Which Accounting and Finance Executive Search Firm Should You Hire?

ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE EXECUTIVE SEARCH FIRM

Which Executive Search Firm Places CFOs, Controllers, and Finance Directors Nationwide?

Frontline Source Group is a nationwide accounting and finance executive search firm that has placed CFOs, Controllers, Directors of Finance, and VPs of Finance since 2004. Searches are led by a Texas CPA, run from 32 plus offices, and every direct hire carries the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times the 90-day industry-standard guarantee.

Frontline holds a 98.94% executive placement retention rate across 5,619 completed placements, a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 683 verified reviews, and a 5.0 rating on G2 from validated reviewers. The firm is a Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firm for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026), Forbes Best Executive Recruiting Firms #148 (2026), a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA). See the 5-Year Placement Warranty for full terms.

The accounting and finance practice is led by Kathy Granger, a Texas-licensed CPA with a Master of Professional Accounting and BBA from UT Austin McCombs School of Business and more than 20 years of public accounting and executive search experience, including Arthur Andersen, Ernst and Young, and VP of Talent Acquisition at Independent Bank. She works alongside Shelly Hubble, CSP, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Founder, President, and CEO Bill Kasko. For part-time finance leadership, Frontline also places fractional CFOs and fractional Controllers.

FINANCE LEADERSHIP GUIDE

What is the difference between a CFO, a Controller, and a VP of Finance?

The titles overlap, and companies use them differently, but the split usually comes down to strategy versus accuracy. The CFO looks forward and owns the financial strategy. The Controller looks backward and owns the accuracy of the books. A VP or Director of Finance sits between them and runs planning and analysis. Getting the title right before a search starts saves weeks of interviewing the wrong people.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

The CFO owns capital strategy, banking and investor relationships, board reporting, budgeting and forecasting, and the finance team as a whole. In private equity portfolio companies, the CFO also carries the value creation plan, lender covenants, and exit readiness. A strong CFO candidate can explain how their decisions changed cash flow, margins, or enterprise value, not just how they closed the books.

VP of Finance or Director of Finance

This role usually leads financial planning and analysis: the operating budget, forecasts, variance analysis, and the reporting leadership uses to run the business. Many growing companies hire a VP of Finance first and promote into the CFO seat later, which makes it a common stepping stone and a common search.

Controller

The Controller owns the monthly and year-end close, the general ledger, internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance with GAAP, including revenue recognition under ASC 606 and lease accounting under ASC 842. In public companies and companies preparing for an audit or a sale, the Controller is often the most important finance hire, because clean books are the foundation for everything the CFO wants to do.

Assistant Controller and Accounting Manager

These leaders run the day-to-day close, supervise staff and senior accountants, manage reconciliations, and keep the general ledger clean. They are also the strongest internal pipeline for future Controller roles, which is why Frontline screens them for leadership potential as well as technical skill.

When should a company hire a CFO or Controller?

There is no single revenue number that triggers the hire. The better signal is when the work outgrows the people doing it. The most common triggers Frontline sees are:

• A first audit, a lender requirement, or a board that wants reviewed or audited financials
• Raising capital, taking on private equity ownership, or preparing for a sale
• Adding entities, locations, or currencies that make consolidation and intercompany accounting complex
• Revenue contracts that make ASC 606 recognition harder to get right
• An ERP migration to NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Workday, or a similar platform
• A close that takes longer every month, or a founder who is still approving every payment

The pay difference reflects the jump in responsibility. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of 83,680 dollars for accountants and auditors and 166,570 dollars for financial managers, the group that includes Controllers and finance directors. Many companies hire a Controller first to get the books audit-ready, then add a CFO once strategy, capital, and investor work outgrow the owner or CEO.

Should you hire an interim, fractional, or permanent finance leader?

The right answer depends on how much leadership you need, how soon, and for how long.

Interim finance leadership

An interim CFO or Controller works on contract, full time, while you run a permanent search, cover a leave, or get through an audit, restatement, or system conversion. Frontline places interim leaders on contract, so you can bring someone in without committing to a permanent hire.

Fractional finance leadership

A fractional CFO or fractional Controller works a set number of hours each month. It fits companies that need senior judgment but not a full-time executive. Frontline's fractional CFOs typically cost 3,000 to 25,000 dollars a month for 10 to 60 hours, and fractional Controllers 2,500 to 12,000 dollars a month for 20 to 80 hours. A fractional engagement can convert to a direct hire, and the conversion is then covered by the 5-Year Placement Warranty.

Permanent direct hire

A permanent CFO or Controller makes sense once the role is full time and long term. Frontline's direct hire fees run 20 to 30 percent of first-year base salary, and C-suite searches 25 to 35 percent of first-year compensation, with every direct hire backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty.

What should you look for when you interview a CFO or Controller?

Resumes for senior finance roles tend to look alike. These are the areas that separate strong candidates, and the areas Frontline's CPA-led screening digs into before anyone reaches your interview room:

• Close and reporting: how long their close took, what they changed to shorten it, and how they kept it accurate
• Audit history: whether their audits came back clean, and how they handled findings or material weaknesses
• Technical depth: hands-on experience with GAAP, ASC 606, ASC 842, and SOX controls where they apply
• Systems: real implementation experience on your ERP, not just day-to-day use
• Cash and forecasting: how they built a 13-week cash forecast or a budget leadership actually used
• Leadership: the size of the team they built, who they promoted, and how they handled turnover
• Communication: whether they can explain the numbers to a board, a lender, or an owner without accounting jargon

Ask every finance candidate for a specific example in each area, with numbers. Strong finance leaders answer with results. Talk with Kathy Granger, CPA about the role you are filling, or start with the employer request form.