Fractional People & Culture Director

Rethinking Work Culture for Modern Teams.

Not your traditional HR. I build resilient, vibrant, and legally sound cultures for creative agencies, tech startups, and design studios. Let's make your company a place where top talent actually wants to stay.

Team collaborating in a bright modern office
Colleagues discussing a project over coffee
People
First

Why Independent HR?

Culture First

Compliance is baseline. I focus on building psychological safety, engagement, and a workspace ecosystem that thrives on mutual respect.

Agile Adaptation

No bureaucratic red tape. I integrate quickly with founders and managers to deliver fast, scalable people ops frameworks.

Data-Driven Empathy

I balance human-centric coaching with concrete retention metrics, eNPS scores, and performance analytics to prove ROI.

Conflict Resolution

Expert mediation for when things get tough. I handle difficult conversations, exits, and realignment with dignity and legal compliance.

The Core Capabilities

Tailored human resource solutions designed specifically for high-growth, creative, and non-traditional environments.

Talent Acquisition Strategy

Stop relying on expensive recruiters. I build internal engines to attract the exact right mindset.

  • Employer branding overhaul
  • Structured interview design
  • Onboarding experience mapping

Leadership Coaching

Transitioning from a 'maker' to a 'manager' is hard. I provide 1:1 guidance for new leaders.

  • Feedback delivery training
  • Burnout prevention strategies
  • Emotional intelligence workshops

DEI Implementation

Move beyond lip service. Authentic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion frameworks that actually work.

  • Unconscious bias audits
  • Inclusive policy drafting
  • Employee Resource Group (ERG) setup

Comp & Benefits Design

Create transparent, fair, and motivating reward structures that fit your startup's runway.

  • Salary banding & benchmarking
  • Creative perk development
  • Equity/Options education

Performance Management

Ditch the outdated annual review. Let's implement continuous growth cycles.

  • OKRs & KPIs alignment
  • Quarterly growth check-ins
  • PIP (Performance Improvement) structuring

Compliance & Risk

Sleep well at night knowing your contracts, handbooks, and policies are legally bulletproof.

  • Modern Employee Handbooks
  • Labor law audit (Local & Remote)
  • Offboarding & Termination safety

Impact & Case Studies

Real outcomes from embedding sustainable people practices inside dynamic organizations.

Graphs and documents on a desk indicating growth
Fintech Startup (Series A)

Scaling from 20 to 80 Employees Safely

Designed the foundational HR infrastructure, created a scalable hiring rubric, and established first-time manager training over a 9-month fractional engagement.

Time-to-hire reduced by 40%
Diverse team interacting in a modern workspace
Creative Agency

Curing Toxic Burnout Culture

Conducted a deep-dive cultural audit, restructured project load allocations, and implemented a mandatory 'disconnect' policy paired with flexible mental health days.

eNPS increased from -10 to +45
Group of professionals in a strategic workshop
SaaS Enterprise

Revamping the Performance Review

Replaced a dreaded annual review system with a continuous feedback loop software, training 40+ managers on giving actionable, bias-free evaluations.

95% adoption rate in Q1
Abstract representation of connection and diversity
E-Commerce Brand

Inclusive Compensation Restructure

Audited historical pay data to identify gender/race wage gaps. Re-banded all 150 roles to establish transparent, non-negotiable salary tiers.

100% pay equity achieved
People gathering in a casual office setting
Game Development Studio

Post-Merger Culture Integration

Facilitated the blending of two distinct studio cultures after an acquisition. Led town halls, harmonized benefits, and created unified core values.

Key talent retention at 98%
Empty modern office desk
Remote Tech Firm

The Asynchronous Handbook

Wrote and implemented a comprehensive 'Remote-First' handbook detailing asynchronous communication rules, home-office stipends, and global compliance.

Zero compliance infractions globally

How We Work Together

A structured, no-nonsense methodology to take your HR from a headache to a strategic advantage.

1

The Discovery Audit

We start by lifting the hood. I review your existing contracts, employee handbook, recent exit interviews, and conduct confidential 1:1s with key staff to identify immediate red flags and cultural baselines.

2

Strategic Blueprinting

Based on the audit, I present a prioritized roadmap. This isn't theoretical HR jargon; it's a practical timeline of what policies to write, what training to deploy, and what software to implement over the next 3-6 months.

3

Hands-on Implementation

I don't just hand you a PDF and leave. I act as an embedded team member, rolling out the new initiatives, leading the manager training workshops, and communicating changes directly to the team.

4

Optimization & Handoff

Once the foundational culture and compliance engines are running smoothly, we measure the metrics (eNPS, retention). I then help you hire a full-time junior HR admin to take over the day-to-day, or retain me on a lightweight advisory retainer.

What Founders Are Saying

"Eleanor completely transformed how we think about our team. We were struggling with massive turnover and burnout. Within six months of her fractional leadership, we not only stabilized, but we had our best quarter of hiring ever. She is empathetic, fierce, and incredibly effective."

Marcus Thorne
CEO, Nova Design Studio

"I dreaded dealing with HR issues until Eleanor stepped in. She handled a very complex termination and restructuring process with such grace and legal precision that it saved our startup thousands in potential liabilities. She's worth her weight in gold."

Sarah Jenkins
Co-Founder, DataStream AI

"The manager training Eleanor provided was eye-opening. We had a team of brilliant engineers who were terrible managers. She gave them the tools, frameworks, and confidence to actually lead. Our internal survey scores for leadership jumped 40% after her workshop series."

David Chen
CTO, BlockPay

Let's Talk About Your Team

Have questions? Read the FAQ below or reach out directly to schedule a confidential discovery call.

Fractional HR means you get the expertise, strategic oversight, and execution of a Senior HR Director without the $150k+ full-time salary. I embed with your team for a set number of hours or days per week, providing high-level guidance tailored exactly to your current growth stage.

Yes. I specialize in helping companies navigate the complexities of global, asynchronous work. From setting up Employer of Record (EOR) platforms like Deel or Remote, to ensuring cross-border compliance and building inclusive cultures across timezones.

Most intensive rebuilding projects (audits, policy rewrites, manager training) take between 3 to 6 months. After the heavy lifting is done, many clients transition to a lightweight monthly advisory retainer where I act as a sounding board for the founders.

Absolutely. That is my specialty. I call this the "0 to 1" HR phase. I will build your entire people operations infrastructure from scratch—handbooks, payroll setup, ATS implementation, and review cycles—so you can scale safely.

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