Toptal compiles a convenient array of rigorously tested and vetted freelance CFO advisors. The platform is notable for only permitting the top 3% of applicants to join its global network. With the system’s refined filtering process, you can find someone with the specific skill set or niche experience you require.
“I was very impressed with Toptal, from the candidate presentation and selection process to the billing… They did exactly what they said they would do, and they did it in a very timely fashion. Overall, the process was very smooth. In addition, their entire team is very responsive, and they go out of their way to assist their clients on all matters. They proved that when something was important to me, it was important to them.” – Katrina Bogany, from Trustpilot review
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This firm specializes in offering part-time, interim, and project-based CFO advisors for small and mid-sized companies. They will also assist in sourcing a permanent CFO.
CFO Consulting Services concentrates on the Pacific Northwest but also serves companies across the United States. This might be a limitation if you want to be able to search through an international talent base, but the company is adept at sourcing and working with domestic talent.
Another good option for Northwestern U.S. residents who want to hire CFO advisors is Cordell, Neher & Company. They provide a CFO for Hire service that focuses on personalized on-site assistance. If you fall within their limited geographical coverage, you may be able to benefit from their decades of experience and wide financial expertise.
Financial Solution Advisors’ services include advice from experienced CFO experts without the commitment of a full-time hire. Though the company is in the Southeast U.S., it offers a virtual CFO office along with other financial services.
This is another viable option for businesses that only require limited CFO services. The team has a wealth of experience among its 33 employees.
For proactive financial management that aids informed decision-making, Quadrant Advisory is another boutique firm with abundant experience. The company focuses on five core pillars:
Strategic planning
Capital allocation
Cash flow forecasting
Capital raises
Process improvement
Over 100 companies have relied on them for forward-thinking CFO advisory services.
Two Roads applies metrics-driven approaches for tailor-fit solutions. Its virtual CFO service goes deeper than bookkeeping and helps businesses interpret numbers and gain insights for winning outcomes.
While also a smaller operation, its team members live around the U.S., so they understand how to effectively provide remote services. Two Roads takes a friendly and collaborative approach to its operations.
Heier Weisbrot & Bernstein distinguishes itself from traditional CPA firms by offering a CFO advisor, interim CFO, or part-time CFO. The goal is to provide more than a snapshot of a business. The firm thoroughly reviews a company’s information and provides guidance on how to take action.
The firm prides itself on supporting veterans and active-duty service members with discounts to them and their families. The active partners once worked with the U.S.’s ninth-largest accounting firm. David Heier also gained real-world experience working as a full-time CFO.
The human resources experience of Pacific Crest Group gives this firm an edge if you need HR expertise along with financial advice. PCG offers its OnDemand CFO Services for data-based decisions, mainly for Bay Area residents.
Robert Half’s subsidiary Proviti sources a large network of finance consultants, including CFO advisors. Instead of picking through a few local firms, you can peruse a global network of talent.
While the company does not dedicate a page to hiring CFO advisors in particular, you can sort through qualified individuals on pages of financial professionals. You get abundant choices if you are willing to do the legwork of vetting and extensive interviewing.
Hire CFO keeps things simple by focusing primarily on providing part-time CFO candidates to an international client base. You can also find financial controllers and managers to assist with day-to-day operations. Another benefit is that the company offers accounting systems and automation.
You will have to go through an initial consultation for matching with a prospective CFO. This can be good if you want to leave the decision of hiring CFO advisors in someone else’s hands rather than handpicking your own freelancer.
Fintalent.io connects its clients with global freelancers in finance. Its main focus is on mergers and acquisitions, but it also has experts in private equity deals and corporate development.
The company takes its vetting process seriously. Consultants must receive an invitation to join the network, and the screening process is comprehensive. Smaller companies should note that Fintalent.io tends to cater to larger enterprises.
