Role and industry
Controller Recruiters for Nonprofits and foundations
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: You need a controller who tracks restricted grants correctly to prevent donation compliance issues.
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?
This hire performs accurate restricted fund management. You need someone who separates unrestricted and restricted net assets daily. If the books show a grant deficit due to coding errors, you risk donor relationships.
Expect this person to own the entire audit lifecycle. They must draft the PBC lists, manage the field work, and reconcile the final trial balance to the audited financials. They are your primary point of contact for the external audit firm regarding Uniform Guidance and single audit requirements. They also take responsibility for filing the Form 990 accurately.
Ask them specifically how they track grant-funded expenditures versus budget. Ask for their process when a donor restricts funds for a project that spans multiple fiscal years. If they cannot explain the mechanics of net asset releases, they will struggle here. Listen for their experience with specific ERP systems capable of fund accounting.
You require a Controller familiar with restricted fund accounting. Focus the interview on their mechanics for past grant reporting. Request a description of a time they reconciled a variance between a donor report and the general ledger. A qualified candidate explains their audit trail for monthly coding. Watch for candidates using spreadsheet workarounds rather than native ERP features. Reject those unable to differentiate donor restrictions from board designations. If they seem unclear on Uniform Guidance or the audit process for single audits, decline them. You need someone who demonstrates attention to detail and ownership over the year-end closing. Check their history with grant compliance, as the risk of error is substantial. 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.
- 01Fund accounting competency regarding restricted versus unrestricted net asset tracking.
- 02Ownership of the monthly close, including GAAP-basis financial statement generation.
- 03Direct experience coordinating Uniform Guidance single audits and filing Form 990.
- 04Ability to manage grant reporting and donor-specific financial compliance.
- 05Platform proficiency in cloud-based ERP tools built for fund-accounting entities.
- 06Technical accounting knowledge covering revenue recognition for contributions.
02
Where do we find them?
We source candidates from mid-sized to large nonprofit organizations and foundations that handle significant federal grant funding. People leave these environments when they hit a ceiling regarding technology adoption or when grant management becomes too manual. We look for CPAs who want to move to an organization with more complex fund structures or better infrastructure.
You also find them in public accounting firms that specialize in the nonprofit sector. These auditors know exactly what the Form 990 and single audit requirements look like from the outside. They move to a controller role when they seek to own the process rather than just auditing it. They often trade the variety of a portfolio for the stability of a single organization.
Candidates might also come from private sector roles if they have strong nonprofit board experience or volunteer work. However, you must vet their specific exposure to fund accounting rules. The transition from pure corporate accounting to fund accounting is steep. Look for those who actively seek this shift for mission reasons.
- 01Failure to separate restricted and unrestricted funds correctly during the monthly close.
- 02Over-reliance on spreadsheets rather than leveraging ERP fund accounting capabilities.
- 03Lack of familiarity with federal compliance standards under Uniform Guidance.
03
The search in three steps
We agree on the specific fund accounting software and the required depth of audit experience. I check their history regarding grant reporting volume and audit responsiveness. You review a shortlist of candidates who understand your specific revenue streams and compliance burdens.
I present candidates who have successfully managed the entire closing process for a similar size nonprofit. We skip people who lack direct exposure to the Form 990 preparation process. You focus your time on interviewing those with the right technical foundation for your board reporting needs.
We finalize terms and complete references. You pay only if you hire a person introduced by our firm. We handle the process until the offer is accepted. I do not charge an upfront fee.
- 01Define the exact grant volume and complexity of your current fund structure.
- 02Filter for auditors or controllers with direct Uniform Guidance experience.
- 03Assess their capability to handle board-level financial reporting and grant metrics.
04
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
When do I pay for finding someone to manage the accounting for restricted fund assets?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Do you handle the background checks?
We manage the selection, but the client performs and funds the final background check per their internal hiring policy.
How do you define a Controller for a nonprofit?
This person holds the primary decision rights for accounting policy, fund classification, and audit compliance. They report to the CFO or Executive Director, depending on the organizational structure.
What is the expected timeline for this search?
The duration depends on the market availability of candidates with specific nonprofit audit experience. We provide updates as candidates enter the pipeline.
What is the fee for a Controller search?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The fee and terms are agreed in writing before we start.
How soon will I see a Controller shortlist?
It depends on the seat, the location and the pay. We give you an honest read after the calibration call and we do not promise dates we cannot control.
What about counteroffers on a Controller hire?
We ask every Controller candidate early why they would move and what their employer might do to keep them. Counteroffer risk goes in the written brief before you make an offer.
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.
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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.
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