Hiring the right CFO or Controller is one of the most consequential moves a founder, family office, or managing partner will make. Swell Recruit’s retained executive search model is built for critical leadership roles where discretion, rigor, and long-term fit matter more than speed. We work as a strategic partner—not a transactional recruiter—to map the market, engage top passive talent, and deliver leaders who can actually move the needle on finance, operations, and growth.
When retained search makes sense
C-level and senior finance roles (CFO, VP Finance, Controller, Head of FP&A, COO/ops leaders).
- Sensitive or confidential searches where you can’t broadcast the opening.
- You need access to passive leaders who will never respond to job boards or blast emails.
- You want one accountable partner owning the search from scoping through onboarding.
Retained search is for mandates where “good enough” is too expensive.
What you get with Swell’s retained model
Exclusive partnership: One firm responsible for the entire search—no noise, no candidate conflicts.
- Deep discovery: We align on outcomes, culture, and red flags before we ever contact candidates.
- Market intelligence: Real-time insight on compensation, talent supply, and how your role stacks up.
- Access to passive talent: Direct outreach to targeted CFOs, Controllers, and senior leaders who are not actively looking.
- High-touch process: Structured evaluations, reference checks, and offer support to minimize mis-hires.
Our retained search process
Discovery & Role Design
- Working session to define the mandate, success metrics, and candidate profile.
- Clarify reporting lines, 12–24 month outcomes, and deal-breakers.
- Market Mapping & Strategy
- Map 100+ target leaders across PE/VC-backed companies, family offices, RIAs, CPA firms, and FinTech.
- Calibrate compensation and refine profile based on live market feedback.
- Targeted Outreach & Engagement
- Discreet, one-to-one outreach to pre-qualified executives, not mass job ads.
- Present your story the right way so high-caliber leaders actually take the call.
- Evaluation & Shortlist
- Structured interviews, track record validation, and reference checks.
- Deliver a curated shortlist (often 3–5 finalists) with comparative insight, not just resumes.
- Decision & Onboarding Support
- Support compensation design, offer negotiation, and start-date planning.
- Check-ins through the first 90 days to help both sides succeed.
Typical retained mandates
CFO for Series A–C VC-backed companies.
- Controller or VP Finance for profitable, founder-led businesses.
- Finance & operations leadership for family offices and multi-asset platforms.
For critical finance and operations hires, you don’t need more resumes—you need the right short list. If you’re considering a retained search for a CFO, Controller, or senior leader, let’s pressure-test the mandate and the market together.