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 recruitment solutions for finance-related managerial positions 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 professionals due to our established and ever-growing network of finance specialists.
Hiring a head of business control
We have multiple years of experience in helping to match our clients with competent controlling candidates and consider ourselves a market leader in our ever-growing controlling network. We have a few success indicators that we scout for in a head of business control professionals such as forward-thinking, strongly analytical, and communication skills. Candidates should also have an established controlling background with multiple years of experience and a solid understanding of accounting/controlling. In large organizations with complex structures and finances, it’s important for a head of business control 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 candidates 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 professionals 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.
Job description Head of Business Control
A head of business control should be prepared to shoulder the responsibility for the organization’s controlling function, including direct responsibility for any controlling staff. 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. The head of business control often reports directly to the CFO and acts as a right hand.
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. As a Head of Business Control it is most often the case that there is more of a personnel focus than an operational one. However, tasks of a more strategic nature i.e. budgeting, follow-ups, reporting, forecasting, analysis, and development of routines and processes will also be required.
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
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. However, the Head of Business control is responsible for the function as a whole and often holds a more strategic versus operational position.
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 we also assess their problem-solving skills. We consider ourselves as an organization that has conducted the most Excel testing among business controllers in the United States. Armed with this knowledge we can ensure that the right candidate is connected with the right role.
Additional skills required by a Head of Business Control are:
Leadership: The role is largely about managing the control of employees and giving them the tools to perform as well as possible. Being able to adapt to different needs, strong social skills, and empathy are all required to be a good leader.
Strategic mindset: Using their solid financial knowledge, the head of business control should be able to think strategically and delegate operational tasks.
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 professional 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.
Head of Business Control 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.
Salary Head of Business Control
The salary of a head of business control 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 head of business control network includes a large number of professionals with different profiles where we’re confident we’ll be able to connect our customers and candidates correctly.
Find a head of business control
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.
