Role and industry
FP&A Manager Recruiters for Private equity backed portfolio companies
Financial Headhunters: You need a manager who can convert raw departmental spending into accurate 13-week cash forecasts for your sponsors
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 954-280-9139.
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?
How do you reconcile messy operational data with rigid sponsor expectations? You need someone who converts granular departmental spending into a clear story for board decks. They must own the 13-week cash model without needing constant guidance from the CFO.
The manager audits legacy Excel files to correct calculation errors. They compare period actuals to the investment thesis and adjust the remainder of the year. They generate the bank compliance reports required by your debt facility.
What step do you take when a debt covenant faces a breach and how do you report this to the board? Describe a budget variance that required a pivot in strategy. Which process do you follow to integrate financial data during an add-on acquisition?
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
We verify tool proficiency. Can they build a driver-based model in Anaplan or Adaptive, or are they just refreshing static spreadsheets? We test if they know the difference between accounting EBITDA and the specific adjusted EBITDA definitions required by your credit agreements.
We confirm their experience with the 3 to 6 year holding period clock. They must show they have managed the cadence of monthly close versus the intensity of board reporting. We ask for evidence of managing vendor spend while maintaining the budget for headcount growth.
We filter for those who have worked in sponsor-backed environments where resources are constrained compared to public firms. They must understand the necessity of 13-week cash visibility. We verify if they have used OneStream or Pigment for consolidated reporting.
We check their ability to work with operations teams to gather data. The candidate must not be a back-office worker who ignores the sales pipeline or inventory levels. We look for those who actively seek out the department heads to explain spending deviations.
We test if they possess the technical ability to prepare exit management presentations. We verify their process for building new financial models from empty sheets rather than updating existing ones.
We evaluate their communication style regarding sensitive financial data. They need to report bad news early to the CFO. They must demonstrate that they prioritize the accuracy of the lender covenant schedule over every other task.
Before you meet a candidate, we perform a deep responsibilities review to map their historical workload to your specific exit timeline. We ask for concrete evidence of how they resolve the trade-off between granular data accuracy and the speed required for urgent board requests. We test for specific instances where they chose to sacrifice secondary reporting tasks to focus on immediate lender covenant compliance. We question them on how they verify the integrity of underlying data sources when a department head reports conflicting figures. Our vetting examines if the candidate builds models for audit trail transparency or creates fragile, hidden link structures that break under pressure. We confirm they know how to reconcile complex variance reports while operating within the budget constraints typical of a mid-cycle private equity firm.
03
Where do we find them?
We look for candidates in other middle-market companies currently held by private equity sponsors. People move when their current hold period is nearing the end, or when the firm is shifting toward a different exit strategy. We target those in junior roles at larger investment firms who want more operational responsibility in a portfolio company.
We also source from finance teams in sectors that require heavy debt management. People are ready to move when they feel stuck in a rigid corporate environment and want exposure to the fast-paced cycle of portfolio accounting. They move when they are tired of administrative tasks and want to focus on strategic modeling.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
We see these common hiring errors:
Hiring someone from a massive public company who cannot survive without a massive support staff to pull their data.
Focusing on accounting credentials while ignoring their ability to build driver-based models that actually predict future outcomes.
Assuming a candidate who knows SQL or Power BI will automatically know how to handle the specific lender covenant requirements of a private equity deal.
05
The search in three steps
These are the three steps we take to find your hire:
Identify candidates with direct exposure to 13-week cash flow modeling and covenant compliance in their current firm.
Conduct screening interviews focused solely on their process for managing variances and board-level reporting timelines.
Present the qualified list to you for interviews, followed by formalizing our terms in writing if you decide to hire a person we introduce.
06
Which related hiring decisions are worth comparing?
How your FP&A Manager search runs
From the opening to the start
Tell us who you need
Tell us about the job, your team and the experience you need.
We find and contact people
We research suitable people and speak with them about the job and their interest.
You meet the strongest candidates
We introduce candidates with relevant experience and explain why each could fit.
We help you complete the hire
We help with interview feedback, the offer and arrangements for the start.
Questions people ask
Do I pay money now for hiring a person to own our thirteen week cash model?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How do you evaluate candidates against specific portfolio reporting requirements?
We prioritize those who have worked directly under a sponsor-backed CFO. We verify their hands-on experience with the specific covenant reporting and board deck requirements of your current hold cycle.
Can we hire this person on a contract or interim basis instead?
We can adjust the search to include contract, temp-to-perm, or busy-season arrangements. We agree to the specific terms for these engagements per hire.
How do you distinguish between a manager and a VP in this sector?
The manager focuses on the technical build of the models and monthly data hygiene. The VP owns the relationship with the sponsors and defines the financial strategy, while the manager executes the work the VP directs.
When will we meet candidates?
Timing depends on the requirements, location and pay. We discuss the likely obstacles after learning about the job and keep you informed as the search progresses.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We discuss why candidates want to move and what might make them stay. If a counteroffer comes up, we help both sides work through the decision without making promises for either party.
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.
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.
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