Senior HR leadership for your scaling company, minus the full-time cost.
We act as your embedded people leader, attending your leadership meetings, building the systems your team needs, and providing senior HR judgment on the decisions that matter most, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.
Who WE Work With
You’re not ready for a full-time CHRO, but you need flexible access to senior-level HR strategy.
Most scaling companies reach a point where people decisions become too complex, too frequent, and too consequential to handle without senior HR leadership. But a full-time CHRO costs $250,000 to $400,000 per year, and not every business is ready for that level of investment.
That’s where we come in. Solutions HR will act as your senior-level HR leadership, providing strategic guidance to foster employee growth, enhance workplace culture, and build HR programs that support growth, helping you build strong, resilient teams without the cost of a full-time executive.
Founder and CEOs
People decisions are landing on your desk every day.
You are managing performance issues, making hiring calls, navigating leadership gaps, and building culture, all while trying to run and grow your business. You need a senior people leader who can take this off your plate and build what scales.
HR Leaders
You’re a team of one carrying the weight of an entire department.
You are drowning in operational HR while the strategic work goes undone. You need a senior thought partner who has built these systems before, can work alongside you, and help you build the function the business actually needs.
Our Services
We deliver the full scope of senior HR leadership through a flexible support model.
As your senior HR partner, we work across every dimension of your people function, tailored to your business's needs. We start with what is most urgent and most impactful right now, and build from there. The areas below represent the full scope of what we can work on together.
I need an embedded HR leader
Is your people function running on good intensions and no real structure, with no one senior enough to manage it?
This is our Embedded HR Leadership Partnership.This is how we work when you need an embedded HR leader. We step in as your senior HR person. Part time or full scope. Strategic or operational. For as long as you need.
Every engagement looks different. Some companies need us across multiple areas over time. Some need us focused on one thing for three months. Some need coverage during a mat leave or a leadership gap. Some just want a senior HR person on retainer who they can call when something comes up.
We figure out what you actually need in week one and build from there.
These areas are not a checklist. They are examples of what we work on when we are embedded as your senior HR person. Pick one. Pick several. Or bring us something not on the list. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Ready to get started? Let’s Talk About Your Team
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Building the HR Function from Scratch
Do you have zero HR infrastructure and no idea where to start?
What's Included
HR health audit and gap assessment
Core policies and documentation
Employee handbook creation
HR tools recommendation and setup
Compliance review across all applicable jurisdictions
First HR hire scoping and support
Leadership alignment on people priorities
How It Works
We audit what exists and identify what is missing
We build a prioritized plan based on what the business needs first
We design and deliver the foundation your team can run and build on
We hand off everything cleanly so nothing depends on us to maintain it
Onboarding and Offboarding
Are your new hires performing at 90 days, or still finding their footing at 90?
What's Included
30, 60, 90 day onboarding plans by role level
Manager onboarding checklists and training
Orientation design
Exit interview process and offboarding framework
How It Works
We assess your current onboarding and identify the gaps
We design role-specific plans and manager guides
We build exit and offboarding processes
We hand off everything for your team to run independently
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Manager Effectiveness and Capability Building
Are your managers actually managing, or are you still making every call?
What's Included
Manager capability assessment
Training on feedback, performance conversations, and delegation
Performance framework design and rollout
Goal setting and company-wide alignment
Underperformance framework and manager coaching
Succession planning for critical roles
Leadership programs tailored to your management team
High-potential identification and development planning
How It Works
We assess your manager bench and identify the biggest gaps
We design a program tailored to your team and stage
We coach managers on the skills that matter most right now
We build the tools and frameworks they use going forward
We design succession plans for the roles that matter most
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Engagement, Retention & Total Rewards
Do you know why your best people are leaving, before they leave?
What's Included
Engagement survey design and facilitation
Retention risk assessment and action planning
Stay interview process
Employee experience strategy
Compensation benchmarking against market data
Salary bands and job leveling design
Pay equity review and corrections
Benefits review and improvement
Total rewards communication to your team
How It Works
We assess your current engagement and turnover data
We surface root causes through surveys or stay interviews
We benchmark your current pay against the market and identify gaps
We build a prioritized action plan with your leadership team
We implement and measure what changes over time
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Navigate Complexity
Has a transition, merger, acquisition, unexpected departure or restructuring left your people function exposed?
