Private equity backed portfolio companies 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 lead at a portfolio company exists to bridge the gap between aggressive investment goals and day-to-day accounting realities. We focus on individuals who move past reporting accuracy toward building scalable workflows that accommodate rapid growth or add-on integration. You need someone who translates complex lender covenants into actionable cash forecasts without requiring an extensive support team.

Success depends on whether your candidate understands the difference between maintaining a stable corporate ledger and navigating the volatility of a deal-driven business cycle. We test for the ability to clean up historical data sets while simultaneously managing current compliance requirements. If the finance function currently slows down your decision-making or risks covenant compliance, you need an operator who prioritizes structural integrity over administrative convenience.

The right hire distinguishes between what the board requires and what the daily operation demands. They must speak the language of investors while effectively managing internal teams through high-pressure periods like audit cycles or system migrations. We identify professionals who have personally owned these outcomes rather than those who simply witnessed them within larger organizations or more mature, slower-moving entities.

02

What do we check before you see anyone?

01Candidates must demonstrate specific ERP usage for financial consolidation, such as the exact steps to configure intercompany eliminations. Ask how they reconcile a ledger when an automated consolidation fails to balance.
02Evidence of direct ownership in managing lender covenant calculations to verify they possess the rigor needed to manage strict financial agreement constraints.
03Capacity to build thirteen-week cash flow models from unreliable historical data, demonstrating practical analytical skills rather than theoretical knowledge of treasury.
04Experience managing add-on integrations to show they can absorb acquired accounting functions without disrupting the parent company's ongoing reporting cycle.
05Specific history of managing exit readiness projects so you know they can prepare data for due diligence long before an investment horizon ends.
06Candidates must show a history of managing all financial operations in resource-constrained environments. Ask them to describe a period where they performed the month-end close while also handling treasury and payroll without additional staff.

03

Where do we find them?

We source from operating platforms currently navigating similar growth or integration phases within middle-market environments. We look for individuals currently embedded in businesses where the finance leader is directly accountable to board members or deal sponsors for performance and reporting. These professionals often seek new environments when their current firm becomes too static or lacks further integration challenges.

Our process filters for practitioners who built reliable, consolidated financial frameworks from decentralized, messy records. We target candidates who prefer the autonomy of high-velocity environments where their system designs directly determine the firm exit value. Ask a candidate to outline the specific controls they implemented to centralize a decentralized procurement process.

04

Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?

01Prioritizing candidates from large firms who rely on extensive middle-management layers they cannot replicate in your leaner operating environment.
02Confusing standard operational accounting with the intense, project-based rhythm required to meet urgent sponsor reporting or covenant testing schedules.
03Failing to verify who actually built the reports versus who simply managed the team that performed the underlying data entry work.

05

The search in three steps

01We conduct a diagnostic review of your finance workflow to identify the most pressing technical deficits and prioritize the necessary expertise required.
02We perform targeted outreach to practitioners at similar operating stages, focusing on those who solved financial reporting complexity under private equity ownership.
03We conduct a screening process that requires candidates to explain their specific methods for process building, data management, and lender reporting. Ask them to walk through the exact steps taken to prepare a borrowing base report for a bank audit.

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.

Start a Search

Questions people ask

What is the expected delay before seeing a shortlist?

We initiate outreach immediately after finalizing the role requirements. While we do not promise fixed timelines, we provide regular status updates so you know exactly where the search stands throughout the process.

How do you assess if a candidate can handle the autonomy of our specific reporting environment?

We assess fit by matching a candidate’s prior responsibilities to your reporting deadlines and resource levels. We ask them to explain how they handled high-pressure reporting cycles in a previous role to confirm they can manage the autonomy expected in your portfolio.

How do you address counteroffers or seasonal coverage gaps?

We discuss their motivations and potential counteroffer risks early in our meetings to prepare for the transition. We review their calendar against your reporting cycle to confirm they are available to meet your immediate deadlines.

How do you protect privacy during candidate outreach?

We operate every search with strict information compartmentalization to protect business interests. We confirm the communication strategy before contacting any candidate, so your company identity remains protected during outreach. Ask a candidate to describe how they anonymized a sensitive leadership search in a past role.

When is the search fee payable?

Our fee structure protects your capital by tying compensation directly to successful hiring outcomes. We receive payment only after you select and sign a candidate for your portfolio firm.

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.