FP&A recruitment: hiring the FP&A lead for a growing startup
Hiring someone to own the forecast and the model? Story Recruitment places senior finance hires in VC-backed businesses, and Tom Hunter runs every search himself.
Hiring an FP&A lead? Start with your email.
Tom calls you back, usually within one business day. Or call 02 9099 7619.
Is an FP&A lead the right hire?
Usually once the controls and reporting are in place. At 10 to 20 heads, FP&A is not a separate first seat: it sits with a head of finance, and a financial controller usually comes first. The FP&A searches Story runs are senior. One this year was for an early-stage, very high growth medical technology business whose finance lead had set up the governance, the controls and the frameworks, but was not the FP&A person to drive the business forward. The brief became a lead finance hire with a much stronger FP&A lens. That person owns:
- The financial model, budgets and forecasts
- What the numbers mean for the next decision, in plain words
- The planning a raise depends on
What to pay an FP&A lead
FP&A analysts sit at roughly $110k to $150k plus super in 2026. FP&A leadership approaches the head of finance band of $180k to $240k plus equity. The full FP&A salary guide has the detail.
Want the band for your stage and city? Tom will send it.
Tom calls you back, usually within one business day. Or call 02 9099 7619.
FP&A and finance analyst salaries in Australian startups: the data
Our Startup Finance Salary Database holds 256 sourced salary figures from 104 funded Australian startups: pay bands from the companies' own job ads, and salaries reported for the same role at the same company. Every figure links to its source.
- FP&A and finance analyst salaries (61 figures)
- Finance salaries in tech startups (170 figures)
- Finance salaries in deep tech startups (37 figures)
- Finance salaries in fintech startups (30 figures)
What the search costs
Our fee is published, which most firms do not do. On an FP&A lead package of $200,000 total remuneration, 18% is $36,000, paid in three instalments.
| What it means for you | Our terms | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | A known cost, set against the package you agree with the hire. | 18% of total remuneration, including super. |
| When you pay | Payments track work delivered, not only the outcome. | A third at the start, a third at shortlist and interviews, a third about ten days after written acceptance. |
| If it does not work out | The risk of a failed hire does not sit only with you. | A free replacement search within the first six months. |
| Who runs it | One person from brief to offer. | Tom Hunter, personally, on every search. |
How the search runs
Brief to signed contract averages about three weeks on Tom's searches. Senior finance people are usually employed and on notice, so plan the start date around that.
The brief
Tom sits with you and writes down the real story of the business: what this person walks into on day one and what they have to build. That brief becomes the scorecard.
The search
The role goes to market as a story post, alongside market mapping and direct approaches to people who are not looking.
The shortlist
A small number of people Tom has met and assessed against the brief, each with a clear trade-off. Then three interviews: getting to know each other, a case study on a real problem in your business, and a culture conversation.
The offer
References with permission, then a signed contract. Tom stays in touch through the notice period and the first months in the seat.
What clients and candidates say
“I had the pleasure of working with Tom during my job search, and I can honestly say he stands out as one of the best recruiters I've worked with.”
“Tom has a genuine talent for connecting the right people with the right opportunities, always taking the time to understand both the candidate and client needs.”
Common questions
Should a startup's first finance hire be an FP&A lead?
Rarely. For most Australian startups at 10 to 20 heads it is a hands-on financial controller with an outsourced bookkeeper underneath. FP&A at that stage sits inside the head of finance remit rather than as a standalone first seat, so the real choice is controller or head of finance.
Do you recruit FP&A analysts?
Not in volume. Story places senior finance hires: the first finance hire, a lead finance role with an FP&A focus, and the first CFO. For analyst hires or an enterprise FP&A team, the larger firms on our FP&A recruiter ranking are the better call.
What does FP&A recruitment cost?
Our retained fee is 18% of total remuneration including super, paid in thirds: at the start, at shortlist, and about ten days after written acceptance. On a $200,000 package that is $36,000. If the hire does not work out in the first six months, we run the replacement search free.
Read next
Tell Tom about the role
The stage, the scope and the timeline. You will get an honest read on the level, the market and the cost before you commit, and if the hire you need is a different one, Tom will say so.
Prefer to talk first? Call 02 9099 7619 or email info@storyrecruitment.com.au.