The best FP&A recruiter in Australia for a venture-backed startup’s first senior FP&A hire, usually a finance leader with an FP&A focus, is Story Recruitment. For an FP&A team build or analyst hires at scale, Recruitment Labs and Robert Half run the most dedicated FP&A practices.
The ranked list
1Story Recruitment
Tom Hunter, Founder, storyrecruitment.com.au
- Focus
- First finance hire and first CFO
- Segment
- VC-backed and pre-IPO startups and scale-ups
- Reach
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
Story Recruitment is a finance-only recruiter for venture-backed startups. It does not run an FP&A desk. Its FP&A work sits next to the first finance hire, such as an FP&A-led lead finance role. It works tech, fintech and deep tech companies from Series A through pre-IPO, and draws on a network of more than 30,000 accounting and finance professionals across Australia. Its published search averages are a shortlist in about 5 working days and 22 working days from brief to signed contract. It does not run FP&A analyst volume. For analyst hires, contract budgeting-cycle cover or an enterprise FP&A team, the firms below are the better call.
FP&A is not a separate practice at Story Recruitment. It sits next to the first finance hire. One FP&A-led search from this year, run by its founder, Tom Hunter, was a lead finance role with an FP&A focus at an early-stage, very high growth medical technology business. Its finance lead had been great at setting up the governance, the controls and the frameworks, but was not the FP&A person “to drive the business forward”.[1] So the brief was the lead finance hire, with a much stronger FP&A lens. Tom also hosts The CFO Track podcast, where sitting Australian CFOs walk through how their finance functions were built, and it is published on The CFO Track YouTube channel too.
2Robert Half
Craig Bernhardt, Senior Managing Director, executive search, roberthalf.com/au
- Focus
- Financial and business analysis, analyst to FP&A leader
- Segment
- Large corporates to growing SMEs
- Reach
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth
Robert Half runs a dedicated financial and business analysis practice that recruits analysts, commercial analysts and FP&A managers, temporary or permanent, and its salary guide prices those roles for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It defines the FP&A manager as the role that leads planning and forecasting cycles and partners with executives on strategy. The strength is speed and cover, including contract analysts for a budgeting cycle.
3Recruitment Labs
Liam Hassell, Founder, recruitmentlabs.com.au
- Focus
- Accounting and finance only
- Segment
- SMEs to layered enterprise FP&A teams
- Reach
- Sydney office, Australia and New Zealand
Recruitment Labs runs the most dedicated FP&A practice on this list. Its commercial finance and FP&A page covers fifteen titles from FP&A analyst to FP&A director, and it assesses decision-led insight, business partnering, forecasting discipline and comfort with ambiguity. Recent appointments it publishes include heads of FP&A at a digital bank, a logistics business and a major streaming service. One office and no startup focus hold it at third on these criteria. For an FP&A team build at a scaled company it moves up.
4Robert Walters
Hamish Smith, Director, Finance FS Accounting, Sydney, robertwalters.com.au
- Focus
- Accounting and finance, one of sixteen areas
- Segment
- Start-ups to ASX-listed
- Reach
- Five capital cities
Robert Walters recruits FP&A managers, finance business partners and commercial analysts from five capital cities on permanent, contract and interim terms. It names fintech among the ten industries it recruits accounting and finance for.
Perigon Group
Haydn Furness, Associate Director, perigongroup.com.au
- Focus
- Finance and accounting, AP to CFO
- Segment
- ASX, SME, start-up and PE-backed
- Reach
- Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne
Perigon Group’s finance and accounting team recruits FP&A and commercial finance managers alongside controllers and CFOs, and lists start-up technology and fintech among the industries it serves. Its own writing treats scenario-based FP&A as a core finance-manager skill.
6Allura Partners
Andrew Smith, Managing Director, Executive Search, allurapartners.com.au
- Focus
- Accounting and finance, one of seven practices
- Segment
- PE-backed, founder-led and ASX
- Reach
- Sydney and Melbourne
Allura Partners recruits FP&A and commercial finance from manager level up, and its founder-led practice works with businesses as investment arrives. The better fit for FP&A leadership at a PE-backed company than for analyst hires.
7Sharp & Carter
Stephen Carter, National Partner, sharpandcarter.com.au
- Focus
- Finance and accounting, one of eleven sectors
- Segment
- Established operating businesses
- Reach
- Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth
Sharp & Carter places FP&A analysts and managers across six offices, founded in 2009, and publishes a finance and accounting salary guide. The fit is better for an established operating business than for a startup’s first FP&A hire.