What's Included
Interim HR leadership and mat leave coverage
Org design and workforce planning
Role definition and accountability mapping
M&A people due diligence and integration planning
Culture integration strategy
Change communications planning
Leadership retention strategy during transition
How It Works
We embed from day one of the transaction or restructuring
We build the people integration plan and 90-day roadmap
We manage communications to keep your team informed and stable
We lead the org design, role alignment, and culture work
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Retained engagement, minimum 3 months
We embed into your leadership team: meetings, decisions, day to day and strategy
Scope is prioritized together in week one based on what is most urgent
Available part time embedded or full scope including mat leave coverage
Canada, the United States, and internationally
Custom quoted based on scope and hours
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Founder-led or growing companies that need senior HR leadership but are not ready for a full-time hire. Also the right fit for companies covering a mat leave, navigating a leadership transition, or in between permanent HR hires. Finally, for HR leaders who need a senior thought partner and extra capacity to get ahead of the work.
I need HR support for something specific
Do you have a specific HR problem that needs solving, without a long-term commitment?
This is our Project-Based Partnership. This is how we work when you have a specific project or problem to solve. You bring the topic. We bring the senior expertise. We scope it, solve it, and hand it off so you can own it when we are done.
Every project is built around your specific situation. If you have a challenge that is not on the list, bring it to us. If we can help we will tell you exactly how.
Ready to get started? Let’s Talk About Your Team
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Common Project Types
Hiring process design and interview scorecards
Onboarding and offboarding frameworks
HR policy development
Engagement survey design and action planning
Performance framework design and rollout
Talent management or succession plan frameworks
Leadership development programs and coaching
HR tools selection and implementation
Any specific HR project that needs to be developed and implemented or a challenge that needs a defined solution and clean handoff
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We scope the project together on a discovery call
Deliverables and timeline agreed upfront
We deliver, present, and hand off cleanly
You own everything when we are done
Custom quoted based on scope and complexity
Canada, the United States, and internationally
Retained engagement, minimum 2 to 3 months
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Companies with a specific, defined project or problem that needs development, implementation or solving fast. No on-going commitment required.
I need an executive thought partner
Do you need a senior peer in your corner, not another program or framework?
This is our Advisory Partnership.This is how we work when you need someone to think alongside you. Confidential. Built around what you are working through right now. Private one on one advisory for founders, CEOs, and senior HR leaders navigating leadership decisions, team dynamics, and the hard calls that do not have an obvious answer.
You bring the problem. We bring the perspective. No templates. No deliverables. Just expert advice from someone who has been there.
Ready to get started? Let’s Talk About Your Team
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Dedicated one on one sessions, frequency scoped to your needs
A senior thinking partner who has sat in your seat and made your calls
Real time advisory on leadership decisions, team dynamics, and organizational challenges
Confidential space to think out loud, pressure test ideas, and get honest feedback
No templates. No frameworks. Just direct, experienced guidance built around your specific situation
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We start with a 30 minute discovery call to understand what you are navigating and working through
We agree on session frequency and focus areas
Sessions are structured around what is most pressing for you right now
You bring the problem. We bring perspective. We work through it together.
On-going as needed or scoped as a defined engagement
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Founders and CEOs making hard leadership decisions without a true peer to think alongside. Senior HR leaders who need a confidential thought partner outside their organization. Leaders who have done the courses and read the books and just need someone who has actually been there.
Our Process
Getting started is simple.
Seeing results is fast.
Every engagement starts with understanding your business, not with a generic HR plan. Here is how we work together from the first conversation to ongoing delivery:
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Start with a free 30-minute call. We will talk through where your business is, what is not working in your people function, and what good looks like on the other side. Just an open conversation to see if there is a fit.
