Financial Headhunters Start a Search Call 305-306-4829

Industry

Finance recruiting for real estate developers.

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

Financial Headhunters: We recruit finance leaders who translate complex construction draws and debt covenants into clean, investor-ready project reporting.

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

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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.

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No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.

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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?

Real estate development finance moves differently than standard corporate accounting. You need someone who distinguishes between project-level costs and the ownership entities that sit above them. If they cannot explain how interest capitalization works alongside construction draws, they will struggle to provide the visibility you need to avoid cash traps during your build-out phases.

Successful candidates have navigated the tension between fast-paced field reporting and the slow, audit-heavy requirements of private equity or debt partners. You need a leader who does not wait for a property management firm to tell them the numbers are wrong. They must possess the technical intuition to validate data sources, reconcile complex waterfalls, and anticipate the next capital call before your lenders demand it.

We prioritize individuals who have spent time in the trenches of actual project development, not just stable portfolio management. Good people leave current roles because they are tired of managing stale data or are trapped in a role where the accounting system lacks the depth to handle their firm's growing complexity. We find those who are ready to build the infrastructure you require.

02

What do we check before you see anyone?

  • 01We verify if they can independently prepare a construction loan draw package without needing to hand it off to an outsourced administrator for primary reconciliation.
  • 02We audit their ability to distinguish between tax-basis accounting and GAAP requirements, specifically how cost capitalization rules apply to your current development stages.
  • 03We evaluate their knowledge of entity structures and cash allocation. Ask them how they apportioned development costs between the developer, the general partner, and the limited partners in their most recent project.
  • 04We confirm their experience interacting with third-party lenders and auditors during the intensive closing process of a commercial project.
  • 05We validate that they have managed waterfall distributions and cash flow modeling tools rather than just exporting data from an existing property system.
  • 06We verify their experience managing debt schedule compliance. Ask them to explain the specific steps they took when a project hit a covenant breach and how they communicated this to the lender.

03

Where do we find them?

We target candidates within private development firms, owner-operator platforms, and investment groups where developers are the core business. We look for individuals who demonstrate a pattern of growing into more complex entity structures as their firms took on new projects. They move because they want to work for a principal where they can see the full financial impact of their project oversight, rather than being siloed in a massive corporate accounting center.

Our research focuses on those who have navigated at least one full cycle of a project, from the initial acquisition debt phase through construction and eventual transition to stabilization. These candidates value high-quality data and professional autonomy. They are often stalled in roles where their technical accounting skills are underutilized by outdated systems or unresponsive project teams.

04

Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?

  • 01Hiring someone from a large commercial REIT who has never managed active construction projects or raw development cost accounting for individual entities.
  • 02Assuming a strong property management accountant can handle the high-level entity consolidation and debt structures required by your firm's specific investment model.
  • 03Ignoring a candidate's inability to speak fluently about their experience with specific project management software and internal control over draw submissions.

05

The search in three steps

  • 01We build a map of firms that operate similarly to your business, identifying finance professionals currently managing similar portfolios and debt requirements.
  • 02We conduct direct, private outreach to employed candidates to screen for their technical approach to project reporting and their specific level of hands-on responsibility.
  • 03We present only those candidates who have the technical depth to bridge the gap between your daily construction project activity and investor reporting requirements.

06

Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?

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How your Real Estate Controller 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

How quickly can you present a shortlist?

We evaluate every candidate against your specific technical criteria. We map the market and deliver the first set of qualified profiles within a few weeks. Ask us to compare the qualifications of the current pool against your required list of ERP and project accounting skills.

Do you handle the interview process?

We manage the communication and scheduling, but we leave the technical assessment and cultural fit determination to you. We provide the context needed for you to hold high-value interviews that test their specific real estate knowledge.

What if my best candidate is counteroffered?

We discuss compensation and career goals early in the search to minimize this risk. If a candidate receives a counteroffer, we guide you on how to reinforce your value proposition or, if necessary, move to the next qualified individual.

Is my search kept confidential?

Your firm maintains total privacy throughout the search. We verify candidate interest before disclosing your identity, protecting your company confidential information.

How does your fee structure work?

Invest your budget only after you secure the right developer. You pay no upfront fees, strictly following the payment terms within our written contract.

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 Real Estate Controller 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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