Business Controlling profiles are a specialization we have at CFO Recruitment, and we have been experts at establishing a strong, high-quality network of business controlling professionals since we opened our doors. We specialize in finance recruitment, and together with our own finance backgrounds, this has proven successful. Being provided the opportunity to deliver high-quality consulting solutions is the pinnacle of our services and an opportunity we do not take lightly. We work daily to ensure we can provide high-performing, experienced, and competent consultants due to our established and ever-growing network of finance specialists.
Hiring a business control consultant
We have multiple years of experience in helping to match our clients with competent controlling consultants and consider ourselves a market leader in our ever-growing controlling network. We have a few success indicators that we scout for in business control candidates such as forward-thinking, and strong analytical and communication skills. Our consultants should also have an established controlling background with experience and an understanding of accounting/controlling. In large organizations with complex structures and finances, it’s important for a business controller to have high numerical and spatial abilities to quickly understand and deliver financial information. Naturally, we have in-depth reference conversations in our screening process to further learn about each candidate’s performance and competencies to identify whether they are the correct fit for each role.
CFO Recruitment’s long-standing experience of matching high-quality financial consultants with our customers, this combined with an in-depth understanding of our finance specialization has proved successful. We strive to remain a trusted partner to our customers and consultants alike and to maintain our position as one of the leading players in our market space.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have additional questions or would like a quote for our services. Otherwise, please find more information below.
Interim business control cover for parental leave/sick leave/ongoing recruitment/Projects
There are a number of reasons organizations require cover in the form of an interim business controller, but most commonly, we find that it could be due to parental/sick leave, or to handle the daily tasks while permanent recruitment for the position is ongoing. Likewise, you might find that you are missing a particular competency within your team throughout M&A or new software implementation. The cover period may be fixed or indefinite.
Over and above a strong controlling foundation, our screening process for business control candidates includes Excel testing.
In all of the above cases, CFO Recruitment can provide competent business controllers that are able to quickly navigate the role and solve the resource issue. We’ve interviewed and contacted many candidates daily over the years, and for this reason, we can connect our clients with high-quality consultants at speed.
Job description business controller
The control function itself analyzes, interprets, and reports the company’s finances and often works as a business partner with commercial teams and potentially the C-suite. By flagging any issues or identifying solutions their main goal is to improve financial results. While the controlling team is very involved in company finances, this wing of the finance department is also very operational and strategic. Business controllers may report to a head of business control or directly to the CFO depending on the company structure.
In practice
As mentioned a business controller’s main tasks are to analyze, monitor results and profitability ensure that efficiency is maximized internally, and participate in the development of the company by supporting the management on the basis of the points described above. A good business controller has solid Excel skills and knowledge of other systems and programs. Business control tasks include budgeting, follow-ups, reporting, forecasting, analysis, and development of routines and processes.
As the business control team often are key contacts throughout an organization it’s key that they are able to understand and convey complex information in a simple way. With excellent communication and analytical skills business controllers should also be forward-thinking, and software savvy (i.e. Excel and financial systems). Reports and presentations from the control team are often the basis for management and commercial team decisions and good controllers understand the strategy and the importance of quick decision-making.
Composition of business control department
Excluding the smallest organizations, most companies require at least one business controller. Generally, only larger companies require a head of business control. As mentioned previously business controllers work across finance and operations. In larger companies, there are generally more specializations i.e. those that work with specific departments, products/services, or divisions.
Competences and skills
A business controller should be driven, committed, and entrepreneurial in nature. In addition, the following skills are also required:
Communicative ability: A business controller often has access to vast amounts of complex data. A good business controller is able to filter through the information, identify the important issues, and report/ present this information in a clear and understandable way to others in the organization. Being able to communicate on a level that everyone understands from entry-level to C-suite is advantageous.
Knowledge in accounting: In order to identify issues or opportunities in the financial data it is obligatory that business controllers have an understanding of finance and accounting.
Excel and analysis: Excel is a key tool and a ‘must’ for all Business Controllers. Experience and knowledge levels vary, and because of this, we test all business controllers to ensure they are comfortable with MS Excel, handling big data, and assessing their problem-solving skills. We consider ourselves the organization that has conducted the most Excel testing amongst business controllers in the United States. Armed with this knowledge we can ensure that the right candidate is connected with the right role.
Industry Experience
Our recruiters at CFO Recruitment have industry experience, and we believe this is vital in pairing the right individual with the right client. Our background in finance is also very practical because we can quickly identify the resource issue and what is required, and pull a fitting and competent consultant from our extensive network. We at CFO Recruitment come from different specializations, markets, and organization sizes, and can understand the complexity and nuances of each client request. We are also aware of how important organizational culture is and how it can vary in different industries, and we understand that sector-specific experience is always advantageous as well as finding the right person to fit the rest of the team.
Business Controllers in San Francisco
We’re based in San Francisco and our assignments often extend to include the surrounding areas (i.e. Fremont, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Sunnyvale, & Santa Clara). We have made a number of successful assignments in other metropolitan regions such as San Jose and Oakland, but San Francisco is where our network is strongest.
Price per hour for Business Controller
The pricing structure for an interim business controller varies depending on the profile requested i.e. the degree of responsibility, competence, education, industry experience, etc. Market trends over the past years indicate high demand and low supply which has led to increasing costs, however, our well-established business control network includes a large number of consultants with different profiles where we’re confident we’ll be able to connect our customers and consultants correctly.
Find an interim business controller
We aren’t the only ones in our market space. A couple of our competitors are Michael Page and Robert Half. However, we at CFO Recruitment are working at the forefront of scouting high-quality & talented accounting manager candidates and relish any competition that keeps us on our toes.