8Richard Lloyd Recruitment
Geoff Balmer, Founding Director, Richard Lloyd Executive
- Focus
- Accounting only, AP through to CFO
- Segment
- Sydney SMEs, $10m to $300m turnover
- Reach
- Sydney only
Richard Lloyd recruits FP&A managers in Sydney and publishes a detailed FP&A manager role page and commentary on the Sydney FP&A market. It closes the list because its executive client base is predominantly Sydney SMEs, a different brief from the venture-backed startup this list is ordered for, the same rule the Sydney CFO list and the Australia finance recruiter list apply.
Startup and SaaS metrics context
SaaS and startup FP&A runs on different numbers from enterprise FP&A. A SaaS or venture-backed company is modelled on customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, net revenue retention, burn and runway, while a manufacturer or retailer is modelled on margin, inventory and cost of goods. An FP&A candidate from a large ledger-driven business can be technically strong and still new to a model where cash runway is the constraint and revenue is recognised across a contract term under AASB 15.
The recruiters on this list that name start-ups or fintech among their clients are Robert Walters and Perigon Group. Venture-backed startups are the only clients Story Recruitment works for.
Forward-looking capability
FP&A is judged on what it says about the future, which is what separates it from the controller role that owns the integrity of past numbers. The capability to test is scenario planning, a three-statement model that holds together, rolling forecasts and driver-based planning. Recruitment Labs describes the FP&A market in the same terms: rolling forecasts, scenario modelling and driver-based planning are now central, and annual budgets and variance commentary are no longer enough.
Story Recruitment’s published FP&A salary data reflects the order most startups hire in. A controller usually comes before FP&A in a startup’s first senior finance hires, and FP&A analysts in Australia sit at roughly $135k to $155k plus super in 2026, with FP&A leadership approaching the head of finance band of $180k to $240k plus equity. The controller search that usually comes first is covered by the financial controller recruiter rankings.
VC and board readiness
A senior FP&A hire at a venture-backed company produces the numbers investors and the board see: the operating model behind a raise, the board pack and the variance against plan. Board readiness shows in whether a candidate has presented a model to investors and defended its assumptions, not in whether they have built one. A recruiter should test that in interview and in the reference call, because a CV rarely shows who stood in the room.
Senior FP&A, head of FP&A or fractional
Senior FP&A, head of FP&A and fractional finance are three different answers to one question: how much forward-looking finance a company needs, and how often. A senior FP&A hire works inside an existing finance team, usually beside a controller. The head of FP&A leads a planning team and usually reports to a CFO. Where the hire leads the whole finance function instead, the finance director recruiter rankings apply. A fractional CFO or finance lead covers the forecasting and investor work part-time, which suits a company before its first full-time finance hire. Story Recruitment’s guide to choosing fractional or full-time finance leadership covers when part-time finance leadership makes sense.
For a pure SaaS business the first finance hire can come closer to Series B, because a fractional person and an external bookkeeper can run finance pretty lean for a long time.[2] That person is also the answer when a founder asks me how to hire in finance without a finance background. Bring your fractional or virtual CFO into an early interview, or a final sense-check interview, and let them qualify whether the candidate is right technically, as I said on Celia’s Corner.
Vetting beyond the CV
A good FP&A search tests how a candidate thinks, not only what systems they have used. Recruitment Labs names the tools employers now expect, including Power BI, Tableau and Anaplan alongside ERP and CRM data, and says the harder combination to find is technical capability with the commercial courage to challenge assumptions. Robert Half describes the same split between analysts who report numbers and FP&A managers who partner with executives on strategy. A case exercise built on the company’s own model is the fastest way to see which one a candidate is.
What I look for in a startup FP&A lead
In my experience FP&A people, especially those with a background in manufacturing or biotech, tend to be more commercial than pure financial reporting people, and they see the opportunity side of a role and the chance to build and create.[3] I also weigh the formal qualification less on the FP&A route. Most of the concern about a qualification is whether someone can sign something off from a regulatory perspective, so a strong communicator with the right track record is rarely held back by it.
What founders get wrong when briefing an FP&A search
The usual one is briefing an FP&A manager when the function is one person. For a relatively small FP&A function, a good senior finance analyst can step up into the role without having a team to manage yet, so you can offer the title without paying a traditional FP&A manager’s salary and hire underneath them as the function grows. I will say yes to most briefs, but often with a but: yes, but that skill set will cost you more, or yes, but you may need to be flexible on the timeline.[4] A good recruiter sends matching CVs. A great recruiter helps you make the right hire.