Paro deploys artificial intelligence to find CFO advisors. Its aim is to only select the top 2% of professionals as freelancers. While it can cost more than other options, you will find excellent candidates on the site.
Professionals looking for pre-vetted freelancers can try FreeUp. The company only accepts the top 1% of talent. While this could limit finding workers in specific skill sets, it ensures you only find freelance CFO advisors with a top-tier skill set on the site.
Upwork is a constant standby for finding financial professionals. You simply set up an account and post your project or a job for a CFO analyst or expert.
Sites like Upwork provide a large selection of talent. This allows you to have your pick of professionals, as long as you are willing to do the majority of the vetting and interviewing work.
LinkedIn remains a popular business social networking platform and gives the widest reach when you need to hire freelance CFO advisors. The site recently hit a track record by getting over 1 billion members. The focus is networking and hiring, and many freelancers use it to find work.
However, the site does not offer as much in the way of vetting profiles and their financial expertise. It prefers to provide an open arena for professionals to interact freely.
Not happy with this selection?
Guide To Hiring Freelance CFO Advisors
Locating the right match for a CFO advisor or any high-level consultant requires sufficient time to find and scrutinize viable candidates. You also must take into account that many other businesses are looking for qualified individuals. The number of open CFO positions now exceeds 145,000.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the growth rate of such management analyst careers at 10%. This is much faster than average. As a result, you have to act quickly and stay alert to find a good fit before someone else does.
However, small and mid-sized companies do not necessarily need a full-fledged financial executive. The services of a freelance CFO expert are often sufficient to provide practical guidance.
Entrepreneurs and owners need to know how to hire CFO advisors to bring the voice of a dedicated financial expert into their organizations and get measurable results. Consider the example of Doug MacKay, founder and CEO of Sidekick. He reported that working with this kind of financial expert achieved an initial ROI of 650x. He was eventually able to make a strategic exit and sell the company to a private equity firm.
You are surely a busy leader who is already short on time; otherwise, you could cover the additional work yourself. The odds are that you are one of the 84% of business owners who work over 40 hours a week. You might even be one of the 10% who feels overwhelmed, which is why you need a CFO analyst’s support.
Fortunately, this guide provides the vital details you need to find and vet competent CFO experts. You will gain a better understanding of what the role encompasses, how you will benefit from working with a freelancer, and what it costs to hire a competent professional. We also share how to write a top-notch job description and the right interview questions to ask.
The Benefits of Hiring a Freelance CFO Advisor
When it comes to hiring financial experts for your company, you can choose to bring on someone as a full-time employee, a part-time worker, or a freelance consultant. The rapid expansion of freelance hiring indicates that this tends to be the preferred model in the modern market.
Many companies seek freelancers because hiring contractors proves to be less expensive, especially when you do not require the services full time. However, the advantages go far beyond saving money.
Staying competitive means selecting the right individuals to join your team. You gain access to a global talent pool by extending your reach to remote workers.
Since a CFO expert is a high-trust position, you must have someone who is a self-starter and can work independently, allowing you to handle your other responsibilities. Limiting your search just to your locale increases the challenge of finding the right person. On the other hand, using a reliable site like Toptal to hire a freelance CFO advisor can speed up your search. You also improve your odds of quickly finding someone who is compatible with your organizational culture and possesses the right skills.
What a CFO Advisor Does
Running a successful business is about more than supplying a good product or service. You have to apply sound principles of money management, investment, and strategic debt. When you handle these areas correctly, your money actually works to make more money for you. What does a CFO advisor do to support these efforts?
These experts help you make the optimal financial decisions for your company. This role can take the form of providing deeper insights during a single project but might expand to a longer-term relationship.
If you are a CFO, you can lean on the expert’s insights for a fresh perspective while going through an intensive project. On the other hand, you might be an owner who needs an interim CFO during a transition, and these consultants usually have the skills to fill that role.
You could also be a small or mid-sized business owner who requires additional support for a single project and does not need a full-time CFO. In this case, a part-time freelance CFO advisor is usually the right solution.
