Key takeaways from our Interim Ask Me Anything with Andy Vaughan

This week I hosted our first Ask Me Anything session for public sector interims with my colleague Kathryn Reed, alongside seasoned local government interim Andy Vaughan, for an open, practical conversation about interim leadership today. 

With attendees ranging from those considering their first interim move to experienced leaders between assignments, the discussion focused on the realities of the market, what clients value most, and how interims can position themselves for long‑term success.

Below is a summary of the questions we answered, as well as answers to those we didn't get to. Wherever possible, there are links to additional resources to support you.

What's the interim market and demand like in public sector right now?

A consistent theme was that the interim market remains uneven. While some interims are experiencing longer gaps between assignments, others are moving quickly from role to role. Demand is strongest in areas where public sector organisations are under sustained pressure or change, including:

• Local government, particularly linked to LGR, devolution and leadership backfill
• Housing and housing associations, with continued focus on regulation, asset management and operations
• Civil society, where commercial and financial capability is increasingly sought

For interims, this reinforces the importance of clarity around specialism and value rather than positioning too broadly.

What differentiates high‑performing interims?

Beyond technical expertise, the session highlighted that the interims who secure repeat work tend to demonstrate:

• Emotional resilience, particularly during periods between assignments
• The ability to adapt leadership style to context rather than defaulting to “heroic” leadership
• A strong focus on legacy and outcomes, leaving organisations stronger than they found them

Andy reflected that interim leadership is less about status or hierarchy, and more about judgement, humility and knowing where you genuinely add value.

| Related reading: Knowing when to move on from an interim assignment

How do interims build pipeline and access opportunities?

There was no single “secret” to securing interim roles, but several consistent principles emerged:

• Build strong relationships with a small number of specialist agencies
• Stay visible and proactive between assignments rather than waiting for calls
• Invest in your professional network — referrals remain one of the most powerful routes to roles
• Keep your positioning clear across CVs and LinkedIn

For additional support on this topic, register for our upcoming webinar: How to market yourself as an Interim, on 21 April 2026 at 9am.

What advice would we give to those entering the interim profession?

For those considering the move from permanent roles, Andy stressed the importance of being honest about:

• Financial resilience and tolerance for uncertainty
• The impact on home and family life
• The shift from long‑term ownership to time‑bound impact
• Interim leadership can be hugely rewarding, but it requires a different relationship with work, risk and identity.

Related reading: The 5 questions you should ask yourself before becoming an interim manager

Questions we didn't get to

There were a number of questions we weren't able to get to during the time we had live. You'll find our answers and some additional resources for you on those topics below.

What is IR35 and how many interim assignments are inside/outside IR35?

IR35 relates to legislation on disguised employment, deemed employment and ensuring interim managers are paying the correct amount of tax on their income. It ultimately helps HMRC to define whether you are in a permanent role but on a temporary basis, or if you are providing services without supervision direction or control. Each of which has effect on who is responsible for deducting tax in the supply chain of interim managers, which in turn will effect how whether you will contract via a ltd company or umbrella company.

For specific questions on this, I would encourage you to speak to an interim recruitment consultant. Or to use resources such as The Institute of Interim Management or Contractor UK.

We roughly see 65% to 75% of interim assignments inside of IR35, with 30 to 35% of contracts being outside of IR35. Its important to understand the implications of IR35 as that might influence the rate you wish to put forward for a particular assignment. Again, I'd encourage you to speak to an interim recruiter to understand the specifics of IR35 status in relation to any given assignment, and ensuring the day rate you are seeking is fair for the services provided and in line with your financial requirements.

Umbrella companies and the ideal business set‑up?

A few questions were asked before and during the session about whether interims should operate through a limited company or an umbrella, whether they need flexibility to use both depending on the assignment, and how best to balance risk, compliance and flexibility as legislation continues to evolve.

The need to set up a limited company is mainly driven by the type of interim work you are securing.

Inside IR35

If you are operating inside IR35, it is highly likely a recruitment company will want you to work via an umbrella company.

Recent legislation on the regulation of umbrella companies has led many recruitment companies and hiring organisations to re-assess their approved supplier lists, and how they work with umbrella companies, due to shifting liability for any tax avoidance or non-compliance.

I’d encourage you to speak to a Tile Hill consultant (or another trusted recruitment partner) about the practicalities of working through an umbrella company, and the key things to be aware of.

Outside IR35

If you are operating outside IR35, then it is more likely you’ll contract via a limited company. We can share practical advice on what to consider when setting one up, plus the documentation and insurances you’ll typically need to evidence to an interim provider when taking on a contract.

My starting point would be to secure an interim contract first and then determine the contracting mechanism. A limited company can be set up quickly if needed, which helps avoid incurring costs before it’s confirmed you’ll require one.

What’s most helpful is understanding the steps you’ll need to follow for both routes (Ltd and umbrella), and the considerations associated with each approach.

Related reading: Changes to Umbrella Companies: what it means for Tile Hill interims

Where is the demand for interims in children’s social care?

