The market will not trade experience for speed
The single most important condition to plan around: in Q2 2026, 98% of hiring managers said they would not compromise on experience for a senior finance role, even if it takes six months to hire.[1] That is close to unanimous, and it changes what a realistic timeline looks like.
It also explains why cover has become normal. In the same survey, 48% of businesses were using interim or fractional cover during a permanent search.[2] If nobody will lower the bar, something has to hold the seat while the search runs properly. Budget for that from the start rather than improvising in month three.
I set out how interim cover works alongside a permanent search, and what it costs here.
Half the market is open to moving
On the supply side the picture is unusually fluid. 52% of finance professionals across Australia indicated they would walk away from their current role today regardless of what their employer offered to keep them.[3] A counter-offer is not the obstacle founders assume it is, but it also means your own finance leaders are as reachable as everyone else's.
What moves them is rarely just cash. My standing advice to senior candidates is not to ignore discomfort with a CEO's communication, decision-making or energy during interviews, because chemistry is a must-have at this level and any discomfort will intensify in the role.[4] When a strong candidate declines a fair offer, that is usually what happened.
| Market condition | What it means for your search | |
|---|---|---|
| 98% will not compromise on experience | Even if the search takes six months | Plan a realistic timeline and arrange cover. A compressed search produces a smaller shortlist, not a faster good hire. |
| 52% would move today | Regardless of a counter-offer | The passive market is genuinely reachable, and your own finance leaders are as reachable as anyone else's. |
| 48% use interim cover | While the permanent search runs | Cover is now the norm rather than an admission of failure. Budget for it at the start of the search. |
Where the capital is going
Funding conditions set the demand side. In Q1 2026, $1.8B was raised in Australia, a 63% year-on-year increase, and the median age at Series B has shifted.[5] More funded businesses means more first-CFO and first-finance-hire searches running at once, competing for the same small pool.
That matters for timing more than for salary. If you expect to be in market for capital in nine months, the finance hire should be starting now, because the best CFOs want to be in the seat nine to twelve months before a raise rather than three weeks before the pitch.[6]
What candidates now expect on capability
The skill conversation has shifted quickly. Our Q2 2026 report found 86% of finance teams are engaging with AI in some form, with a third having moved past experimentation.[7] Candidates increasingly expect the businesses they join to have a view on this, and finance leaders are planning leaner teams with stronger commercial influence as a result.[8]
For a founder that cuts both ways. It means you can run a smaller finance function than you would have three years ago. It also means the people worth hiring will ask what your tooling and data actually look like, and a vague answer costs you candidates.
I set out what senior finance roles pay and the commercial capability that now sets the top of each band here.
The recruitment approach has to match the market
The traditional corporate recruitment approach does not fit high-growth founder-led startups and scale-ups, which prioritise different things entirely.[9] A process designed for a listed company, with six interview stages and a four-week feedback loop, loses candidates who have two other conversations running.
The 2021 and 2022 hiring boom is the cautionary case. Businesses were caught off guard, which produced inflated salaries and people who did not align with the role objectives.[10] Moving fast is not the same as lowering the bar, and the market has clearly decided which of those it will accept.
Common questions
How long does it take to hire a senior finance leader in Australia?
Plan for months rather than weeks. In Q2 2026, 98% of hiring managers said they would not compromise on experience for a senior finance role even if it took six months to hire. That standard is close to unanimous, which is why 48% of businesses use interim or fractional cover while the permanent search runs rather than settling under time pressure.
Will a counter-offer keep my finance leader?
Often not. 52% of finance professionals across Australia indicated they would walk away from their current role today regardless of what their employer offered to keep them. That makes the passive market genuinely reachable for your searches, and it means your own senior finance people are just as reachable by someone else's.
Why do strong candidates turn down fair offers?
Usually chemistry rather than money. Standing advice to senior finance candidates is not to ignore discomfort with a CEO's communication, decision-making or energy during interviews, because at this level chemistry is a must-have and any discomfort intensifies once they are in the role. If a strong candidate declines after a good process and a fair offer, that is generally what happened.
How is AI changing finance hiring?
Faster than most job ads reflect. Our Q2 2026 report found 86% of finance teams are engaging with AI in some form, with a third past the experimentation stage. Leaders are planning leaner teams with stronger commercial influence as a result. For founders that means you can run a smaller function than three years ago, but the candidates worth hiring will ask what your tooling and data actually look like.
Does a corporate recruitment process work for a startup?
Rarely. The traditional corporate approach does not fit high-growth founder-led startups and scale-ups, which prioritise different things. A process built for a listed company, with many interview stages and slow feedback, loses candidates who have other conversations running. The 2021 and 2022 boom showed the opposite failure: moving fast without a standard produced inflated salaries and people who did not align with the role.
References
- Story Recruitment Q2 2026 State of the Market: 98% of hiring managers stated they would not compromise on experience for a senior finance role, even if it takes six months to hire.
- Story Recruitment Q2 2026 State of the Market survey of over 350 finance professionals: 48% use interim cover during permanent searches.
- Story Recruitment research: 52% of finance professionals across Australia indicated they would walk away from their current role today, regardless of what their employer offered to keep them.
- Tom Hunter's advice to CFO and senior finance candidates: do not ignore discomfort with a CEO's communication, decision-making or energy during interviews, because chemistry is a must-have at this level.
- Story Recruitment Q1 2026 State of the Market report: $1.8B raised in Australia, a 63% year-over-year increase, with a shift in the median age at Series B.
- Tom Hunter on capital-raise timing: the best CFOs want to start 9-12 months before a raise, not three weeks before the pitch.
- Story Recruitment Q2 2026 State of the Market report: 86% of finance teams are engaging with AI in some form, with one-third having moved past experimentation.
- Tom Hunter's market prediction: finance teams will get leaner while expectations grow, with leaders opting for smaller teams with stronger commercial influence.
- Tom Hunter: the traditional corporate recruitment approach does not fit the high-growth, founder-led startup and scale-up market.
- Story Recruitment on the post-Covid hiring boom of 2021/2022: businesses were caught off guard, resulting in inflated staff salaries and employees who did not align with role objectives.