Fintech and payments Recruiters

How long did your last search take?

How much did the empty seat cost while you waited?

Every week a finance seat stays empty costs you in overtime, late closes and work that waits. We go straight to people already doing the job.

Start a Search Work out what the vacancy costs you

01

What does this hire really come down to?

Your finance department must function as the primary architect of stability for a business built on high-velocity transaction movement. You are not just seeking accounting proficiency; you are looking for an operator who understands that every ledger entry is a risk point. This person translates complex regulatory mandates like money transmitter licensing and safeguarding into daily operational workflows without stalling your engineering teams.

The candidate who excels here knows how to balance meticulous GAAP compliance with the messy reality of early-stage financial infrastructure. They should be comfortable owning the relationship with sponsor banks while concurrently managing the reconciliation of millions of individual transaction events. If they cannot explain how their specific control environment survived an audit, they will struggle when your volumes spike or when new payment rails introduce fresh regulatory variables.

Ultimately, you need a partner who views finance as a competitive advantage rather than a back-office burden. The right hire will have already built and scaled accounting teams that survived the transition from institutional scrappiness to rigorous financial maturity. They must possess the technical temperament to fix broken processes while maintaining the high standards expected by your auditors, banking partners, and institutional investors who monitor your liquidity.

02

What do we check before you see anyone?

01Verify experience with money transmitter regulatory reporting. Ask the candidate to define the legal boundary between daily liquidity and capital preservation requirements.
02We examine their track record of managing reconciliations in high-volume environments, requiring them to describe the exact automation tools they deployed to reduce manual error rates.
03We audit their history with sponsor bank oversight, demanding evidence that they have successfully navigated complex technical disputes regarding transaction flows and funds settlement procedures.
04We test their technical accounting depth, specifically their management of revenue recognition policies and the creation of technical memos that satisfy external audit requirements.
05We validate their system architecture skills by asking how they mapped and integrated ERP and EPM platforms to generate reliable 13-week cash forecasts on a repeating basis.
06We assess their cross-functional maturity by asking how they forced product and engineering leads to adopt strict financial discipline without damaging working relationships or slowing delivery.

03

Where do we find them?

We identify talent inside organizations that occupy the bridge between legacy banking systems and modern digital platforms. This includes finance professionals working at payment processors, regional financial institutions with complex ledger requirements, and high-growth firms that have already reached a scale necessitating rigid audit controls. We avoid generalist accountants, focusing instead on those who have spent years reconciling multi-currency transaction data under the scrutiny of state and federal examiners.

Good people move because they seek a new challenge where their specific experience with financial architecture can be applied to a harder, more complex set of problems. Many are currently constrained by rigid structures in traditional finance or have reached the end of their ability to influence operations at their current firm. We engage them by discussing your specific transaction volume and the technical, regulatory complexity of your payment infrastructure.

04

Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?

01Hiring candidates who come from stagnant, low-growth environments, as they lack the ability to adapt their control frameworks to the speed of a high-volume fintech platform.
02Prioritizing titles like Controller or CFO over actual technical competency with GAAP revenue recognition or treasury automation, leading to a hire who cannot perform the work.
03Failing to vet the candidate’s ability to communicate with non-finance stakeholders, resulting in a leader who is technically capable but unable to gain buy-in for compliance.

05

The search in three steps

01First, we diagnose your regulatory footprint, transaction architecture, and the specific gaps in your current financial reporting system to define the precise profile required.
02Second, we conduct targeted outreach to headhunt professionals with deep experience in your specific segment, vetting them on their ability to manage bank relations and audits.
03Third, we present vetted finalists, providing you with a clear breakdown of their technical strengths and the operational constraints they have successfully managed during their career.

06

Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?

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How your search runs

How does The Six-Step Search work?

One sequence, from a well-defined seat to a shortlist you can judge.

Search Calibration
We start with a call about the seat, the books, the owners and the people the hire will work with. We learn what the role must fix in the first year and what would make a candidate wrong even if the resume looks right.
You get: A written search brief: scope, must-haves, deal-breakers and the pay range, agreed with you.
Market Mapping
We map the companies and institutions where the right people already work: similar size, similar ownership, similar complexity, in your market and in others.
You get: The target list of companies and institutions we will search, reviewed with you before outreach.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We find direct ways to reach the people on the map. Most are employed and not reading job boards, so reaching them takes real research.
You get: Direct routes to people who are not on job boards, researched for your search.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We call and write to people individually and follow up. Interest varies, so we discuss the actual opportunity rather than promising a particular response.
You get: One-to-one conversations about your actual role, followed up, never a mass email blast.
Live Candidate Qualification
We speak with every candidate before you do. We check scope, systems, reporting lines, compensation expectations, location and why they would move.
You get: Only candidates we have spoken with, checked on scope, systems, pay, location and motive.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You receive a short written brief on each finalist covering what they have done, where they are thin and what they want. Then we help with interviews, references and the offer.
You get: A short written brief on each finalist, plus help with interviews, references, counteroffer risk and the offer.

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Questions people ask

When can we expect to see the first group of vetted fintech candidates?

We prioritize quality over speed and will not provide a timeline until we understand your complexity. We generally present the first group of vetted candidates within two weeks of starting the search.

Can I control when my company name is shared with potential candidates?

We operate with strict discretion and will consult with you on exactly how and when to reveal your identity to candidates. We only disclose your name after we confirm the candidate’s professional interest.

Do I have to pay if I decide not to hire any of the candidates you present?

Your financial investment is tied solely to successful fintech hiring outcomes. Our written agreement details the fee owed only after you secure your preferred candidate.

What is your strategy if a candidate is tempted to stay at their current firm?

We qualify candidates by verifying their interest in the specific daily tasks and challenges of the role rather than their desire for compensation changes. We maintain contact with them during the interview process to monitor for counteroffer risks. Ask the candidate why they are choosing to leave their current role specifically for this project.

How do you test if a candidate has the maturity to push for financial discipline without annoying our engineers?

We evaluate temperament by asking how they handled a specific instance where a technical error or external pressure caused a significant issue. We screen candidates to verify their technical history and behavioral fit for the role. Ask them to describe the most stressful financial deadline they managed and the steps they took to fix it.

What is the fee for a finance search?

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The fee and terms are agreed in writing before we start.

How soon will I see a finance shortlist?

It depends on the seat, the location and the pay. We give you an honest read after the calibration call and we do not promise dates we cannot control.

What about counteroffers on a finance hire?

We ask every finance candidate early why they would move and what their employer might do to keep them. Counteroffer risk goes in the written brief before you make an offer.

What is your guarantee?

We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.

What don't you do?

We do not post your finance job and forward whoever applies. We do not send stacks of unscreened resumes, and we do not recruit outside accounting, finance, banking and insurance.