Role / Chief Financial Officer
CFO search for companies from $50M to $500M.
The first strategic CFO, a sponsor's portfolio CFO, or a confidential replacement. The CFO seat is the core of the firm.
A CFO search with Steward Well finds a chief financial officer for a founder-led, sponsor-backed or private-equity-owned company from $50M to $500M in revenue. A partner runs the search from start to finish, presents a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and backs the placement with a written 12-month guarantee.
What does a CFO do at a $50M to $500M company?
At this size, the CFO is the owner's or the board's partner on every money question. They build the plan and the budget. They manage the bank and the lenders. They make sure the numbers are right, on time, every month.
They also lead a team. Most CFOs at this size inherit a controller and a few accountants, and they rebuild part of it in year one.
When is it time to hire your first strategic CFO?
- The business has passed $50M and the controller is stretched thin.
- A lender, investor or buyer wants better numbers than you can produce.
- You're planning a raise, a recap, an acquisition or a sale.
- The founder spends hours a week doing the finance job.
We cover this in depth in our article on promoting a controller to CFO.
What separates a strong CFO candidate?
Great CFO candidates can explain your business back to you after one meeting. They ask about cash before they ask about title. They can point to a team they built and a system they fixed.
We score every finalist against a written success profile, so you compare like with like. And we call the people who worked for them, not only the names they list.
What does a CFO cost at this size?
A 2025 survey of 312 sitting CFOs found the most common base was $250K to $299K at $50M to $99M in revenue, and $350K to $399K at $100M to $499M. The most common target bonus was 40% to 49% of base at the smaller band and 50% to 59% at the larger one. Equity is on top and varies a lot by owner. Our compensation brief goes further.
How does a Steward Well search run?
- Discovery. A partner meets the owner, the board or sponsor, and the team the leader will inherit.
- A written success profile. What this person must have done by month twelve, agreed before we call anyone.
- An original market map. Built for your seat, not pulled from a stack of resumes.
- A calibrated shortlist in 21 days. Qualified, interested and assessed against the profile.
- Scored interviews, deep references and offer support. The search closes in 45 to 90 days.
- Twelve months of check-ins, backed by a written 12-month guarantee.
A partner runs every step. You never get handed to a junior team after the pitch. See the full approach.
Questions buyers ask first
How long does a CFO search take?
We commit in writing to a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a completed search in 45 to 90 days. Notice periods can move the start date.
Should we promote our controller instead?
Sometimes. If the controller already does planning and works with the board, promotion can work. If the job ahead is mostly new, an outside search is usually safer. Read our take.
Do you run confidential CFO searches?
Yes. Many CFO searches are replacements. We agree the outreach story before any calls.
Do you work with PE-backed companies?
Yes. See portfolio CFO search for how sponsor searches differ.
See where your search stands before it starts.
The readiness diagnostic takes two minutes. It shows the gaps that slow a search down. When you're ready, a partner takes the first call.