Building your finance team

Establishing a high-performing finance team starts long before a position is posted. Before hiring, CFOs should evaluate whether their current team structure, capabilities, and hiring strategy align with the organization's goals, growth plans, and evolving business needs.

A thoughtful approach to workforce planning helps ensure every hire strengthens the finance function—not just by filling an immediate need, but by building the skills and leadership needed to support long-term success.

Strong finance teams create:

Accurate reporting and forecasting
Improved decision-making
Stronger internal controls
Operational efficiency
Investor confidence
Scalability for growth
Reduced turnover and burnout
Higher employee engagement

Poor hiring decisions lead to:

Costly turnover
Cultural disruption
Weak financial controls
Delayed reporting
Team conflict
Poor morale
Increased audit risk
Lost productivity

Structuring your finance team

Every finance team is different, but high-performing teams share one characteristic: they're intentionally built to support both current business priorities and future growth.

A well-rounded finance team often includes expertise across several functional areas:

Executive finance leadership
Financial planning and analysis (FP&A)
Accounting operations
Compliance and internal controls
Treasury and cash management

As organizations grow, finance teams often become more specialized. It’s important to regularly evaluate whether your team structure aligns with:

Revenue size
Growth trajectory
Industry complexity
Regulatory requirements
Acquisition activity
Geographic footprint

Small companies

Lean accounting teams
Multi-functional employees
Outsourced tax support
Heavy automation

Mid-market companies

Specialized accounting roles
Dedicated FP&A
ERP implementation support
Increased compliance

Large enterprises

Global finance structures
Shared service centers
Advanced analytics
Investor relations

Creating a strategic hiring plan

Hiring should support long-term business objectives rather than simply responding to open positions. A proactive hiring strategy helps CFOs anticipate future talent needs, reduce hiring risk, and build stronger finance teams over time.

A successful hiring strategy begins with three foundational steps:

1. Assess

Current staffing gaps
Future growth plans
Retirement and succession planning
Skills shortages
Turnover trends

2. Define

Technical accounting expertise
Industry experience
Leadership capability
Communication skills
Cultural alignment
Adaptability

3. Measure

Time-to-fill
First-year retention
Offer acceptance rate
Hiring manager satisfaction
Employee engagement

Scaling your finance team

Business needs evolve, and finance teams must evolve with them. As organizations grow, expand into new markets, complete acquisitions, or implement new technologies, they often require specialized expertise to support periods of change.

Organizations often turn to interim leaders and specialized talent during periods of growth and transformation. Whether navigating an acquisition, implementing a new ERP, or preparing for an audit, these experienced professionals provide immediate expertise while helping maintain business continuity.

Common scenarios to leverage interim leadership:

Rapid growth

Mergers and acquisitions

ERP implementations

Audit readiness

Financial reporting initiatives

Organizational restructuring

Rapid growth
Mergers and acquisitions
ERP implementations
Audit readiness
Financial reporting initiatives
Organizational restructuring