It's no secret it's a challenge to recruit, with most areas suffering from the ever-shrinking talent pool. It's also no secret local government is under severe financial pressure, having to deliver more with less.

For these reasons, it can be tempting to resist hiring interim support to save money but can result in overworked teams. Hiring an interim manager can seem a costly exercise, but hired properly, with clearly defined deliverables, interims can save money in the long term.

While interims are often an immediate solution to a short-term problem, the effective utilisation of their experience can support the organisation in the longer term. The transferable knowledge and subject matter expertise they bring delivers legacy beyond their tenure. They often shape the permanent recruitment for the role they are covering, and many go on to apply.

An interim manager is a trusted adviser. They possess vast professional networks and broad experience, making them best placed for providing an organisation with an external lens and perspective and sharing learning and best practise from previous roles.

So, while the market continues to be competitive, knowing why you need an interim, what they will achieve, and what their impact will be on both the community and their colleagues, will often balance out cost.

Good interim managers provide immediate stability with experienced hands, help to inspire, and develop teams and leave the assignment with tangible achievements. An investment to save…worth every penny.

Matt Jones is senior consultant, local government, at Penna

@mjonespenna

This article is sponsored content for The MJ