Recruiting a Finance Director:
Trends and Challenges for 2025
At Fauve, we’ve noticed a significant evolution in the expectations of companies and candidates in an increasingly complex market. As a generalist recruitment firm, we have a broad perspective on what drives today’s labour market. Today, we’re focusing on recruitment of Financial Leadership & Management roles.. In this article, we’ll analyze the main challenges, common mistakes, and best practices for successfully recruiting Directors of Finance and Financial Controllers
The Challenges of Finance Recruitment in 2025
The Growing Complexity of Desired Profiles
Companies today seek professionals who combine in-depth technical expertise with advanced behavioral skills. A Director of Finance must be comfortable with IFRS standards, audit management, and strategic analysis, while also demonstrating leadership and agility in constantly evolving environments. Finding candidates who meet these expectations can be challenging for employers, as these versatile profiles are rare and highly sought after.
The Talent Shortage
A talent shortage, particularly for strategic finance positions, can exacerbate recruitment challenges. According to a recent study, nearly 65% of HR managers face major obstacles in filling these positions. Although accountants are sometimes considered alternatives, their team leadership and ability to act as a true business partner is often insufficient to meet organizational goals. These roles often require strategic skills and a cross-functional vision that go far beyond accounting.
The Most Difficult Positions to Fill
Certain finance positions can be particularly complex to fill. For example, the role of international financial controller requires a strong mastery of multi-currency consolidations, often coupled with in-depth experience in various regional markets. The position of treasury manager also demands high-level technical expertise and a strong ability to adapt. Finally, the Administrative and Financial Director of an SME must juggle both operational and strategic responsibilities, making the search for qualified candidates even more challenging.
According to a recent study, nearly 65% of HR managers face major obstacles in filling these positions…These roles often require strategic skills and a cross-functional vision that go far beyond accounting.
Common challenges in Recruiting a Director of Finance
Attempting to replace an existing role confidentially
When the current CFO does not meet the job requirements, it becomes crucial to conduct a confidential recruitment to find the ideal candidate before proceeding with termination. However, trying to carry out this recruitment “discreetly” can be highly challenging. An executive search firm like Fauve is experienced, and highly adept at handling such delicate situations.
Misjudging Technical and Behavioral Skills
Certain recurring errors can seriously undermine the effectiveness of financial recruitment. For example, underestimating a candidate’s technical skills can be costly. For example, a company recruited an Accounting Manager without a thorough understanding of IFRS standards, which led to significant errors during the annual audit. Another common mistake is to focus exclusively on technical skills at the expense of behavioral skills, such as crisis management or leadership. This type of oversight can lead to integration problems and a lack of cohesion within teams.
How to Attract Top Finance Talent?
The Opportunity to Contribute to Major Decisions
Formulating a clear and compelling value proposition is essential to attracting high-level professionals. Candidates seek opportunities that offer a defined career progression, like the possibility of taking equity in the company or receiving performance-based compensation. They are also sensitive to strategic responsibilities that help them actively contribute to the company’s vision and influence major decisions. Finally, clearly defining the company’s why can help a candidate find purpose and intrinsic value in the role.
Providing Modern and Efficient Tools (or the opportunity to implement them)
The adoption of modern tools is an important element in attracting finance talent. Integrated ERPs, such as SAP or Oracle, facilitate the management of complex financial processes, while automated reporting tools simplify data analysis and presentation. These solutions increase their efficiency and enhance their job satisfaction by reducing repetitive, low value added tasks.
Offering Flexibility
Candidate expectations are evolving, and a healthy work-life balance is becoming a determining factor. Companies that offer flexible working arrangements, such as remote work or adapted schedules, position themselves as employers of choice. This flexibility helps attract talent and retain them over the long term. However, maintaining regular in-person touchpoints is essential for building rapport and fostering spontaneous “watercooler” ideas—those casual conversations that, though rare, can sometimes spark something great.
How to Effectively Evaluate Candidates for a Finance Director Position?
Asking Technical Questions
A rigorous assessment of technical skills is crucial to ensure a candidate’s relevance. Asking specific questions about their experience with tools like SAP or Sage, their ability to structure financial reports, or their approach to managing differences between IFRS and local standards will help evaluate their abilities. This type of exchange provides insight into their mastery of the position’s technical requirements. Ultimately, great candidates can distill and simplify complexity. At Fauve, our strategists excel at unwrapping these concepts by conducting in-depth interviews and asking the right questions, allowing us to uncover a candidate’s true ability to make the complex accessible.
Assessing Behavioral Skills
In addition to technical skills, evaluating candidates’ behavioral skills is essential. Psychometric tests can identify their qualities in terms of leadership, stress management, and decision-making. Real-life simulations can also provide valuable insight into their approach to complex situations. Questioning candidates on their experience in conflict resolution helps verify their ability to manage stress and navigate tense environments. At Fauve, we have all the tools required to present you with candidates who will integrate well into your company and thrive in the long term.
Conclusion
Recruiting a Director of Finance or a Financial Controller requires a rigorous and strategic approach that combines sector expertise and a deep understanding of a company’s needs. As a headhunting firm, we are able to overcome the challenges associated with this type of recruitment through proven methods and a detailed analysis of profiles. Relying on the Fauve’s due diligence will not only mitigate hiring risk but drastically increase the chance at mutual growth for both candidate and organization.