Remember that this professional’s role exceeds simply overseeing bookkeeping and accounting. The individual will be a trusted consultant, giving you reliable advice that allows you to stay competitive into the future.
As the former CEO of Scholastic, Maureen O’Connell states: “A CFO needs to go beyond being 'the finance operations expert' to become a corporate strategist who can enhance the firm’s valuation and brand and win over stakeholders’ trust and goodwill.” The same applies to someone you bring on as a CFO consultant.
For example, your CFO advisor is able to offer actionable insights in the following areas:
Offering guidance on tax structures that maximize savings while ensuring compliance with financial regulations
Finding the root of cash flow or credit issues and presenting realistic solutions
Identifying ideal opportunities for capital raising or promoting growth
Creating advanced financial models and forecasts to improve decision-making
Designing succession plans, strategic exits, and transformations, such as M&As, IPOs, and SPACs
Another key way a CFO advisor adds value beyond accounting and bookkeeping management is with high-quality financial models. These projections give you an accurate estimate of your finances for the next five to 10 years.
Consider hiring someone when preparing for a significant business transformation. This would include the startup phase and when you plan to sell or execute a merger.
How To Hire CFO Advisors
Now that you know why hiring a CFO advisor is good for any company, you need to find the right person. Your hiring process should start with looking inward at your company’s current and future needs.
Clarity in how you want to improve or advance will make it easier to find the most suitable CFO advisors for hire. Brainstorm with fellow stakeholders to ensure you do not miss any key points.
Determine your budget and the unique requirements of the particular project. Setting a timeline is also key. You definitely do not want to invest in a CFO advisor only to not be able to benefit from their services all the way to the end of the project.
With those points in mind, you can determine the types of skills your financial professional will need. It may be necessary to hire multiple CFO analysts to work as a team or to bring on other financial freelancers who can support the project.
Assess the experience level that the project demands. Bear in mind that a senior-level expert may not be necessary. In fact, a junior-level professional could serve you as well in many cases, especially if you have a smaller firm. Such an individual could be more cost-effective and lay the foundation for a fruitful long-term relationship.
This chart helps you distinguish between how each of the levels differs and what to consider when hiring:
Choosing the right freelancer site simplifies finding the freelancer at the correct level for your project. Toptal makes it easy to understand each individual’s qualifications and skill level to help you with the process.
Key Skills To Look for When Hiring CFO Advisors
A range of skills go into making an effective CFO advisor. These specialists are much more than number crunchers.
Of course, you need someone with a strong background in accounting, finance, and investment. The individual should be familiar with common tools and a software stack that facilitates managing these tasks.
The venture firm Founders Circle Capital performed a survey of financial leaders and discovered the most popular software among CFOs, including:
Financial planning and analysis: Anaplan, Adaptive Insights, Excel
Expense management: Concur, Expensify, Ramp
Accounts payable: NetSuite, Airbase, BILL.com
Business process management: Asana, Jira, Monday.com
CFO experts also need to have familiarity with collaborative tools to coordinate with other departments. These include business intelligence, customer relationship management software, and human resource management systems.
Such resources give a CFO advisor a well-rounded view of your company and its financial status. These tools provide the necessary data for crafting plans and making intelligent decisions. It also boosts your team’s productivity and conserves resources with efficient automation.
Other CFO advisor skills are more personal than technical. For example, you need someone who is a good communicator. Even freelancers will be a key part of your organization, and this trait is even more important if the advisor is going to serve as part-time or interim CFO.
An advisor must also be reliable. As a freelancer, a professional has much more latitude than a salaried employee. Furthermore, you are trusting the advisor with your sensitive financial information, so implicit trust is a necessity.
Experience in your particular industry or a related field is also beneficial. The CFO consultant role should be for someone who cares about more than just the numbers. A top-notch expert comprehends the nuances of your industry and how to manage them.
