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Senior HR Leadership
That Moves the BusinessThe Pre-CHRO.

The senior HR executive your business needs right now, before it's ready for a full-time Chief People Officer.

People strategy  •  HR infrastructure  •  AI integration

Let's Talk.
Who We Are

Built for the Gap
For Companies That Need to Transform

Most growing companies hit a point where the people function stops keeping up. You need senior HR leadership, but a full-time executive hire isn't the right move yet. That's the pre-CHRO moment. Opteris Partners steps in at exactly that stage, aligning your people strategy to where the business is going and building the infrastructure to support it. Not a temporary fix. A sustainably adaptable people function ready for whatever comes next.

Our work often starts in HR, but it does not end there. We use people operations as the leverage point to improve how the business actually runs: clearer roles, better processes, stronger management discipline, and practical technology that reduces manual work and supports scale. That includes AI. When it is the right tool for a workflow, a reporting problem, or a manual process that should not still be manual, we know how to implement it in ways that actually get used. We build solutions designed to grow with the business, not just solve the immediate problem. The goal is always infrastructure that holds up after the engagement ends and a relationship that does not have to.

Who You Are

You're at the Pre-CHRO MomentThat's Where Opteris Partners Comes In

Pre-scale

People systems that need to be ready before growth outpaces infrastructure

Pre-hire

Senior HR leadership before you're ready for a full-time CPO

Pre-funding

People infrastructure that gives investors confidence

Pre-transformation

AI, systems, and processes that need to work differently

How We Engage

Three Ways to Work
With Opteris Partners

Fractional HR Leadership

Embedded senior HR and people operations leadership on a part-time basis. Present, accountable, and focused on building the people function your next stage of growth requires.

Board Advisory

Strategic counsel for founders and boards on people strategy, organizational design, leadership transitions, and execution readiness. For when you need an experienced voice at the table without day-to-day involvement.

Project-Based

Defined scope, timeline, and outcome. For specific needs like HR systems implementation, AI integration, org design, or change management around a critical initiative.

Services

What We Do

The work looks different at every company. But the goal is always the same: a people function aligned to your strategy, built on the right systems, and sustainably adaptable to whatever comes next.

People Strategy & Organizational Design

Aligning the people function to where the business is going. Org structure, role design, leadership capability, and workforce planning built for the next stage, not the last one.

Best for: Companies preparing for a funding round, a significant scaling phase, or a leadership transition.

Fractional HR & People Operations Leadership

For companies that need a senior HR leader in the seat without a full-time hire. We build and run the people function at the level your business needs, from hiring and performance to organizational design and management capability.

Best for: Growth-stage and funded companies that need senior HR execution without the full-time overhead.

Board Advisory

People and organizational counsel for boards and founders. Executive succession, talent risk, organizational design, and execution readiness for the decisions that matter most.

Best for: Private company boards and founders who want an experienced people and organizational voice at the table.

HR Systems, Workflow & AI Integration

Getting more from the systems already in place and integrating AI where it creates measurable improvement. Workflow redesign, HRIS optimization, and practical AI implementation across HR and adjacent operations.

Best for: Companies that want real operational improvement from their HR technology investment, not generic AI advice.
Eric Terwilliger — Founder, Opteris Partners
About the Founder

Eric Terwilliger

Founder & Principal

Eric brings 20 years of HR and people operations leadership to Opteris Partners, with deep experience inside scaling companies, PE-backed businesses, and growth-stage firms navigating rapid change. He has spent his career at the intersection of people strategy and operational execution, helping leadership teams build the HR infrastructure their businesses need to grow.

He holds board advisory and fractional executive certifications through ConnectD and works with founders, leadership teams, and boards who need a senior HR operations leader in their corner. He has developed serious working fluency with AI as an analytical and operational tool and helps leadership teams identify where it creates real value versus where it creates noise.

He founded Opteris Partners to work with companies at the pre-CHRO moment: organizations that need senior HR leadership now, and want to build a people function that is sustainably adaptable for whatever comes next.

Board Advisory Certified
Fractional Executive Certified
Based in Boston · Works Nationally
20 Years of HR & People Operations Leadership
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Get in Touch

Let's Talk.

No pitch deck. No long intake form. Just a direct conversation about what you're working on and whether we're the right fit.

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