Finance role
Director of Finance Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: Hire a Director of Finance who manages accounting, budgeting, and team output with the independence to drive your day-to-day operations.
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.
- Finance Director
- Head of Finance
- Senior Finance Manager
- 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 Director of Finance delivers the financial data your leadership team needs for daily operational choices. Ask candidates to walk you through a specific month-end close they managed. If your current reporting process is slow or inaccurate, ask the candidate how they audit journal entries and challenge accrual assumptions. You need someone who explains financial variances clearly without relying on others to interpret the data for them.
Your business model determines the specific work history required. A director in a distribution company must track inventory costs and cash cycles, while a service company requires someone who manages project profitability and revenue recognition. We look for individuals who describe how their accounting tasks affect business output and who can train non-finance managers to read their own departmental reports.
The most effective directors keep tight financial controls while supporting operational speed. Ask them for an example of a forecast they built and how they adjusted it when actual business results differed from their original operating assumptions. We identify those who have built finance teams, drafted new reporting workflows, and managed external audits while remaining focused on commercial outcomes.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
- 01Ask how they performed a month-end close, specifically which staff entries they checked for accuracy and how they resolved material exceptions.
- 02Verify their hands-on work in specific ERP software, such as how they configured reports or updated the system to fix data gaps.
- 03Ask the candidate to explain their process for building a budget with department leads to prove their figures match the actual operating costs. Have them describe the specific steps they take to audit those departmental inputs.
- 04Review their management history to see how they coached a direct report who was failing to meet specific output deadlines.
- 05Ask how they handled a difficult interaction with an external auditor regarding a controversial accounting judgment or a material adjustment.
- 06Request an example of how they used specific data to identify a business bottleneck and the exact change they implemented to fix it.
03
Where do we find them?
We identify finance directors by targeting companies that use similar reporting models or face the same inventory and revenue complexities as your firm. We reach out to assistant controllers or senior finance managers who work in rigid structures and are looking for a role with broader decision-making power. These people move when they want to own the financial strategy of a business rather than just following instructions.
We talk only to candidates who have proven they can manage both the technical general ledger and the forward-looking FP&A function. We target individuals in hands-on roles who are comfortable performing high-level analysis in the morning and correcting specific ledger entries in the afternoon.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring someone from a large firm who cannot manage a full general ledger and has never worked without a massive support staff.
- 02Selecting a candidate who expects to delegate all manual work to a team that does not exist at your company.
- 03Choosing a person who requires training on your ERP system because they never performed the configuration work themselves in previous jobs.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We map your current reporting workflows and team structure to define the balance of accounting and analytical work this role requires.
- 02We engage finance leaders who show the technical background and management track record to handle your specific operational needs.
- 03We test candidates on the actual managerial and technical problems they will face at your company to see if they solve them correctly.
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)
OpenFinance Leadership
Open
How your Director of Finance 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 long does it usually take to receive a shortlist for a finance director?
We prioritize quality over speed and do not offer fixed delivery dates. We provide regular updates on the progress of our search and the credentials of the candidate pool.
What interview questions help determine if a prospect can handle our month-end close?
Ask how they previously improved a close cycle or resolved specific reporting failures. We recommend testing them on how they would address your specific data gaps.
Are you able to help us with staffing during our busiest times of the year?
We focus on permanent hires that are paid upon placement. If you have an urgent temporary need, please contact us to discuss specific terms.
Can we keep this hiring search confidential from our internal finance department?
We keep the search confidential. We only reveal your organization name once a candidate is vetted and has confirmed a practical interest in the role.
Are there any upfront fees or retainers for this contingency-based search?
Our fee is strictly contingency-based. You pay no costs upfront and only pay a fee if you hire a candidate we present.
What about counteroffers on a Director of Finance hire?
We ask every Director of Finance 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 Director of Finance 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 Director of Finance 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