Role / Controller
Controller search for growing companies.
A great controller makes the CFO's job possible. A weak one makes every number a question.
A controller search finds the leader who owns the monthly close, internal controls, the audit and the accounting team. Steward Well searches for controllers at companies from $50M to $500M in revenue, often as the first hire in a finance rebuild, with a calibrated shortlist in 21 days.
What does a controller own?
- The monthly close, ideally done in ten business days or less
- Internal controls, so the numbers hold up to an audit
- The yearly audit or review, from planning to sign-off
- The accounting team and its day-to-day work
- Accounting policies, like revenue recognition and inventory
Controller, VP Finance or CFO: which do you need?
A controller looks back. They make sure last month is right. A CFO looks forward. They plan the next three years. A VP Finance often does some of both.
If your biggest problem is late or wrong numbers, start with a controller. If it's the plan, the bank or the board, you likely need a CFO. Many companies need both, in that order.
What separates a strong controller?
Strong controllers can tell you how many days their last close took, and why. They've cleaned up a messy ledger before. They've sat across from an auditor and came out with few findings.
We test for those results. A controller who has only maintained a clean system may struggle to build one.
What does a controller earn?
The BLS groups controllers with financial managers, with a 2025 median pay of $166,570 a year. Pay at a $50M to $500M company depends on the team size, the systems and whether an audit is involved. We set a range with you before outreach.
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
Do you run contingent controller searches?
Yes. For a well-defined controller seat in a known market, contingent search can make sense. For a critical or confidential hire, we recommend retained. See engagements.
Can a controller grow into a CFO?
Some can. It depends on whether they want to plan, raise capital and work with a board. We test for that if it's part of the brief.
How long does a controller search take?
We commit in writing to a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a completed search in 45 to 90 days.
Do you search for assistant controllers?
Our focus is the controller seat and above, where a partner-led search adds the most.
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.