How to hire a director of accounting & finance

How to hire a director of accounting & finance, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of accounting & finance hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a director of accounting & finance job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director of accounting & finance
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of accounting & finance do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a director of accounting & finance, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A director of accounting & finance's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of accounting & finance from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of directors of accounting & finance and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Director Of Accounting & Finance	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Accounting & Finance	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$42-88
   Controller, Vice President	A Controller, Vice President is focused on controlling and directing financial planning and budget management. They supervise the daily operations of the finance department, such as financial reporting, accounts payable, and payroll.	$52-113
   Finance Vice President	The vice president of finance is one of the highest-ranking executives in a company. He/She or she works under the chief financial officer, and both have similar duties that are often interchangeable... Show more	$47-106

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPA
   • GAAP
   • Internal Controls
   • Financial Data
   • Balance Sheet
   • Financial Reports
   • External Auditors
   • Oversight
   • Direct Reports
   • Reconciliations
   • Cash Flow
   • Financial Analysis
   • General Ledger
   • Financial Results

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Implement the firm's financial policy while managing day to day accounting and oversight of accounting staff and financial vendors.
   • Manage ERP implementation for both development and general construction operations.
   • Lead business validation process to produce accurate and timely portfolio consolidation results while ensuring favorable audit and SOX compliance opinions.
   • Manage financial accounting and reporting for all client entities, including consolidations and inter-company reconciliations, with recommendations for process improvements.
   • Champion and manage the integration of account reconciliation software to improve the efficiency and accuracy of inter-department and company-wide account reconciliations.
   • Assist CPA with yearly audit requirements and enter adjusting journal entries.

   More director of accounting & finance duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of accounting & finance job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A director of accounting & finance salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a director of accounting & finance in South Dakota may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level director of accounting & finance usually earns less than a senior-level director of accounting & finance. Additionally, a director of accounting & finance with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average director of accounting & finance salary

   $127,871yearly

   $61.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of accounting & finance salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 29, 2025

   Average director of accounting & finance salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$150,393	$72
   2	New York	$145,255	$70
   3	Texas	$137,650	$66
   4	North Carolina	$135,033	$65
   5	Georgia	$133,497	$64
   6	Washington	$131,805	$63
   7	Utah	$119,506	$57
   8	Michigan	$116,930	$56
   9	Pennsylvania	$116,618	$56
   10	Oregon	$115,753	$56
   11	Massachusetts	$113,287	$54
   12	Illinois	$110,710	$53
   13	Louisiana	$109,810	$53
   14	Missouri	$109,340	$53
   15	Arizona	$109,289	$53
   16	Florida	$107,865	$52
   17	District of Columbia	$107,520	$52
   18	Virginia	$107,404	$52
   19	Iowa	$106,729	$51
   20	Colorado	$106,325	$51

   Average director of accounting & finance salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Fried Frank	$183,952	$88.44
   2	Nike	$159,045	$76.46	2
   3	CNA Insurance	$157,316	$75.63	10
   4	SEO.com	$156,926	$75.45
   5	FHI 360	$152,027	$73.09
   6	Unity Technologies	$151,321	$72.75	14
   7	Walmart	$147,665	$70.99	39
   8	Sprinklr	$146,040	$70.21
   9	Moderna	$144,420	$69.43	2
   10	Columbia University in the City of New York	$144,219	$69.34	13
   11	Ranger Oil	$144,095	$69.28
   12	Concord	$143,989	$69.23
   13	AlixPartners	$142,590	$68.55	3
   14	TSYS	$141,241	$67.90
   15	Essex Property Trust	$140,299	$67.45
   16	Neiman Marcus Group	$139,458	$67.05
   17	Proofpoint	$139,247	$66.95
   18	Meridian Medical Technologies	$138,882	$66.77
   19	Weyerhaeuser International, Inc	$137,513	$66.11
   20	Niagara County Community College	$137,412	$66.06	1

4. Writing a director of accounting & finance job description

   A job description for a director of accounting & finance role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a director of accounting & finance job description:

   Director of accounting & finance job description example

   • Revenue Accounting: Performs review of contracts and their revenue recognition arrangements to ensure accordance with ASC 606 and related US GAAP pronouncements and company policy. Troubleshoots and resolves issues with the revenue set-ups in Deltek Costpoint. Reconciles unbilled AR, deferred revenue and other revenue related accounts; performs analysis of Unbilled and Billed reserves.

   • Lease Accounting: Oversees real estate and equipment leases. Review and approve real estate and equipment leases in LeaseCal (lease system), review monthly lease entries and oversee reconciliation of all lease related accounts (ROU, Lease liability accounts, lease allowances, etc)

   • Intercompany: Oversee intercompany activity and ensure they are reconciled monthly.

   • Financial Reporting: Prepares monthly consolidated entries and consolidated financial package for submission to Corporate. Uploads monthly results into Oracle. Reviews financial results by entity as well as on the consolidated level for unusual fluctuations. Prepares Balance sheet Flux analysis by entity as well as on the consolidated level. Oversees financial reporting by entity and on the consolidated level. Sets up new entities, serve as an Accounting POC to Legal for any updates/changes to the legal entities (asset transfer, merger, etc.). Maintain a record of all the updates to the entities from the accounting perspective.

   • Treasury: Assists Controller with managing banks for all entities including with setting up new bank accounts, initiating closure of the accounts, making updates to the current set up of bank accounts, etc. Serve as the backup for wire transfers/ACH approvals.

   • Audits: manage requests for various audits – financial statements and Compliance audits.

   • M&A: Assist Controller with purchase accounting for M&A activities.

   • Actively participating in the monthly close process, including preparing journal entries, maintaining GL reconciliation files, and meeting closing deadlines.

   • Maintaining/creating strong internal controls.

   • Responding to internal and external audit inquiries.

   • Assisting with year-end close process and financial reporting.

   • Partnering with other departments to ensure overall objectives are achieved.

   • Maintaining a productive and inclusive work environment.

   • Resolving accounting issues in an efficient and effective manner.

   • Creating an environment of continuous improvement.

   • Ad hoc duties and special projects as necessary.

   Required Qualifications

   • High energy, dynamic professional

   • Experience creating a strong internal controls environment.

   • Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance.

   • 10 plus years of corporate accounting OR a combination of Public (5+) and Corporate (3+) accounting experience with the technical accounting background.

   • ASC 606 and ASC842 experience.

   • CPA is a must.

   • Previous purchase accounting experience is a plus.

   • FAR, CAS and Government Compliance experience is a plus.

   • Strong experience with Deltek Costpoint financial system (including system design & setup), minimum version 7.0 experience.

   • Cognos is a plus.

   • Effective presenter who can clearly and concisely explain accounting items & financial results.

   • Demonstrated ability to perform effectively in a fast-paced environment and recognize the importance of relationship building and professionalism in interacting with both senior management and staff employees.

   • Strong organizational and time management skills

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5. Post your job

   To find the right director of accounting & finance for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with directors of accounting & finance they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit directors of accounting & finance who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of accounting & finance job on Zippia to find and recruit director of accounting & finance candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit directors of accounting & finance, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new director of accounting & finance

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of accounting & finance position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new director of accounting & finance first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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