Strategies to find and hire controllers on a timeline that benefits your business

Skilled controllers are critical to many businesses’ financial operations, but they’re also one of the hardest roles to fill.

Fewer college graduates are earning their accounting degrees and joining the workforce while experienced finance leaders are switching roles at a slower pace or reaching retirement age.

The result is a competitive market where controllers are difficult to reach and have higher compensation expectations.

Related: Wages continue to grow for financial leadership roles

At Charles Aris, each of our finance and corporate development practice leaders have a dedicated focus in placing controllers, working primarily with private equity firms to find and place these individuals in portfolio companies spanning the healthcare, life sciences, industrial, tech and business/consumer services spaces.

This year, we’ve successfully closed multiple controller searches in under 45 days.

Businesses often need to hire controllers at a fast pace, and they can’t afford to “miss” by hiring a candidate without an ideal technical and cultural fit. In our experience working on these roles, four primary strategies have proven effective:

Find candidates at the precise intersection of function and industry.

If we could, we’d shout this strategy from the rooftops.

Your recruiting abilities will only grow stronger from getting to know candidates who currently serve in the functional role you’re seeking to fill within the same industry in which your business operates.

These folks will likely have the technical skills you need, but they will also bring a deep understanding of what drives success in your industry.

Serving at this intersection also ingrains candidates with a unique perspective that others serving in adjacent or different industries may not bring to the table.

Map out your marketplace.

Refining your search strategy by only speaking with candidates at your unique function/industry breakdown also allows you to begin a crucial process: market mapping.

This refers to examining all the talent in a specific area, so you know the exact landscape of the talent pool you’re recruiting from.

For example, having a complete market map of controllers in private equity-backed industrial manufacturing companies will allow you to track talent movement, reach out to ideal candidates at opportune times and establish deeper connections with leaders in this space.

Polite persistence.

A mantra at Charles Aris, polite persistence is important when getting in contact with hard-to-reach candidates.

Controllers specifically will have their heads down two out of every four weeks to focus on month-end close, so maximizing your outreach during their “off weeks” is crucial when seeking a response or scheduling time to chat.

Leverage personal experience or subject matter experts (SMEs).

Our firm is privileged to have both a former CFO and a former controller on our finance and corporate development team. Their personal experience in these roles allows our team to dial its strategies in a way that appeals to financial leaders and respects their busy schedules.

If your organization currently employs a controller, or anyone you work with has formerly served in this capacity, consider seeking their input on your recruiting strategy.

The takeaway:

In the competitive landscape of executive hiring, finding and hiring skilled controllers within a tight timeline is a challenge many businesses face.

To successfully recruit controllers within a constrained timeframe, it is essential to employ targeted strategies that focus on intersecting function and industry expertise, mapping out the marketplace, maintaining polite persistence and leveraging personal experiences or SMEs within your team.

To learn more, contact Ryan Morgan at (336) 217-9105 or ryan.morgan@charlesaris.com.