Finance role
Corporate Controller Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: Hire a controller who builds stable accounting workflows and delivers accurate consolidated financial reports across all your business units.
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.
- Global Controller
- VP Controller
- Group 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?
A controller acts as the primary owner of your financial data. In a multi-entity business, this requires mapping disparate charts of accounts and managing cross-border currency translations without relying on fragile manual spreadsheets. You need a person who builds an automated accounting infrastructure that forces consistent data entry and produces accurate monthly results on a strict calendar.
Your new hire must lead the full lifecycle of an external audit. We check if they document accounting judgments for every material account and keep a paper trail that auditors accept without manual digging. They must know the specific technical standards for your revenue streams, inventory tracking, and debt covenant reporting so you avoid mid-year adjustments.
The best controllers treat the ERP system as the core of the accounting function. They configure system modules to force clean data at the entity level while automating the rollout into the final consolidated package. We look for individuals who have pushed through a system migration or an acquisition integration because these projects prove they can build lasting internal controls for your executive team.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
- 01Ask how they handled a specific intercompany elimination or currency translation issue during a monthly close. We verify they can map these transactions in an ERP.
- 02Assess their system configuration work by asking which specific modules they modified to stop manual data entry. We look for proof they automated sub-ledger reconciliation.
- 03Review their history with external audits. We ask for the exact documentation they provided to support a complex accounting position like revenue recognition.
- 04Test their knowledge of debt covenant compliance by asking how they prepare the reporting package for a lender to avoid a technical default.
- 05Ask how they shortened the monthly close process by changing the way their team handles daily account reconciliations.
- 06Verify their work on acquisition accounting by asking how they integrated a new entity into the existing consolidation model.
03
Where do we find them?
We recruit from accounting teams at mid-sized firms that have finished a series of acquisitions or a major system switch. These individuals understand the conflict between decentralized local operations and the need for centralized financial oversight. They change jobs when their current organization refuses to pay for the system upgrades they know are required to fix broken reporting.
We talk to controllers in private equity environments where data must be precise for quarterly reporting. We avoid candidates who only delegate tasks and look for those who have spent their hours building the controls that make the data accurate. When we call, we check for their specific examples of fixing an audit process or a broken consolidation model under tight time limits.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring someone from a single-entity background who lacks the exposure to the complex tax and accounting standards required by your multiple legal structures.
- 02Overlooking a candidate who lacks hands-on ERP configuration experience, which often forces the company to rely on manual spreadsheets for consolidation.
- 03Prioritizing a high-level vision over the granular accounting work required to maintain a balance sheet, leading to audit findings and inaccurate management reports.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We audit your current consolidation process and ERP setup to define the technical requirements for the role.
- 02We contact controllers who are managing those exact tasks in similar environments to confirm they are ready to fix your reporting challenges.
- 03We present candidates who have been vetted for their audit-ready workflows so you can focus your interview on their past performance.
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 Corporate 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 specific criteria determine if a controller is actually qualified for our multi-entity consolidation needs?
We evaluate their direct experience with ERP system configuration and their ability to document complex accounting entries for audits. We look for proof that they have personally managed the standardization of charts of accounts across different legal entities.
Is it possible to conduct this search while maintaining full discretion regarding our company identity?
We keep your name confidential until we identify a qualified candidate who shows interest in your specific technical requirements. This approach keeps your search private until you decide to hold an interview.
How do you identify finance leaders currently employed who are actively considering a move? We review their motivations for leaving and ask why they are currently interviewing, which reveals their intent to change roles.
We talk to candidates about the daily realities of their current job to identify the specific roadblocks they face. We verify that they are seeking a new role because they have hit a ceiling regarding their ability to drive change in their current environment.
What are the payment terms for your search services?
We operate on a contingency basis where you pay only after you hire a candidate we present. All terms are documented in a written contract before we begin the search.
What happens if our new hire does not perform as expected?
Our client agreement includes specific replacement terms that cover performance issues. These terms are signed by both parties before the recruiting process begins.
What is the fee for a Corporate 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 Corporate 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 Corporate Controller hire?
We ask every Corporate 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 Corporate 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?
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What does the published pay data show?
$166,570 national annual median. SOC 11-3031: Financial Managers.
BLS reports Corporate 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