Finance role
Assistant Controller Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: Address monthly close bottlenecks by identifying a deputy who manages technical accuracy and staff supervision.
This is what we do all day: recruit accounting, finance, banking and insurance professionals.
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.
- Associate Controller
- Deputy Controller
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Accounting, finance, banking and insurance
- We reach people who aren’t on job boards
- Replacement terms on standard searches
01
What does this hire really come down to?
Your assistant controller must control the mechanical integrity of the financial close. When your team faces a deadline, you need a person who provides technical answers rather than one who only tracks the calendar. They bridge the gap between financial planning and the specific transactional details that slow down private businesses.
Ownership is the primary requirement. We look for individuals who have personally executed multi-entity consolidations, reconciled complex intercompany accounts, and managed the audit process from the initial data request to the final signed statement. They must check team output, identify logic gaps, and force corrections before errors reach the balance sheet.
You need a partner for the controller. If your current controller spends time hunting for sub-ledger errors or drafting simple memo templates, you have an assistant controller problem. This hire must offload the review of accruals, fixed assets, and revenue recognition so the controller can focus on covenant compliance, cash management, and investor reporting.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
- 01Technical ERP capability. We test if they have mapped rules, resolved integration failures, or built custom modules for specialized billing in NetSuite or Intacct.
- 02Audit ownership. We confirm they have defended accounting positions under pressure from external partners rather than passing questions to outside advisers.
- 03Staff mentorship. We look for evidence they have trained junior personnel to identify discrepancies before the monthly close meeting instead of fixing errors themselves.
- 04Policy enforcement. We verify they have updated charts of accounts or consolidation procedures to meet new compliance requirements or reporting changes demanded by equity partners.
- 05Troubleshooting logic. We assess how they prioritize when software fails or source documentation is missing to maintain progress under strict schedules.
- 06Operational grit. We evaluate their history in organizations with similar complexity to check they are prepared for your daily transactional volume.
03
Where do we find them?
We target candidates currently working in similar private entities. These professionals understand the cadence of owner reporting and the limitations of lean accounting teams. We ignore passive job seekers, focusing on employed accounting managers or audit seniors who have gained operational exposure and seek additional responsibility.
Candidates change jobs when they reach a management ceiling at their current firm or seek a role with influence over financial policy. They value environments where they can build processes and earn recognition for their work. We approach them with the specific technical challenges of your organization, gauging their interest based on the substance of your requirements.
To source effectively for this role, we identify professionals within private companies undergoing rapid ERP migration or those handling consolidation for multiple entities under a single parent. These targets face a clear tradeoff: stay at a firm where they are limited to specific tasks or move to your company where they gain full oversight of the entire close cycle. When we reach out, we ask them: How do you handle sub-ledger discrepancies when the auditor requests documentation? If they explain a process that involves relying on their controller for final decisions, they lack the independence required for your specific workflow. We look for individuals who can detail their own methodology for verifying intercompany reconciliations without external guidance.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Over-valuing public accounting titles without checking if the candidate has ever run an internal month-end cycle or managed a team on a long-term basis.
- 02Selecting candidates who rely on external advisers for standard accounting memo drafting, which creates an ongoing cost burden and bottleneck for your department.
- 03Ignoring the specific software and transactional volume fit, resulting in hires who cannot scale with your growth or lack familiarity with your ERP integration needs.
05
The search in three steps
- 01CalibrationWe sit with you to document the exact accounting roadblocks, the current team structure, and the reporting cycles you need to improve.
- 02Direct OutreachWe approach employed professionals with the precise technical and operational requirements of your business, checking interest against your core needs.
- 03VettingWe test candidates against your specific accounting systems and audit demands, presenting only those who demonstrate historical ownership of identical responsibilities.
In this family
Construction contractors (GCs, CMs, subcontractors)
OpenReal estate developers, owners, REITs and homebuilders
OpenHealthcare providers (hospitals, physician groups, ASCs, senior living, behavioral)
OpenManufacturing and distribution
OpenTechnology and SaaS
OpenPrivate equity backed portfolio companies
OpenFintech and payments
OpenNonprofits and foundations
OpenGovernment contractors
OpenHospitality, restaurants and multi-unit franchise
OpenPublic companies and IPO-bound companies
OpenProfessional services firms (law, architecture/engineering, consulting)
OpenControllership, Corporate and Cost Accounting
Open
How your Assistant Controller 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.
Questions people ask
How fast can you provide a shortlist for this role?
We prioritize accurate screening over speed. You will receive an initial set of interviewed candidates after we finalize the search parameters and identify the target source pool.
What is my responsibility during the interview stage?
You lead the interviews, focusing on the candidate's technical judgment and management approach. We provide a brief highlighting the work they have personally owned to use your time effectively.
Are we prepared if the candidate brings a counteroffer?
We focus on candidates motivated by growth. If a counteroffer arises, we discuss the practical implications and support your decision to either re-engage or move to the next candidate.
Can we proceed without informing the industry?
We manage the entire search with discretion. We only share details with vetted professionals who sign a confidentiality agreement regarding your identity and search.
What are the terms regarding search fees?
Evaluate assistant controllers without paying retainers. We earn our fee only if you complete a hire from our vetted candidate list.
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 Assistant 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.
Not ready to start a search?
Get a practical read on the talent market or the job description. No fee or obligation.
What does the published pay data show?
$166,570 national annual median. SOC 11-3031: Financial Managers.
BLS reports Assistant Controller within a broader occupation. It does not publish separate wages for this exact title, credentials, seniority or industry. Compare the listed SOC duties with your actual role before using this range.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released 2026-05-15. This is not a separately measured salary for this exact title.
Read the full salary guide