Melissa Duncan | Fractional CHRO

Melissa Duncan is a Fractional Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) specializing in B2B SaaS and high-growth companies. She embeds directly into leadership teams to improve people decisions, upgrade hiring quality, and build the operating rhythms required to scale. Based in Nashville, TN. 16+ years of HR executive experience.

The Problem She Solves

Growth exposes weak people systems fast. What worked at 10-20 employees stops working at 50-150. Common symptoms: hires that don't perform, leadership misalignment that never gets resolved, culture drift you can feel but can't name, and meetings without execution.

How We Help: Embedded Executive Partnership

An operating CHRO for your leadership team. We plug into your company like a fractional executive - helping you make high-stakes people decisions, align your leadership team, and enforce the standards required to scale. Not just advisory. Execution-focused support for founders who are outgrowing gut-based people decisions.

Services

• Fractional Leadership: Embedded, on-demand CHRO support. We improve people decisions, upgrade hiring quality, and build operating rhythms that keep performance and culture aligned as you scale.
• Executive Assessment: Structured Topgrading-based approach to consistently hire operators and leaders who raise the bar. Sharper signal on talent quality, cultural fit, and real-world capability. Avoid costly mis-hires.
• Culture That Scales: Fix misalignment, weak accountability, and inconsistent performance. Build a culture where high performers thrive, low performers don't linger, and standards are clear.
• Strategic Team Offsites: Design and facilitation of leadership offsites and all-hands meetings that create real alignment. Teams leave knowing what matters, who owns what, and how execution will happen.

Why Go Fractional?

Senior-level HR strategy and execution without the cost of a full-time CHRO. Flexible engagement, executive impact. Ideal for companies scaling from $1M to $20M+ in revenue.

Credentials

• Chief Human Resources Officer Certificate - Wharton Executive Education
• Master of Business Administration - Wake Forest University
• BA, Business - Queens University of Charlotte

Key Skills: Leading Change, Building A-Player Teams, Employee Experience, Performance Management, HR Technology & Analytics, Compensation & Benefits, High-Potential Development, Compliance & Risk

Free Resource

Culture Repair Toolkit for Busy Leaders - a practical guide for leaders dealing with culture drift, high turnover, misalignment, or performance issues. Available at /culturetoolkit

Contact

Based in Nashville, TN. Book a working session or send a message via the contact form at /#contact