Steward Well Executive Search

Role / VP Finance

VP Finance search.

Often the most useful hire a growing company can make, and the hardest one to define.

The short answer

A VP Finance search finds a finance leader who runs planning and analysis, reporting and the finance team, usually below a CFO or in place of one. Steward Well runs VP Finance searches for companies from $50M to $500M, partner-led, with a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a written guarantee.

21 daysCalibrated shortlist, in writing
45 to 90 daysSearch completed, in writing
12 monthsWritten guarantee on the placement

What does a VP Finance do?

The title means different things at different companies. In most mid-market firms, the VP Finance owns planning and analysis, the budget, management reporting and the finance team. Some also own the close. Some work with the bank.

That's why we write a success profile before we search. It turns a vague title into a clear job.

When should you hire a VP Finance instead of a CFO?

  • The owner or CEO still wants to handle the bank and the board.
  • The close works, but nobody has time for planning.
  • A CFO is a few years away, and you want someone who could grow into it.
  • A sponsor's CFO needs a strong second in command.

If the job is mostly the bank, the board and capital, you need a CFO. If it's mostly the close, you need a controller.

What separates a strong VP Finance?

Strong VP Finance candidates have built a forecast that someone actually used. They can point to a decision the business made because of their analysis. They also manage people well, since the role sits in the middle of the team.

We look hard at how they explain numbers to people who aren't in finance. That skill decides whether the role grows or stalls.

How does a Steward Well search run?

  1. Discovery. A partner meets the owner, the board or sponsor, and the team the leader will inherit.
  2. A written success profile. What this person must have done by month twelve, agreed before we call anyone.
  3. An original market map. Built for your seat, not pulled from a stack of resumes.
  4. A calibrated shortlist in 21 days. Qualified, interested and assessed against the profile.
  5. Scored interviews, deep references and offer support. The search closes in 45 to 90 days.
  6. 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.

Common questions

Questions buyers ask first

Can a VP Finance become the CFO later?

Often, if that's the plan from day one. We put it in the success profile and test for it.

Is VP Finance the same as head of FP&A?

Not always. A head of FP&A usually owns only planning and analysis. A VP Finance often owns reporting and the team too.

How long does a VP Finance search take?

We commit in writing to a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a completed search in 45 to 90 days.

Do sponsors hire VPs of Finance?

Yes, often as value creation talent under the portfolio CFO.

Keep going
Up one levelFinance and accountingCFO and office-of-the-CFO searches, $50M to $500M.→RelatedCFO searchThe first strategic CFO, or the next one.→RelatedController searchThe owner of the close, the controls and the audit.→

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.

Take the diagnostic → Talk to a partner →