Vancouver, BC · Serving Canada & the US

Senior HR expertise, exactly when you need it.

Fractional HR leadership for growing organizations, and independent workplace investigations when something serious happens.

Scoped to what you actually need, on retainer or project by project. No long contracts, no full-time hire, no pretending a policy template solves a people problem.

15+ years in HR and investigations · Former Senior HR Partner, Unity (Americas) · Independent and procedurally fair · Defensible to legal and board review · Remote across Canada and the US
Something has happened

You need an independent investigator.

A complaint has been filed, the respondent is senior, or your internal process cannot credibly handle it. The report needs to hold up to legal, regulatory, and board review.

  • Harassment, discrimination, bullying, and executive misconduct
  • Retained by employers, boards, and legal counsel
  • Conflicts check and scoping call within one business day
  • Trauma-informed interviews, evidence-based findings
Something needs building

You need HR leadership without the hire.

You have a team, a growing headcount, and HR foundations that have not kept up. Agreements, policies, and compliance that were built for a much smaller company.

  • Best fit for organizations of 10 to 150 people
  • Start with a fixed-fee $750 HR Audit, no retainer required
  • Employee relations, manager coaching, and terminations handled properly
  • Canadian and US employment law, multiple jurisdictions

What I do.

Four core engagements, each scoped to your situation and handled with the discretion it requires. Every project is quoted in writing before any work begins.

01

Fractional HR Advisory

Experienced HR leadership without a full-time hire. Typically an intensive setup phase covering audit, policy, and compliance, then a lighter retainer for employee relations, manager coaching, and day-to-day HR. Best fit for organizations of 10 to 150 that are scaling or restructuring.

From $2,500 / month ongoing
How it works →
02

Workplace Investigations

Independent, impartial fact-finding into harassment, discrimination, bullying, and executive misconduct. For when internal HR has a conflict, the complaint involves senior leadership, or the process has to hold up to scrutiny. Reports written for HR, boards, and legal counsel.

Custom scoped · Fee estimate in writing before work begins
Process, timeline, and fees →
03

AI Governance & Compliance

Most organizations already use AI in hiring and HR decisions faster than they govern it. Bias audits, use policies, and human-oversight frameworks that get ahead of real legal exposure, grounded in employment and human rights law.

From $4,500
Read the primer →
04

Background Vetting & Due Diligence

Discreet research on individuals and organizations for hiring, partnership, and acquisition decisions. Employment verification, reference and history review, and pre-acquisition diligence that surfaces what a resume does not.

Custom scoped
The case for independence

Why an outside advisor.

The value of an independent practitioner is that there is no stake in the outcome, no existing relationship with the parties, and no internal pressure shaping the conclusion.

The appearance of impartiality matters as much as actual impartiality. When the respondent has organizational power, only an external investigator can provide both.
Procedural fairness

All parties heard, the process documented, findings based on evidence rather than assumption.

Discretion

Confidential by nature. Information goes where the work requires and nowhere else.

Independence

No organizational allegiance, no preferred outcome. The work is the work.

Defensibility

Documented to withstand legal, regulatory, and board-level review.

Straightforward rates.

Scope varies by organization size and complexity. These are real starting numbers, not a range designed to make you call and find out. Every project is quoted in writing before any work begins.

HR Audit, Starter Fixed-fee review of your core HR foundations. The usual starting point.
$750 flat
Corporate Risk & Employee Situation Consultation Hourly advice on a live situation. No retainer.
$250 / hour
HR Compliance Assessment & Gap Analysis Full review against your jurisdictions, with prioritized remediation.
From $3,500
Ethical AI Governance & Bias Audit Hiring and HR AI use, policy, and human-oversight framework.
From $4,500
Fractional HR Advisory, ongoing retainer Initial engagement scoped separately.
From $2,500 / month
Investigations & Due Diligence Scoped after a conflicts check and an initial call. See the investigations page for typical ranges.
Custom scoped

Not sure which you need? That is a fine place to start. Most engagements begin with a 30-minute call to understand the situation and scope the work. Reaching out does not create a record or an obligation.

Book a discovery call

Reduced rates are available for registered non-profits and charities. Ask on the call.

References

What clients say.

Rachel handled the HR side of Unity's acquisition of Ziva, no small feat, with great judgment and a steady hand. She built real structure where we were lacking and made sure the team felt supported throughout. If you are navigating a transition or managing growth, Rachel is a solid choice. James Jacob · Co-founder & CEO, Ziva Dynamics
Thank you so much for all your help and support. It has been a game changer. Fractional HR Advisory Client · North Carolina

Writing.

Practical pieces on investigations, HR compliance, and AI governance. Written for HR professionals, legal counsel, and the people who have to make the call.

All writing

Free tools

Check your own compliance first.

Four checklists I use in real engagements. No sales sequence, no drip campaign. You get the file and an occasional note when something changes in employment law that affects you.

Your information is not sold, shared, or added to any list you cannot leave in one click.

About

Rachel Maxcy

Vancouver, BC

15+ years across nearly every area of HR, from recruitment and systems building to policy, risk, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and senior HR partnership at enterprise technology companies.

This practice fills the gap where organizations make avoidable mistakes because no one asked the hard questions early enough.

Experience

Private sector, healthcare, public sector, and nonprofit. Most recently Senior HR Partner at Unity (Americas).

Education

BA in Human Resources and Labour Relations, with distinction. Law coursework, Queen's University and SFU.

Credentials

Certificates in Trauma-Informed Workplaces and Foundations of Workplace Investigations. PI licence application in progress under BC's Security Services Act.

Jurisdictions

BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia. California, Washington, Texas, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New York.

Start with a conversation.

A brief, no-obligation call to understand the situation, scope the work, and confirm fit. Confidential. Reaching out does not create a record or an obligation.