Financial Headhunters Start a Search Call 305-306-4829

Industry

Real estate developers, owners, REITs and homebuilders Recruiters

No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.

Financial Headhunters: Finance operators for development draws provide the accounting data for project funding. You pay only after you choose a candidate from our provided list.

This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.

Start a SearchBook a 15-minute call

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.

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.

Send Us Your Open Role

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

Who do you need?

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The role
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Financial Headhunters Salary Guide

  • Controller
  • CFO
  • VP Finance
  • FP&A Director
  • Accounting Manager
  • Director of Accounting
  • Assistant Controller
  • Tax Director
  • Treasury Manager
  • Internal Audit Director
  • Senior Accountant
  • Financial Analyst
  • Head of Financial Reporting
  • Commercial Lender
  • Chief Credit Officer
  • Business Systems Finance Lead

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 firm balances two distinct worlds that rarely overlap: property-level operations and high-level development accounting. Property accounting demands command over CAM reconciliations, rent rolls, and lease abstractions within Yardi or MRI, while development accounting requires managing complex construction draws, capitalized interest, and intricate joint venture waterfalls. Most candidates present as jacks of all trades but master none, leaving your books vulnerable to errors that compromise lender covenants.

A successful hire must transition instantly from granular transactional management to strategic financial oversight. You need a professional who understands how entity consolidation impacts cash flow and how construction cost tracking feeds into institutional investor reporting. When the work is siloed, your team loses sight of asset performance. We target professionals who possess the technical grit to reconcile complex balance sheets while managing the specific operational pressures inherent to your capital structure.

Good people move because they seek environments where their experience adds visible value. They leave firms where they are reduced to data entry in a rigid, bureaucratic hierarchy. They want to be the primary authority on financial health for your specific portfolio. When we engage these individuals, we frame your opening around the scope of their autonomy and the direct impact their reporting quality has on the broader development lifecycle.

02

What do we check before you see anyone?

  • 01We verify their direct experience with construction loan draw requests and the specific compliance documentation required by institutional construction lenders.
  • 02We test their proficiency in managing the flow of funds between parent entities and special purpose vehicles, focusing on complex intercompany accounting.
  • 03We verify their capability to execute monthly property closes for multiple assets. Ask them to walk through how they reconcile intercompany balances and meet strict lender reporting deadlines for property-level debt.
  • 04We evaluate their technical comfort with industry-standard ERP platforms, requiring evidence that they have configured these systems for multi-entity reporting environments.
  • 05We investigate how they have historically resolved discrepancies between property management software data and corporate-level accounting general ledgers.
  • 06We test their track record of reporting to equity partners. Ask them to explain the specific metrics they include in quarterly reports to explain fund-level returns to their investors.

03

Where do we find them?

We identify talent currently embedded within established merchant developers, asset-heavy private owners, and specialized real estate investment platforms. These professionals are not browsing job boards because their time is consumed by complex portfolio management. We perform direct research to locate individuals who are currently managing the accounting function for active developments or sizable operating portfolios.

We target candidates who thrive on the high pressure of private and PE-backed environments where financial accuracy is non-negotiable. These individuals move when they identify a situation where their expertise in capital structure and debt service management will be utilized at a higher level of complexity. We approach them by detailing the specific nature of your project load and the autonomy they will have over your financial systems.

04

Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?

  • 01Hiring candidates with audit-only backgrounds who lack the operational reality of month-end property closings and cash management.
  • 02Selecting individuals whose experience is limited to passive real estate assets, ignoring the intense technical requirements of active development.
  • 03Prioritizing software certifications over the demonstrated ability to build and troubleshoot the accounting workflows that these systems must support.

05

The search in three steps

  • 01First, we define the exact technical layers of your business, distinguishing between property accounting requirements and high-level development financial needs to set the search criteria.
  • 02Second, we execute direct outreach to identify controllers and accounting managers who currently perform the specific functions you need to resolve your reporting bottlenecks.
  • 03Third, we conduct technical interviews to verify the finalist can produce financial reports immediately upon hiring. Ask the candidate to demonstrate how they construct a pro-forma model for a new development project.

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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

What is the typical timeframe for a shortlist?

We deliver a shortlist based on active market research rather than calendar deadlines. We provide regular updates on candidate engagement as we conduct research. Ask us to show the specific search parameters we applied to uncover the current pool.

How do you assess cultural and technical fit?

We go beyond titles by drilling into specific technical workflows and previous reporting structures. We confirm they understand the nuances of your capital stack and your daily operational pressures before you ever interview them.

How do you handle counteroffers?

We review counteroffer risks by discussing their resignation triggers and long-term financial goals. We ask them to identify the specific gaps in their current compensation package that motivate them to move. We confirm if the proposed salary structure matches their documented salary history.

How is confidentiality managed?

We conduct search activity with anonymity to keep your firm name private. We follow a vetting protocol to keep the project confidential from competitors or current employees. Ask them to describe their process for conducting competitive intelligence without exposing their previous employer identity.

What are your fee terms?

Hire top talent for REITS without risking upfront capital. You pay only upon a successful hire following terms set in our written agreement.

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.

Start a search

Tell us about the seat.

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

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.

Send Us Your Open Role

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

Who do you need?

Looking for a job? Join our talent network.

The role
How soon do you need them?
Where should we reach you?

By sending, you agree that Financial Headhunters may store these details and contact you about this search. See the privacy page.

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