There is constant demand for interim professionals across children's and adults social care, whether:

• substantive positions such as DCS and DAS
• preparation and response to inspections
• or high-pressure areas such as SEND

These things are all driving interim need and I’d expect this to continue. Not to mention standing up new services as LGR moves forwards. For more detailed insight, speak to our colleagues in our children's and adults social care team.

Are there specific preferred agencies that UK Government exclusively have a relationship with?

Most public sector organisations use pre-procured frameworks such as ESPO, LGRP,  Crown Commercial Service or other managed vendor platforms. I'd encourage you to look at each of these frameworks as they will list the pre-approved recruitment companies.

For information on which recruitment companies are trusted most by interim professionals and who they highly rate, I recommend reviewing the Institute of Interim Management's list of service providers and consultants, voted for by interim professionals each year via their annual survey. By working down from #1, look at those who work in the areas you are seeking work within and you will quickly establish the best companies to engage with.

At Tile Hill we're always happy to recommend our view on other recruitment companies you can speak to in our markets, and those that we don't operate within.

What's the best way to work with recruitment companies to access opportunities, including Tile Hill?

What to expect

Unfortunately, the experience of working with recruitment professionals across the industry can be varied. My recommendation is to have 3-5 trusted recruitment partners that you've built a solid relationship with, and know how they can support you to secure work. And, most importantly, where they understand:

• you and how you like to work
• your experience
• your motivations

It's normal to have relationships with another 5 - 10 recruitment companies where you have less of a relationship, but they may still speak to you about relevant opportunities.

It’s a two-way relationship

The relationship with the recruiter should be two way. As much as we should be keeping in touch with you on a periodic basis about the market, new opportunities and advice, I'd also strongly encourage you to pick up the phone to keep in touch with your favourite interim recruiters to understand what they're seeing and to make sure you're front acentre in their mind.

Work with those that value providing a great experience

At Tile hill we really care about the experience you have when engaging with us. We want you to have an ongoing relationship with us over a number of years as your career unfolds. If you would like to know whether we are well placed to support you in your career, speak with one of the team. We will be honest and clear about whether we can support you and the types of roles that we recruit that meet your skill set and experience.

I personally would want to hear from you if you don't feel the experience of working with tile hill has felt a two-way partnership, or you believe we can improve the experience in any way.

LinkedIn (and Job Boards) can be useful

LinkedIn is a great shop window to your career experience and achievements. Being active on there is helpful, but I don't believe you need to be on it constantly. At a minimum, keep your contact details and most recent assignments updated. Beyond that, use it to reconnect with previous colleagues and re-establish contact with those that you maybe haven't spoken to for a number of years. After all, it is a professional networking platform.

You will also find other recruiters contact you through LinkedIn and this is all about expanding your network to help you secure additional work. Most recruiters will also advertise their interim roles on LinkedIn, so connect with those that are relevant to your experience and to make contact when see roles that are of interest.

The power of your network

Your network is the most important place to spend time. Spend time with people that you previously worked with to find out what's going on in their world and to make sure that they know you're now operating as an interim manager. This isn't asking them for work, its about understanding:

• what they're up to
• what trends they are seeing
• and getting their advice on how to position yourself.

They will likely be the ones that will connect you into recruiting organisations or gaps in their organisation.

Tailoring your CV

Please tailor your CV for each assignment you apply to. If the recruitment partner can give you the specific outcomes the end organisation is trying to achieve, then you can tailor your key achievements to align with the given brief. This will really help your CV to stand out above others.

I'm surprised by how few recruiters ask interims to tailor their CV but it is something I would encourage you to spend 20 minutes doing for each position you are applying to. It will help with success rate.

Getting started with Tile Hill

A few people asked how to register with us as a recruiter and what are the best ways to start a conversation if you’re considering interim work but not yet actively looking.

We'd encourage in the first instance to book a 1:1 conversation with one of our interim team - including myself and Kathyrn. The team work across different specialisms in the public sector, but they work closely together, so if there's a few areas of interest, pick the most prominent in your experience and let our consultant know, so they can connect you with other colleagues.

We'd love to connect and talk your own situation - whether you're considering interim, on assignment or between assignments and looking for leadership roles across public sector and civil society.

Click here to book a 1:1 conversation

You can also see all of our Live roles on our website and following us on LinkedIn, where we also share updates on future webinars and Ask Me Anything sessions.

Final thoughts

Interim leadership plays a critical role in helping public sector organisations navigate transformation, uncertainty, change and pressure. The quality of questions in this session reinforced just how thoughtful, experienced and reflective the interim community is.

At Tile Hill, we’re committed to doing more than simply placing roles. We aim to support interim leaders at every stage of their journey - whether you’re considering the move, building momentum between assignments, or thinking about your longer‑term portfolio.

We will be publishing further insights, and hosting more Ask Me Anything sessions over the coming months to go deeper into the topics that matter most.

If you’d like a more personal conversation, our interim team is always happy to talk.

Interim leadership is complex, demanding and deeply rewarding and we’re here to support you through it.

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The Institute of Interim Management survey is now live and is open throughout April. It’s a brilliant way to understand the views of interim professionals and we encourage you to complete it and read the report once its published later in June. You can read my reflections and how we've responded to the commitments we made last year following the 2025 survey report.