law.

It is rare for information you provide us to be transferred out of European Economic area (EEA). In the case that the transfer of data is necessary to provide you with a service, we will notify you of the event.

How will Sharp Consultancy protect your information?

The internet is not a secure medium. However, Sharp Consultancy has put in place various technologies, strict policies and training for all employees to safeguard and protect your information from unauthorised and unlawful access, use, modification, destruction or loss. These technologies and policies, which are of the highest standards, are continuously improved.

Notwithstanding the above, it should be appreciated that no system is entirely fool-proof and you should be careful when you reveal any confidential information to any third party.

Sharp Consultancy shall use reasonable endeavours to ensure the security of the data, but shall have no liability for any loss or damage, including for access to data, caused by a distributed denial-of-service attack, viruses or other technologically harmful material that may infect the Client’s computer equipment, computer programs, data or other proprietary material through use of the Services.

How long will Sharp Consultancy hold your information for?

We will hold your information for as long as it is necessary to comply with our statutory and contractual obligations and in compliance with our legitimate business interests as a data controller.

Some categories of documents we hold will need to be retained longer than others. How long we retain different categories of personal information will be based on the purpose for which they are processed and our statutory and contractual obligations .Other information will be held for no longer than is necessary to protect our legitimate business interests as a data controller.

If we obtain payroll details for temporary workers in order to process payroll, we and a third party will be required by law to store this data for up to 7 years.

How you can access, transfer, modify or request information to be deleted?

You have the right at any time to access a copy of or to transfer the information we hold on you. Sharp Consultancy may ask you to verify your identity and for more information about your request. This service is free of charge but additional fees may apply when obtaining extra copies of the information. If for some reason your request is denied, Sharp Consultancy will provide you with reasons for doing so .We will also inform you of the supervisory authority you can lodge a complaint to.

Additionally, you have the right to amend, delete, withdraw your consent or restrict processing of the information which Sharp Consultancy holds on you, subject to certain expectations. Where Sharp Consultancy is unable to approve your request we will give you reasons for not doing so.

In all cases, we will seek to act on your request in the timescale required by applicable data protection laws.

Use of cookies

‘Cookies’ are small files, typically containing information such as a site name and unique

user ID, which are stored on a user's computer. Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.

Certain features on the Website are only available if you enable the cookie. Sharp Consultancy also uses a cookie to assist it to provide information which is relevant to your interest.

You are free to decline Sharp Consultancy cookies although that may impair certain features on the Website.

Sharp Consultancy may also track certain information through the use of JavaScript code and third party web site analytics providers such as Google Analytics.

Your rights and choices

You have a choice whether or not you wish to receive information from Sharp Consultancy. We will usually not contact you for marketing purposes unless you have given us prior consent.

We will use electronic profiling which involves human-decision making on our database to find jobs and opportunities based on your details. You may withdraw your consent or restrict Sharp Consultancy from processing your personal information in certain circumstances. Please note, this may affect the services we are able to supply you.

Finally, it should be remembered that the General Data Protection Regulation provide certain rights for you including:

  1. The right to be informed

  2. The right of access

  3. The right to rectification

  4. The right to erasure

  5. The right to restrict processing

  6. The right to data portability

  7. The right to object

  8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

A good explanation of your rights (in English) is available on the website of the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office. For more information please visit the ICO website

Contact Details

At Sharp Consultancy, we welcome your views and if you would like to contact us with any queries or comments on how we have handled your personal information, please send an e- mail to data@sharpconsultancy.com or write to, for the attention of our Compliance Officer: 202 Meadowhall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S9 1BN

Other Terms

Sharp Consultancy may contain links to other websites. If you click on a link, you are not protected by this Privacy Policy and you are advised to read the privacy policy of the other website as it may differ from this Privacy Policy. Sharp Consultancy cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites even if you access those using links on our website.

Sharp Consultancy reserves the right to amend this Policy from time to time as it deems necessary.