Interim CFO Services for Companies in Transition

If your CFO has resigned, been let go, or is leaving in three weeks, you do not have a consulting problem. You have a coverage problem, and it is on a clock. The month-end close still has to happen. The lender reporting is still due. The board meeting is still on the calendar. And the permanent search you are about to start will realistically take four to eight months from first conversation to a new CFO being productive.

Bjoerkman Consulting takes full-time interim CFO engagements. Not two days a month, not advisory oversight of whoever is left, but a senior operator in the seat, accountable for the function, until the situation is stable and a permanent hire is in place.

When an interim CFO is the right answer

Unplanned departure: the CFO resigned or was terminated, and there is no internal successor ready. Planned exit with a long search runway: interim coverage removes the pressure to hire the available candidate instead of the right one. Carve-out, acquisition or integration. A finance function that has been outgrown. Distress, covenant pressure or a lender-driven request.

The first 90 days

Interim work rewards sequence. Days 1 to 14: stabilize and assess. Confirm the cash position and immediate obligations. Days 15 to 45: close the loop. Complete the first month-end close under interim leadership, on schedule. Days 46 to 90: strengthen and prepare for handover. Document processes and controls properly.

Handover is the deliverable

The measure of an interim CFO is not what happened during the engagement. It is what condition the function is in on the day they leave. The failure mode in interim work is dependency: a stabilized company that cannot function without the interim. The intent here is the opposite. The engagement is designed to end.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can you start an interim CFO engagement?

Typically within one to two weeks, and faster where the situation is urgent. If your current CFO is still in place, overlapping even a few days is worth arranging, because a live handover recovers context that would otherwise take a month to reconstruct.

How long do interim engagements usually last?

Most run three to nine months, driven by the length of the permanent search and the condition of the finance function on arrival. Carve-out and integration engagements are often defined by a transition services agreement timeline instead. The engagement is scoped with an intended end point rather than left open.

Will you help us hire our permanent CFO?

Yes, and this is one of the more valuable parts of the role. After running the function, the requirements are clear rather than theoretical: what the job genuinely demands, what the team can and cannot absorb, and which candidate strengths matter for this business. That includes writing the specification, working with your search firm and evaluating finalists.

Can you take on a full-time interim role rather than a few days a month?

Yes. Full-time interim coverage is a core offering, not an exception. Many fractional providers cannot staff it, which is precisely why companies in transition struggle to find help. Engagements range from a few days a month up to full-time depending on what the situation requires.