Another essential characteristic of someone who will be your part-time or interim CFO is leadership. Look for certifications, degrees, or experience that show the person has the qualifications for directing a team. Ask for examples of teams or groups candidates have led in the past.
The Cost of Hiring CFO Advisors
Expect the pay of a CFO advisor to vary considerably depending on the experience level and range of duties. The average annual pay in the U.S. is $123,596. For a professional working a full-time schedule, that equates to $59.42 an hour.
However, a freelance junior-level expert working on a part-time basis might get as little as $35,500. That would likely be someone who is only working on a short-term project or assisting you one day a week. The highest earners bring in as much as $368,000. Note that this figure includes additional bonuses for performance.
Tips for Writing a CFO Advisor Job Description
As you are competing with many other companies to hire for this role, you need a strong job description to attract quality CFO advisors. Aim for a concise and well-organized post that clarifies what will make for a good match.
One of the top mistakes companies make when sourcing candidates is copying and pasting what the highest-level expert in a field is capable of and just requesting that. Descriptions that ask for too much can eliminate professionals who have the right skill set and could be a more cost-effective hire.
Include the following elements:
A brief summary (no more than 3-4 sentences) of what you require of a CFO analyst for your organization
The key characteristics of your project and the timeline
Your company culture and the type of individual who would mix well with your team
A list of general responsibilities and your requirements for education and experience
Distinguish between what are must-haves and your preferred characteristics. For example, it is standard to ask for the applicant to have a bachelor’s degree. However, a self-taught individual with other certifications and at least five years of real-world experience can be just as effective.
You can also gauge someone by their portfolio. Examples of past projects show the person’s ability to simplify complex analyses into easy-to-understand data visualizations.
Remember that a high-quality prospect will be busy and in demand from other clients, so you should aim for an efficient interview process. Share what those who make it to the interview process can expect.
Common Interview Questions To Ask When You Are Looking To Hire a CFO Expert
If you have posted a well-written CFO advisor description, those who make it to the interview process will have the necessary capabilities. At this stage, you should focus more on determining whether your culture and communication styles align.
With well-thought-out questions, you can uncover how adaptable a candidate is. For example, make a few queries purposefully vague to find out how inquisitive they are when it comes to solving a problem and whether they know to ask for the right information. You can also get a better idea of how knowledgeable the individual is about your industry and its particular challenges.
Consider posing the following questions and requests or something similar:
“Please recall a project you are proud of or a time you helped a client successfully reach a goal. How did you define success and leave your client in a better situation?”
“When was the last time a circumstance tested your personal integrity? How did you respond to the matter?”
“Please share a time when a client initially disagreed with you. How did you convince the person to follow your advice, and what were the results?”
“How do you think this [recent news item or press release] will affect my industry? What general strategies do you believe are necessary to stay profitable with this change?”
Talk to other business owners or managers who have had success in hiring and find out how they succeeded with the process. Also, remember that sites like Toptal simplify the process by ensuring you only connect with high-caliber candidates.
How To Find Freelance CFO Advisorsfor Hire
There are a wealth of options to utilize when you are ready to finda CFO advisor. Take a look at the different job boards, freelance marketplaces, and outsourcing agencies that provide access to skilled financial experts. Do not overlook making connections through your professional network and industry events, which could lead to the ideal person.
A good place to start is our list of sites to hire CFO advisors. Find a service that offers the right mix of benefits. You should be able to easily find quality candidates for specific roles that work within your budget.
We find that Toptal covers these bases and more. The site consistently offers access to world-class talent, reducing the work you have to do for vetting and interviewing so you can get back to business.
Hiring a well-qualified freelance CFO advisor for your organization promotes long-term success, financial and otherwise. Getting the correct person in the role requires a careful process, but it does not have to be overly time-consuming with the right resources. Use our list of top sites to direct you to vetted experts who can meet your needs.
FAQ
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