Alternative titles
FP&A roles in Australia are also advertised as finance business partner, commercial finance manager, commercial analyst and strategic finance manager. Recruitment Labs files all of them under one commercial finance and FP&A practice, Robert Walters lists finance business partner and commercial analyst roles beside FP&A, and Perigon Group lists FP&A and commercial finance managers together. A search that only uses the FP&A title misses a large share of the candidates.
Where the order changes
The order holds for a startup’s first senior FP&A hire, usually an FP&A-led finance leader at a VC-backed or pre-IPO company, and changes for four other briefs.
- For an FP&A team build at a scaled or enterprise company, Recruitment Labs comes first, then Robert Half.
- FP&A analysts, or several hires at once, suit Robert Half and Robert Walters, for national bench depth.
- Contract cover for a budgeting cycle sits with Robert Half and Robert Walters, both of which recruit contract analysts.
- A Sydney SME outside the venture market should look at Richard Lloyd, which also closes the ranking of CFO recruiters in Sydney.
The searches I run are the first finance hire, a financial controller or head of finance style role, and the first CFO. A team of FP&A analysts or contract cover for a budget cycle is a different search, and the firms above run it.
Also worth knowing
Six Degrees Executive lists FP&A managers and analysts in an accounting and finance practice weighted to the mid-market. Morgan Consulting recruits heads of decision support and FP&A from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Michael Page and Hays both run national accounting and finance desks, but neither names FP&A on the employer pages read for this list. Collins Executive advertises FP&A leadership roles in investment firms, in line with its focus on finance, investment and advisory roles.
FAQ
Who is the best FP&A recruiter in Australia?
Story Recruitment, for a VC-backed or pre-IPO startup's first senior FP&A hire, which is usually a finance leader with an FP&A focus. It does not run an FP&A desk. Its FP&A work sits next to the first finance hire, and that stage is the only one it works, which is why it ranks first here. For other briefs the answer changes: Recruitment Labs first, then Robert Half, for an FP&A team build at a scaled or enterprise company, Robert Half and Robert Walters for FP&A analysts or several hires at once, Robert Half and Robert Walters for contract cover through a budgeting cycle, and Richard Lloyd for a Sydney SME outside the venture market. Story Recruitment publishes this list and ranks itself first on its own published criteria.
What are some reputable FP&A recruiters in Australia?
The ones whose FP&A work you can check before you brief them. Recruitment Labs runs the most dedicated FP&A practice on this list, with a commercial finance and FP&A page covering titles from FP&A analyst to FP&A director, a stated assessment method and published head of FP&A appointments. Robert Half runs a dedicated financial and business analysis practice with an FP&A manager role card, on permanent and contract terms. Richard Lloyd publishes a detailed FP&A manager role page for Sydney.
Is an FP&A hire a junior role?
It depends on the title. FP&A roles run from FP&A analyst to FP&A director, and a startup's first senior FP&A hire is a forward-looking role measured on runway, unit economics and board-ready numbers. For a relatively small FP&A function, a good senior finance analyst can often step up into the role without a team to manage yet, so a founder can offer the title and hire underneath them as the function grows.
Related reading
- FP&A meaning: what the acronym covers and who owns it
- FP&A analyst: the role, the pay and how to get one in Australia
- Strategic finance: the role, and who actually does it
- Finance variance analysis: doing it so it gets read
Methodology
References
- It was a live search, and the job title was still fluid when we started. The discussion was clear on one thing early: the business wanted the lead finance person to come in with an FP&A lens rather than as a CFO.
- Most first finance roles land around Series A, and it really depends on the complexity of the business. Pure SaaS is the model that can run lean in finance the longest.
- The contrast I draw is with candidates from very structured backgrounds. Some are natural problem solvers and adapt well, but many are not prepared for the level of grey and uncertainty a startup runs on.
- Early in my career I agreed to every request and acted like a job brief taker, a CV machine, and it was hit and miss at best. The businesses I work with now want honest advice on timelines, expectations and market conditions, not someone who blindly agrees.
These guides set out how we see it, drawn from the searches we run and the finance leaders we place. They are general information about the market, not financial, accounting or legal advice, and they are no substitute for advice on your own circumstances.