Corporate Controller Recruiters
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A corporate controller in a multi-plant manufacturer closes the books, consolidates the plants and keeps costing policy consistent. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
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.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
A corporate controller in a multi-plant manufacturer closes the books, consolidates the plants and keeps costing policy consistent. When this seat is weak, each plant reports differently and nobody trusts the numbers. We recruit controllers who can bring plants onto one set of rules, support the audit, and explain results to non-accountants on the floor.
We ask how many entities they consolidated, in how many currencies or ERPs, and how they handled intercompany transactions and eliminations. Strong candidates describe a close calendar, reconciliation ownership and what they did when a plant reported late or wrong.
We probe who led the audit, what findings came up, how they handled inventory observation and how they managed the relationship with auditors and, if relevant, lenders.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Plant accountants often report to site managers. We ask how the candidate set policy for overhead absorption, standard cost updates and capitalisation, and how they handled a plant that resisted. We value candidates who have trained cost accountants, as opposed to simply reviewing their output.
Costing policy and plant accountant oversight
Plant accountants often report to site managers. We ask how the candidate set policy for overhead absorption, standard cost updates and capitalisation, and how they handled a plant that resisted. We value candidates who have trained cost accountants, as opposed to simply reviewing their output.
Month-end close discipline
Close quality shows in details. We ask how they shortened the close, what accruals created recurring surprises and how they controlled manual journal entries.
Systems and ERP experience
We confirm which ERP they have run, whether they supported a migration, and how they managed master data and chart of accounts across sites. Candidates who consolidated multiple ERPs have learned things others have not, and we ask exactly what broke and how it was fixed.
Need a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
Corporate controller candidates come from division controllers and plant controllers who already carry a multi-site view, and from assistant controllers or finance managers at larger manufacturers ready to take ownership. We approach peer manufacturers with similar plant counts, since consolidation complexity does not transfer from a single-site company.
We also look at sponsor-backed manufacturers where the controller built reporting for lender and board.
We separate controllers who built policy from those who followed it. A division controller in a big corporation may have strong controls but narrow scope. A controller in a small multi-plant company may have broad scope but loose process. We explain which candidate is which, and we match the profile to whether you need to establish structure or maintain it. We also ask whether they have supervised plant accountants remotely, because a controller who has never managed people in other buildings often struggles to enforce policy across sites. Candidates who have only reviewed submitted packages and never visited a plant to chase a variance tend to be weaker on policy enforcement, so we ask for a specific visit they made and what changed afterwards. We also check whether they have worked through a refinancing or an acquisition integration, since those events teach more about plants than a quiet year.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Consolidation across plants. Weak ones talk about reports but not about the work behind them. Audit readiness and external relationships. We want specifics on adjustments they prevented or accepted, not general statements about clean opinions. Month-end close discipline. Red flag: dependence on a single spreadsheet or on one person who holds all the knowledge.
- Consolidation across plants. Weak ones talk about reports but not about the work behind them.
- Audit readiness and external relationships. We want specifics on adjustments they prevented or accepted, not general statements about clean opinions.
- Month-end close discipline. Red flag: dependence on a single spreadsheet or on one person who holds all the knowledge.
The search
How the search runs?
We turn that into a scorecard covering consolidation, costing policy, team leadership and reporting expectations, and you review it before we call anyone. We then recruit quietly, interview for technical and leadership depth, and send a short list with notes on consolidation, audit and costing experience.
Agree the brief
We start with the CFO or president to understand the close, the audit status, plant accounting structure, ERP setup and what is failing today.
Approach relevant people
We turn that into a scorecard covering consolidation, costing policy, team leadership and reporting expectations, and you review it before we call anyone. We then recruit quietly, interview for technical and leadership depth, and send a short list with notes on consolidation, audit and costing experience.
Qualify the work and support the hire
We arrange meetings with the CFO and plant leaders, check references with finance questions, and support the offer. Our fee is a percentage of first-year base, agreed in writing before work begins, and it is payable only on a hire.
Need a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about Corporate Controller searches?
Need a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your Corporate Controller search?
Which other roles should you consider?
Need a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$166,570 annual national median for SOC 11-3031 Financial Managers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this Corporate Controller hire?
Yes: Controller changes can unsettle auditors, lenders and the plant accounting teams, so we use a sector description and release your name only with permission. We ask how many entities they consolidated, in how many currencies or ERPs, and how they handled intercompany transactions and eliminations.
When do we pay?
Only when you hire a controller we presented and they start. There is no charge for searching, screening or presenting candidates who do not result in a hire.
Can the search be confidential?
Yes: Controller changes can unsettle auditors, lenders and the plant accounting teams, so we use a sector description and release your name only with permission. We ask how many entities they consolidated, in how many currencies or ERPs, and how they handled intercompany transactions and eliminations.
Will you contact controllers who are not looking?
Yes: Good controllers are rarely on job boards. We approach them directly with a discreet outline of the plants, the systems and the reporting problem you want solved.
Do candidates usually need to relocate?
Frequently, since plants and corporate offices may be in smaller markets. We raise it at first contact and cover housing, family and any hybrid arrangement you are willing to consider.
What other titles do you search?
Division Controller, Corporate Controller and Group Controller overlap, as do Assistant Controller in larger companies. We evaluate scope, consolidation and costing work rather than title.
Need a Corporate Controller? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
What is your fee for a corporate controller search?
A percentage of the person's first-year base salary, agreed in writing before the search begins. Any bonus is separate and is not part of the calculation.
What should you know before sending corporate controller?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
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 do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Corporate Controller