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If we move forward, we begin with a structured discovery process. We review your existing HR infrastructure, interview key leaders, assess your biggest people risks, and understand your growth objectives. This is where we learn your business before we start advising on it.
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Based on discovery, we build a tailored HR roadmap for your business. A custom prioritized plan that addresses your most urgent people challenges and builds toward the foundation your next stage of growth requires. You know exactly what we are working on and why.
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We show up. We attend your leadership meetings, work alongside your team, and deliver against the roadmap. Minimum three-month commitment, with the engagement designed to be outcome-focused rather than open-ended. We build things your team owns, so every month of the engagement makes you less dependent on us, not more.
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Ready to get access to senior-level HR leadership?
Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation. We will talk about your growth goals, people challenges, and the best next steps for moving forward. Tell us what keeps landing on your plate, we figure it out together. If it is the right fit, we will have a custom proposal to you within 48 hours.
Why Solutions HR
Not arm's length advisory.
We’re embedded support.
Most HR consultants send recommendations. We come in and do the work.
There is a significant difference between a consultant who advises from the outside and an embedded leader who shows up inside your business, attends your meetings, knows your people, and is accountable for outcomes.
We show up like a member of your leadership team.
We attend your leadership meetings, your offsites, and your critical conversations. We know your business because we are in it. That is what embedded means.
We have sat on senior leadership teams from the inside.
We have spent years as Head of HR and Director of People inside scaling companies, sitting alongside CEOs, CFOs, and COOs. We know what good people strategy looks like from the inside of an executive team, not just from a consulting deck.
We have navigated the hard stuff.
PE acquisitions. Carve-outs. Public-to-private transitions. Restructurings. Mass layoffs. We have done the work that most outside consultants have only read about. When things get complicated, we know what to do.
We build things your team owns.
The goal of every engagement is to make you less dependent on us, not more. Every framework, policy, system, and process we build is documented, trained, and handed off so your team can run it independently long after we are gone.
You always get us directly.
We are not an agency. We do not hand your mandate to a junior associate. When you engage Solutions HR, you work directly with Tanya Mayar. The experience and judgment you are paying for is the experience and judgment you get.
We understand cross-border law
We are well versed in Canadian employment law across multiple provinces, including Quebec-specific requirements, as well as US federal and state employment law, with experience supporting teams across EMEA and APAC. This allows us to effectively support companies operating and scaling across regions.
We are bilingual.
We work fluently in French and English across every aspect of the engagement, from leadership coaching to policy writing to candidate assessment.
Frequently asked questions
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Embedded HR leadership means a senior HR professional works inside your business on a part-time or project basis rather than advising from the outside. Unlike a traditional HR consultant who delivers a report or a recommendation, an embedded HR Leader attends your leadership meetings, works alongside your team, and is accountable for outcomes. At Solutions HR, we act as a true embedded people leader, not an external advisor.
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A full-time CHRO typically costs between $250,000 and $400,000 per year in total compensation, before benefits, equity, and employer costs. An embedded engagement delivers senior-level HR leadership at a fraction of that cost, with no long-term commitment, no benefits overhead, and no transition risk. Every Solutions HR engagement is custom-quoted based on scope, hours, and complexity. Book a consultation to discuss what the right engagement looks like for your business.
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We work primarily with small to mid-sized founder-led and scaling companies from 20 to 300 employees, typically generating at least $2M ARR, across North America and internationally. We also work with HR leaders who are managing the people function without sufficient senior support, regardless of company size. If you are unsure whether your company is the right fit, book a complimentary consultation and we will tell you honestly.
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The minimum engagement is three months. It takes time to learn the business, build trust with the leadership team, and deliver work that actually lasts. Most engagements run longer because the scope evolves as we work together. After the initial three months, the engagement moves to a month-to-month arrangement with flexibility to scale up, scale back, or conclude based on your needs.
Ready to get access to senior-level HR leadership?
Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation. We will talk about your growth goals, people challenges, and the best next steps for moving forward. If there is a fit, we will have a custom proposal to you within 48 hours.
If the people side of your business is starting to cost you, this is exactly where I come in.