Finance role
Vice President (VP) Finance and Administration Search Firm
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
Financial Headhunters: The risk of hiring a finance leader who cannot trace unit costs back to operational performance.
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?
The VP of Finance and Administration manages the company financial ledger and reporting. This person converts raw transactional data into executive decision models. They turn transactions into clear reports for your board and lenders. If they cannot explain why your burn rate shifted or how your unit economics are performing, you are flying blind.
They oversee the daily grind of the accounting team. They manage the monthly close, oversee the budget, and handle the banking relationship. You need a leader who can document processes without creating bottlenecks. This hire keeps the lights on while preparing the company for the next level of growth.
Ask the candidate how they identify the cause of a variance during the monthly close. Inquire about their process for creating board reporting packets. Request a specific instance where they worked with a bank to extend a credit line during cash flow constraints. We require them to detail their workflow within NetSuite, Sage Intacct, or Microsoft Dynamics 365. Ask for concrete examples of how they adjusted the accounting department after a system shift. Determine if they can build a rolling cash flow forecast from the start. Verify their explanation of the logic behind previous annual budget models.
Assess how they manage external audit requests. Have they acted as the point person for independent auditors? Did they clear material weaknesses or significant deficiencies? Require a clear explanation of their approach to balance sheet reconciliations and their method for verifying tax filings. They must describe their application of internal controls. Test their oversight of journal entries and their review process for payroll.
02
What do we check before you see anyone?
First, we verify if they hold an active CPA license or an MBA. Second, we confirm their history leading the monthly close process. Third, we test their ability to manage both FP&A and accounting functions. Fourth, we review their record managing lender relationships. Fifth, we confirm they have managed teams of two to ten. Sixth, we check their history with mid-market ERP systems.
We ask how they handled specific conflicts within their team. We want to know how they managed underperforming staff and how they rewarded high output. We inquire about their specific strategy for working with external stakeholders. Have they successfully negotiated loan covenants? Can they detail a situation where they successfully navigated a cash crunch without external capital? We look for evidence of operational maturity. They must be able to describe their decision-making process when faced with limited information. We verify these facts against their career trajectory and past references.
We start with a scoping session to align your financial priorities with the actual capacity of your current accounting function. We ask candidates to walk us through specific reconciliation errors they discovered and the exact steps taken to fix the underlying control weakness. We evaluate a major hiring tradeoff regarding whether you need a builder who enjoys setting up new systems from scratch or a maintainer who keeps existing operations stable during high volume growth. We look for evidence that they prioritize data integrity over speed and ask for a detailed breakdown of their daily workflow when they personally cover gaps.
03
Where do we find them?
We recruit from regional accounting firms, controllers at similar sized companies, and existing finance leaders in the same industry. Candidates move when their current growth is stagnant or their internal systems have reached a ceiling. They also move when they want more exposure to board and lender reporting functions. We filter for people who have outgrown their current scope.
Mistakes we see: Hiring a technical accounting specialist who lacks the communication skills to present to your board. Choosing a candidate who knows the software but lacks experience in managing a team of direct reports. Ignoring their lack of direct exposure to lender reporting in favor of their impressive resume titles. Assuming that a candidate from a massive corporation will be able to handle the hands-on nature of a growing company. Overlooking a candidate who lacks the grit to personally perform journal entries when the team is short-handed. Valuing industry-specific knowledge over core accounting competency. Failing to test their actual capacity for building financial models from raw data sets.
04
The search in three steps
- 01We identify candidates who have successfully managed both accounting operations and FP&A at your specific revenue scale.
- 02We verify their history of ownership regarding the monthly close and board reporting cycles.
- 03We identify only those individuals who match these requirements to prevent time loss.
How your VP Finance and Administration 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
Do you charge for this search before I hire a leader for financial reporting?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
How do you verify their technical skill?
We ask specific questions about their experience with ERP systems and their process for closing the books. We also look for evidence of their work with lenders and board members.
What is the typical search duration?
We work as fast as the market allows. We do not make promises on speed, but we focus on identifying qualified candidates as efficiently as possible.
Do you handle contract roles?
We focus on permanent hires by default. If you need a contractor or a temp-to-perm solution, we can accommodate that if the terms are agreed upon in writing.
What is the fee for a VP Finance and Administration 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 VP Finance and Administration 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 VP Finance and Administration hire?
We ask every VP Finance and Administration 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 VP Finance and Administration 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 VP Finance and Administration 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