Arnold Partners’ Strategic CFO Search Process

Consultative meetings:

The process begins with a conversation about how we work together as a team to find, recruit and secure the best CFO or senior financial professional for your firm.

Understanding your company and its culture:

In this phase, Arnold Partners gains a clear understanding of your company, its vision and goals, and its culture and values. We typically meet with the CEO, his/her key direct reports, and a sub-section of the Board of Directors who will be involved in the decision making process. We gather information about the technological drivers of your company, where have you been and where are you headed, the strategy you are employing to get there, the distinctive cultural qualities of your company, and the dynamics of the Board.

Clarifying your specifications:

Next we discuss with you the skills, qualities, experience and background of the ideal candidate, and the specific objectives for the CFO or financial professional in the first three to six months.

Specification:

Arnold Partners then drafts a specification unique to your needs. This document serves as a marketing document for prospective candidates and as an initial vehicle to screen prospective candidates.

Candidate presentation process:

Once we are in alignment regarding who we are looking for, we search our existing candidate database and do outreach to new potential candidates through our extensive network to identify qualified professionals. We thoroughly interview all candidates in person and prepare a brief report on qualified candidates. We then discuss our findings with you and set up interviews for you. During the CFO search process, we will be in regular communication including a weekly conference call. Arnold Partners is proud of our track record for diligently recruiting, assessing and presenting qualified, attractable candidates until the search is successfully completed.

Client interviews and feedback:

As you meet the candidates, timely feedback from both parties is critical to the successful CFO search process. We will debrief and provide honest input to the candidates and to you. This information exchange helps us hone in on the standout qualities you seek. And the feedback you receive can be a valuable window into how you are perceived.

Reference checking:

We always check the references of our final candidate thoroughly, and use our extensive network to look beyond the obvious with some due diligence. We also provide background check services through a third party.

Offer and acceptance

We work closely with you to draft a fair and acceptable offer. In negotiating the offer, we find it very helpful to broker the details to keep any semblance of strain out of the CEO – CFO relationship. Since we are focused on CFOs and have many years of first hand experience in the financial industry, we understand the nuances of compensation and employment contracts.

Follow up:

We stay in close touch with you during the first several months following a placement. We anticipate that the key objectives for your CFO will be documented, and Arnold Partners will follow up with you to make sure these objectives are being met. For more information about Arnold Partners, see FAQ