Role and industry
Controller, Insurance Carrier or MGA Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: You need a Controller who connects underwriting data to regulatory filings and defends reserve calculations during state audits.
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.
- 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
- 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 Controller must extract raw data from underwriting and claims systems to build statutory statements. Accountants who lack specific insurance experience often fail to map policy administration system outputs to the general ledger. We look for individuals who manually built the reconciliation logic between claim reserves and state filing forms. If your Controller cannot trace the precise movement of ceded premium assets through the ledger, your financial reporting will contain errors.
A reliable Controller performs the month-end close as a trial run for external audits. We search for someone who has personally answered auditor questions regarding reserve calculation methods. This role requires an operator who verifies every journal entry rather than a manager who simply delegates the technical work. You need a person who builds and maintains the financial infrastructure of your risk.
Candidates leave firms when their current legacy software limits their control over data or when they hit a ceiling in reporting autonomy. They look for a desk where they can manage the full NAIC cycle instead of processing a fragment of data for a global company. They seek roles where they can restructure ledger flows. If your firm needs to modernize reporting systems or solve complex reinsurance accounting, what technical project would this candidate prioritize first?
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
- 01We verify they have completed NAIC filings for your specific carrier type so they do not need training on regulatory templates.
- 02We review their history of reconciling policy administration systems to the general ledger to see if they identify underwriting data discrepancies.
- 03We ask how they responded to specific auditor questions about reserve adjustments and accruals to check if they defend their own work.
- 04We test their ability to track assumed and ceded premiums through the entire life of an insurance risk.
- 05We ask for examples of how they managed deferred acquisition costs to confirm they link those assets to financial statement impact.
- 06We probe their experience with long-duration targeted improvements to see if they apply these accounting standards to current reporting.
03
Where do we find them?
We target accounting leads at regional carriers and MGAs who handle the entire statutory and GAAP close process. These individuals feel limited by outdated software and want roles where they can change system architecture. We look for the people who actually produce the financial statements, not those who focus on administrative tasks.
We also recruit audit managers from accounting firms who specialize in insurance. These individuals know the statutory framework well and want to transition to a permanent Controller role. They seek this move to stop auditing other people's work and start owning the financial outcomes and regulatory standing of a single insurance entity.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring a general corporate accountant who lacks statutory experience, forcing them to learn NAIC reporting deadlines while your filing date is approaching.
- 02Selecting a candidate based on software proficiency while failing to confirm if they can identify underwriting data risks within the general ledger.
- 03Ignoring a candidate's lack of audit defense history, resulting in a Controller who cannot explain reserve adjustments when state examiners make inquiries.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We identify Controllers who have owned the entire close process for carriers with regulatory profiles similar to your own.
- 02We conduct interviews to verify they personally performed the technical accounting tasks rather than overseeing a team that did the work.
- 03We present only those candidates who show they can immediately improve your internal control environment and hit your regulatory reporting deadlines.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your 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
What is the expected wait time before we receive a shortlist for this insurance role?
We provide candidates once we finish vetting their technical history. We do not provide arbitrary timelines because we prioritize a direct match for your specific accounting requirements.
How do you weight technical precision versus operational speed during your candidate screening?
We ask candidates to describe specific accounting problems they solved under pressure. We look for individuals who maintain accuracy while meeting the reporting deadlines of an MGA or carrier.
How do you manage the risk of a candidate staying with their current firm due to a counteroffer?
We screen candidates early on their reasons for leaving and their interest in your specific accounting challenges. This helps identify individuals who are ready to move for the work itself.
How do you maintain our privacy when approaching candidates in the insurance market?
We discuss our outreach plan with you before we contact any potential candidate. We keep your identity confidential while we verify their interest in your specific reporting requirements.
Under what conditions is the recruitment fee due for this search?
We conduct this search on a contingency basis. The fee is due only when you hire a candidate we presented, based on 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 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.