Client Background
Our client is a leader in the Cleanroom Construction and Advanced Technology industry, private equity-owned and a Top ENR Listed Construction Company.
The Brief
The client was looking to recruit a VP of Accounting & Finance to manage a team of 15 employees comprising of Accounting Leadership, Project Accountants, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll. The candidate would oversee the company initiatives for 2024, including M&A analysis, software roll-out and adoption, training and development, and compensation programs to achieve the critical growth the organization desired.
Skip to our search methodology to find out how we engaged with our client, sourced candidates, and delivered this assignment.
The Results
The successful applicant was a CPA-qualified finance leader who began their career in public accounting for construction clients and had since gone on to become a Director of Accounting at a multi-billion-dollar private equity-owned eCommerce business.
We encourage our clients to have a more industry-agnostic approach when it comes to identifying Finance leadership talent, so while our search began by focusing on candidates in similar leadership roles at direct Construction competitors, this however limited our candidate pool.
The then team explored other industry verticals and successfully identified a world-class accounting leader who had a stellar track record of identifying and training accounting talent. We took references from their direct reports and supervisors, which all collectively recommended her for her expertise and leadership qualities.
Testimonial
Chris stayed on top of communication throughout the entire hiring process, so I was never left wondering where I stood.
The successful candidate
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Search Methodology
Engagement
Fully knowing our track record of placing VP-and C-suite-level roles within the construction industry, the CFO (a former candidate we placed) reached out to us to source a candidate for the role VP of Accounting & Finance. This person would be her second in command and lead the finance function, allowing the CFO to focus on the company’s growth strategy.
Page Executive was exclusively retained to run a search for the role, and we collaborated with the CFO, President, and HR Director during the hiring process, which ran in conjunction to a very busy end-of-year audit period for the client.
Keeping this in mind, we adopted an open, timely, two-way communication with the hiring team to ensure a seamless partnership that would keep the search on track.
Sourcing
Our search criteria included CPA-qualified candidates with speed of the essence in this search. We Identified a qualified finance leader with extensive experience, not only in the construction industry but also in a private equity-owned business.
Due to the location of the company HQ, there was a preference for candidates based in the south of Boston or north of Providence, adding to the complexity of the search.
Page Executive adopted a multi-pronged approach, advertising the role on our website, utilizing our extensive candidate database, and leveraging our team’s personal networks to gain referrals.
Assessment
Candidates were assessed on their technical accounting skills and asked to elaborate on their track record to demonstrate their leadership experience and cross-functional collaboration.
After the individual assessments and referencing, profiles of nine candidates were shared with the hiring team. We recommended a two-part interview and included the client’s CPA firm in the process since they would be working with the successful candidate. Interviews were booked quickly as candidates had multiple opportunities they were considering.
Whilst two of the three finalists were from Top ENR 100 companies, we advised the client to choose the candidate from a multi-billion-dollar PE owned eCommerce business as we felt they would be able to handle future M&A and Integration of future businesses well.
Delivery
The President, CFO, and HR Director agreed on the successful applicant and together we compiled a very competitive offer. Whilst it is important to present offers in a timely manner, we advised our client not to rush the offer process and instead carefully make an offer that factored in base, bonus, equity, PTO, and start date variables.
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