Risk Talent · Interim and contract

Interim risk managers and contract risk specialists

RiskTAE supplies interim risk managers and day-rate risk contractors to banks, building societies, lenders, insurers, investment firms and payment firms in the UK and worldwide: specialists for model validation, credit risk, operational risk and RCSA, regulatory change, and ICAAP and Basel 3.1 projects. For a chief risk officer, see interim chief risk officers.

Every candidate is interviewed on the substance of the role by people who have done the work, so the person who arrives can start on the first day.

Below CRORisk managers, contractors, specialists
UK and worldwideInterim and contract supply
Two routesThrough RiskTAE, or direct

Roles

Which interim and contract risk roles do you fill?

Interim and contract risk roles
RoleWhat the engagement usually covers
Interim chief risk officer or head of riskA vacancy, a resignation with immediate effect, or a remediation the board wants led by someone senior, often with a senior management function approval to plan. See interim chief risk officers, and fractional chief risk officers for part-time, continuing cover.
Interim risk managerA vacancy, a leave of absence or a peak in the work below head-of level, in operational, credit, market, liquidity, enterprise or regulatory risk.
Contract specialistA defined piece of work on a day rate: model development and validation, credit risk, operational risk and RCSA, regulatory change, and ICAAP, ILAAP and Basel 3.1 projects.

Which you need

Interim, contract, fractional or a consulting project: which do you need?

An interim fills a role: someone who holds a position, often a senior one, for a period, with the authority that comes with it. A contractor adds capacity or a skill for a defined piece of work, on a day rate, inside your team and under your direction. A fractional chief risk officer holds the role on a continuing basis for part of the week.

When what you need is a delivered outcome rather than a person, such as a finished ICAAP, a validated model or a recovery plan the board can approve, Risk Advisory can take the whole piece of work, with the people, the method and the accountability for the result.

We will tell you at the first call which of these fits, including when the answer is a permanent hire through executive search.

How it works

How are interim and contract professionals engaged?

Two ways, whichever suits your procurement. Through RiskTAE, we contract with you and invoice for the assignment, and the professional works through their own company or an umbrella company. Or you contract the person directly, and we charge a fee.

For UK engagements the off-payroll working rules, known as IR35, apply. Since 6 April 2021 the client, in most cases, decides the worker’s employment status for tax and gives a status determination statement with its reasons; where the client is a small business outside the public sector, the worker’s own company decides. Status is part of the brief, because it decides how the assignment is set up.

Source: HMRC, Understanding off-payroll working (IR35), updated 26 February 2026.

1 January 2027

Why are firms bringing in contract risk specialists now?

Basel 3.1 and the SDDT regime take effect

Basel 3.1 and the simplified capital regime for small domestic deposit takers both take effect in the UK on 1 January 2027. Firms recalculating risk-weighted assets, rebuilding models and updating the ICAAP for the new rules often need more hands for a few months than they want to hire permanently.

Contract specialists add that capacity inside your team. For the recalculation itself, our Basel 3.1 implementation service and the RisKIT capital models can shorten the work.

Source: PRA, PS1/26 and PS4/26, 20 January 2026.

Process

How does an interim or contract placement run?

  1. Brief

    A 30-minute call to agree the role, the level, the length, the basis of the fee and the route: through us, or direct.

  2. Shortlist

    People who have done the work, each interviewed on the substance of your brief, with their availability and conflicts checked.

  3. Start

    Contracts, references and, where the role is a senior management function, the approval timetable, so the person starts on the agreed date.

  4. During the assignment

    We stay in touch with you and the professional, and if the work turns into a permanent role, we can run that search too.

For professionals

Looking for interim or contract risk work?

Risk professionals who take interim assignments or contract roles can register with us in confidence: chief risk officers and heads of risk between permanent roles, risk managers, and specialists in models, credit, market and operational risk, liquidity and regulatory change. Your name is never put forward without your agreement.

Register on our candidates page.

FAQ

Questions about interim and contract risk professionals

What is the difference between an interim and a contractor?

An interim holds a role for a period, usually a management or senior post with the authority that comes with it. A contractor is engaged for a defined piece of work or extra capacity, on a day rate, inside the client’s team. Both are temporary; the difference is the role, not the length.

Do you supply risk contractors outside the UK?

Yes. We supply interim and contract risk professionals in the UK and worldwide. Outside the UK, the local tax and employment rules decide how the assignment is set up.

Who decides IR35 status for a UK contract?

In most cases the client decides, and gives a status determination statement with its reasons, under the off-payroll working rules that have applied to the private sector since 6 April 2021. Where the client is a small business outside the public sector, the worker’s own company decides.

Can you supply a fractional or part-time chief risk officer?

Yes. A fractional chief risk officer holds the role for part of the week on a continuing basis, and our page on fractional chief risk officers sets out how it works.

Can you supply a team for a project rather than one person?

Yes. Several contract specialists can work inside your team under your direction, or Risk Advisory can take the project as a delivered piece of work, with the accountability for the result.

Next step

Tell us what you need covered

A 30-minute call is enough to agree the role, the level and the route, and whether an interim, a contractor, a fractional CRO or a permanent hire is the right answer.

Brief us on a role

Tell us about the role and a partner will come back to you. Treated in confidence.

For example Interim operational risk manager

What kind of hire?

PDF or Word, up to 2 MB

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