Private Equity Finance Search

Finance leadership for private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

Portfolio CFOs and Controllers. Fund controllers. One partner who already knows how you work.

Hazeltine Executive Search works with private equity firms that invest in energy and industrial companies. We place portfolio company CFOs, VPs of Finance, and Controllers, fund-level finance roles like fund controller and fund CFO, and interim finance executives when a portfolio seat opens without warning. Many sponsors use us across several portfolio companies.

How we help

Portfolio companies

First CFO after close. CFO for the exit. Controller who can deliver the monthly package on time. We know the 100-day plan, lender reporting, add-on integration, and what a sale process asks of finance. Portfolio company CFO search →

Fund finance

Fund controller, fund CFO, fund accounting manager. Capital calls and distributions, investor reporting, audits, and fund admin oversight. Alternative asset managers →

Interim

When a portfolio CFO leaves or a deal needs more finance muscle than the team has. Interim CFO and Accounting Executives →

Roles we place

Portfolio CFO · VP Finance · Controller · Fund Controller · Fund CFO · Fund Accounting Manager · Head of M&A

Situations we see often

  • The platform just closed and the finance function has never reported to institutional owners.
  • A fund controller resigns two months before year-end audit.
  • A sponsor runs several CFO searches across the portfolio in 18 months and wants one partner for all of them.
  • An add-on doubles the entity count and the Controller can't keep up.
A lower middle market PE firm needed a Head of M&A for its largest platform to double through acquisitions. We evaluated more than 15 candidates with banking and portfolio M&A backgrounds and closed the search.Search example

Questions

Do you work with PE firms outside energy and industrials?

Our focus is energy and industrial sponsors. Ask us. If it fits how we work, we will say so.

Do you recruit fund controllers?

Yes. Fund controller and fund CFO searches.

Can you run searches across a whole portfolio?

Yes. Many sponsors use us for several portfolio companies.

How we reach candidates

We pick up the phone.

A lot of recruiting is LinkedIn InMails and emails sent out in bulk, hoping something sticks. We build a targeted list for every search, and our first outreach is a phone call. The best finance leaders aren't scrolling job boards or talking to five recruiters. They get plenty of messages and very few calls. Across hundreds of searches, the phone call has found our best candidates, the ones who weren't looking. Then the Position Package lets them see the hiring manager and the role on video before the first interview.

Why we pick up the phone →

What clients say

“Their reach in the market is very impressive…”Private equity partner

PE firm hiring finance leadership?

Call our office at (832) 371-6235.

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