Covering a People Leadership Gap: Connect Solutions vs Altus CXO vs Cerius Executives vs ProGrowth People Solutions vs livingHR

A people leadership gap is not always a vacant CHRO position. An organization may need temporary executive coverage, a part-time leader above an existing HR team, or someone to build capability before a permanent appointment. Those situations call for different schedules, authority, support resources, and handovers.

Connect Solutions, Altus CXO, Cerius Executives, ProGrowth People Solutions, and livingHR describe different routes to senior people support. This comparison uses their official service descriptions reviewed on October 4, 2026. It does not rank the providers, claim hands-on testing, or imply that they serve identical markets. Confirm the operating jurisdiction, named leader, availability, and contractual scope directly.

Define the coverage gap before choosing a title

List the decisions and recurring responsibilities that currently lack an owner. Separate executive priorities from daily people operations, recruiting, payroll, and specialist employment matters. A senior fractional leader may coordinate these activities without personally delivering each one.

For illustration, imagine a company whose HR head has left while an internal operations employee continues payroll coordination. The company may need a temporary decision owner, support for managers, and an orderly transfer to a future hire. That invented scenario does not automatically require a full-time interim CHRO or an outsourced HR department.

Read what a fractional CHRO does and describe the coverage needed on days the external leader is absent. The mandate should explain who handles urgent issues, which decisions require approval, and what must remain operational during the engagement.

Five providers at a glance

The table describes offers to investigate. It does not confirm immediate availability or imply that a fractional engagement provides continuous full-time coverage.

Connect Solutions

Connect Solutions positions its HR services around businesses operating in the United States, including Brazilian and Latino owners and binational teams. The site describes a fractional CHRO consulting model separately from payroll and HR operations, talent acquisition, and training services.

A potential strength is the explicit operating context. A buyer launching or strengthening a US people function can investigate the combination of senior guidance and available operational services. Review the Connect Solutions profile.

Confirm whether the proposed CHRO work includes executive decision ownership or advisory support, and which separate services are included. US positioning does not establish coverage of every issue in another country. Identify the relevant specialist boundaries, local requirements, language needs, and responsibility for daily tasks before treating the offer as a complete replacement for an internal HR leader.

Altus CXO

Altus CXO's CHRO service describes senior people leadership on a part-time or project basis, covering talent, culture, organizational development, performance, and related responsibilities. Its FAQ distinguishes ongoing fractional involvement from temporary full-time interim coverage and says it offers both.

A potential strength is the explicit choice between those engagement shapes. A buyer can discuss the actual coverage needed rather than assuming every leadership gap requires the same schedule. See the Altus CXO profile.

Confirm the named executive, sector experience, capacity, and support resources. The presence of several executive disciplines in the firm does not establish that all are included in your engagement. Ask how specialist work is handled and how the leader's authority fits with the chief executive, internal HR team, and other managers.

Cerius Executives

Cerius Executives' human-resources page describes contract executives in part-time, temporary, and interim HR roles. The firm also presents fractional and direct-hire routes through its executive network, with a focus on matching leadership to the situation.

A potential strength is the ability to discuss several staffing routes within one search conversation. A buyer deciding between interim coverage and a longer-term appointment can investigate that distinction. The Cerius Executives profile places this route alongside direct service providers.

Confirm the individual leader and the relationship among the buyer, executive, and firm. A network description is not the operating plan for your assignment. Request relevant experience, an actual schedule, decision responsibilities, and a transition approach. Do not rely on advertised speed or results as a substitute for assessing the proposed person and scope.

ProGrowth People Solutions

ProGrowth's fractional CHRO service describes embedded expertise and partnership with leaders and the HR team. Its published structure uses build, operate, and transfer phases, including assessment, a people strategy roadmap, ongoing initiatives, and knowledge transfer.

A potential strength is an explicit handover objective. A buyer seeking to strengthen internal capability can investigate how that phased model would leave useful processes and trained owners. Review the ProGrowth People Solutions profile.

Confirm whether the proposed duration and sequence fit your gap. A published phased model should not be assumed to provide immediate full-time vacancy coverage or identical terms for every buyer. Establish working geography, relevant jurisdictional expertise, availability, and who maintains people operations while the strategy and capability work proceeds.

livingHR

livingHR's interim and fractional support page describes temporary and part-time people leadership, including CHRO and CPO roles as well as other HR levels. It addresses growth, transitions, and temporary absences, with a broader firm offering additional people services.

A potential strength is the ability to choose the appropriate role level. A company needing an experienced HR manager may not need the same mandate as one requiring executive people leadership. See the livingHR profile.

Confirm the role, named person, time commitment, and work included in the leadership arrangement. Broader HR services should not be presumed part of the same contract. Ask whether the assigned leader manages an existing team, delivers a specific initiative, or coordinates additional resources, and how those responsibilities transfer at the end.

Compare the first month using the same coverage case

Give each candidate an accurate picture of the vacancy or capacity gap, existing people team, current service providers, and upcoming decisions. Include practical constraints such as locations, languages, time zones, and access. A candidate cannot assess coverage from employee count alone.

Ask what they would stabilize first, what needs specialist review, and which decisions must remain with your management. Request a responsibility map showing executive leadership, daily operations, and supporting resources. The map should also explain what happens when the fractional leader is not scheduled to work.

Compare actual availability separately from the provider's service range. A broad capability list does not mean all the relevant people are ready for your preferred start date. Confirm preparation, meeting attendance, follow-up, and the capacity your internal team must supply.

Make continuity and handover part of the scope

Agree which records, plans, and process documents will remain with the company. Identify the internal owner or incoming permanent leader who receives them, and include time for a structured transfer. A handover document alone may not establish that the receiving team understands the work.

Review the arrangement if the gap changes. A permanent hire, growth in headcount, or a new operational issue may require a different role level or schedule. Set a review point and a clear way to adjust scope without assuming the original title covers every future need.

Keep specialist boundaries explicit. Employment, tax, benefits, and other regulated matters can depend on jurisdiction and circumstances. This comparison does not interpret those rules or verify authorization for a particular assignment. The provider proposal should identify the qualified support relevant to your company.

Choose the model the organization can use

Investigate Connect Solutions for its US operating context, Altus for its fractional-versus-interim distinction, and Cerius for network-based executive routes. Examine ProGrowth's capability-transfer model and livingHR's range of people leadership levels against the same coverage brief.

These are hypotheses to test in a provider discussion, not endorsements. Explore fractional CHRO providers or find an executive with the current ownership gap, required coverage, and expected handover. A useful engagement gives your team an accountable leader and a realistic operating arrangement for the period ahead.