Finance role
Premium Accounting Manager Recruiters
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: Determine if your candidate understands premium tax and reserve impact or only knows how to perform basic data entry.
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 role requires oversight of cash application and premium reconciliation cycles. You need someone who knows how to map gross premiums to net liabilities while maintaining accurate balances for ceded versus assumed treaties. If the ledger does not tie back to underwriting source systems at the close of every month who corrects the variance?
Your candidate must balance daily operational volume with complex technical accounting standards like SSAPs and GAAP. Ask them how they handled a specific dispute over broker statements or uncollected premium balances last year. If they cannot describe the precise journal entry workflow for a returned premium or an adjustment to a premium audit, they lack the operational depth required for this position.
Check their rights against your Controller. The Manager owns the subledger and broker interface but does not set reserve methods. They execute the accounting controls that keep premiums earned and reported for NAIC filings. Check if they have the authority to fix manual entries or if they simply manage data entry.
Scope discussions should start with a granular audit of your current subledger architecture. Ask the candidate to explain how they isolate aged premium balances from current production. You need to see if they can identify the specific accounting treatment for unearned premium reserves across various business lines. Present them with a sample broker statement containing multiple line items and ask them to walk through the mapping process to your general ledger. If they cannot explain how to reconcile a cash receipt to a specific treaty statement, they will struggle with your month-end volume. Test their knowledge of premium tax filings by asking how they handle state-by-state allocation for multi-jurisdictional risks. Inquire about their experience with audit trails and system logs during a regulatory examination. Ask for a specific example of how they remediated a systematic error in premium booking. If they have only worked in environments where entries are pushed by underwriters without verification, they lack the rigor to hold a desk accountable. You must define if this role requires hands-on involvement in clearing suspense accounts or if they primarily manage the workflow of others. Require them to detail the specific controls they implemented to prevent duplicate booking of premiums during bulk statement uploads.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
Sixth, we check their process for identifying variances between direct and assumed premium booking in a regulated environment.
We begin by mapping your specific ledger architecture against the candidate’s history of system integrations. We ask each person to walk through their exact steps for closing a period when broker statements contain inconsistent codes or missing treaty data. We probe for evidence regarding how they handle adjustments versus write-offs when cash receipts fail to match expected premiums. We require them to show how they isolate variances in premium tax calculations across diverse states. Before you speak with anyone we evaluate if they prioritize speed in ledger updates or accuracy in data integrity. You often face a trade-off between hiring someone who possesses deep knowledge of a specific legacy system versus someone who has experience in manual workflows and is ready to build modern controls from scratch. We filter out those who lack the habit of reconciling every suspense account before the final monthly report release.
03
Where do we find them?
We source candidates from insurance carriers with significant direct written premium volume. We also look at brokers who handle large-scale settlement accounts. These individuals often move when their current organization lacks the budget for system automation, causing them to spend excessive time on manual Excel workarounds. Another common trigger is a company acquisition that renders their specific accounting workflow redundant. We target professionals who have grown through the ranks of premium accounting and now seek a more ownership-oriented environment where they can build out better controls.
04
Which hiring mistakes should you watch for?
- 01Hiring a candidate who only understands premium data entry but cannot explain the accounting logic behind premium tax or reserve impact.
- 02Overlooking the lack of experience with reconciliation of complex, high-volume broker statements.
- 03Ignoring the candidate's inability to communicate clearly with underwriters when discrepancies arise.
05
The search in three steps
- 01We discuss your specific premium volume and software stack to determine the ideal candidate background.
- 02We identify and qualify talent based on the technical accounting checks established during our initial intake session.
- 03We present qualified candidates for your review, and we only earn a fee if you choose to hire one of them.
How your Premium Accounting Manager 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
Is money owed before I hire a manager who reconciles gross premiums to net liabilities?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How do you handle contract or temporary staffing needs?
We focus on permanent placements as our default service. If you have a need for contract or temp-to-perm staffing, we can provide those services with specific terms agreed to per engagement.
Can you handle executive-level interim needs?
No, we direct all fractional or interim executive inquiries to our dedicated Interim Executives practice. This allows us to maintain focus on standard management and individual contributor searches.
Do you provide payroll or insurance for contract workers?
No, we do not employ, pay, or provide insurance for any contract workers. These responsibilities are handled by the employer or the specific contract service agreement.
What is the fee for a Premium Accounting Manager 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 Premium Accounting Manager 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 Premium Accounting Manager hire?
We ask every Premium Accounting Manager 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 Premium Accounting Manager 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 Premium Accounting Manager 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