The 2026 range
A VP or head of finance sits at $180k to $240k plus equity in 2026.[1] That places the role above a financial controller at $160k to $200k plus super, and below a first CFO, which starts around $275k to $325k at late Series A.[2] For most Series A businesses the head of finance is the right first senior hire, and it is the level founders most often get wrong in both directions.
National benchmarking data will not help you much at this level. The large providers do not know what a head of finance in a Series A Sydney fintech is worth, or what a CFO in an Adelaide deep tech startup earns.[3] Those roles are priced by a small market of people who are actually placing them, and the ranges move faster than an annual survey can track.
| Level | 2026 range and what the mandate actually is | |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Controller | $160k to $200k + super | Owns the integrity of the reporting: the close, compliance and clean numbers. Builds and runs the function. |
| VP / Head of Finance | $180k to $240k + equity | Owns what you do with the numbers: the model, reporting frameworks and the systems that support a raise. Proactive rather than responsive. |
| CFO, late Series A | $275k to $325k + equity | Carries the board and investor relationship as well as the function. Often a head of finance stepping up into the seat. |
If the role you are pricing is really about owning the close and the compliance rather than the model, it is a controller, and I set out that band separately here.
What separates a head of finance from a senior accountant
This is the distinction that decides whether the salary is worth paying, and it is behavioural rather than technical. A senior accountant looks for direction and executes well when asked. A head of finance pulls founders into meetings, explains the implications before a decision is made, makes unsolicited recommendations, and actively educates the founder on what the numbers mean.[4]
A finance professional waiting for the founder to specify what they need is not operating strategically. They are a senior accountant with a more senior title, and at head of finance level that does not work.[5] The founders who get the most from this hire look for someone two steps ahead, proactively flagging the risks nobody has considered yet.[6] If you are interviewing and the candidate is only answering questions rather than telling you what you should be thinking about, you have your answer.
The two-jobs-in-one trap
Most high-growth businesses misunderstand what a head of finance is for. They expect strategic oversight while the same person also handles accounts payable, reconciliations, month-end close and payroll. That is not a head of finance role, it is two jobs in one.[7] The brief reads as senior, the salary is priced as senior, and the day to day is mostly transactional.
The structure that works for a business of ten to fifty people, or $5m to $10m revenue, is a head of finance or controller handling strategic oversight, decision support and governance, with an accounts assistant or bookkeeper managing the transactional processing.[8] Pair the senior hire with support underneath and the salary makes sense. Ask one person to do both and you will either lose them within the year or never attract them in the first place.
I set out how the finance function actually splits as headcount grows, and which roles to add in what order here.
Why founders get this level wrong
It is rarely carelessness. Founders often cannot assess what good looks like for a first finance hire because they are deep in growth, product and the technology they are building. So the job description gets written on guesswork, sometimes by asking an AI what a head of finance at their stage should cost.[9] The number that comes back is an average across a market the business does not sit in, and the scope is a wish list rather than a role.
The fix is to define the mandate before the number. Decide whether you need someone to build and run the function or to shape what you do with it, then price that. Get the level right first and the salary follows from it.
Common questions
How much does a head of finance earn in Australia?
A VP or head of finance sits at roughly $180k to $240k plus equity in Australian high-growth businesses in 2026. That is above a financial controller, who sits at $160k to $200k plus super, and below a first CFO, which starts around $275k to $325k plus equity at late Series A. Where a role lands inside the band depends on whether the mandate is genuinely strategic or largely reporting and compliance with a senior title attached.
What is the difference between a head of finance and a financial controller?
A controller owns the integrity of the numbers: the close, compliance and reporting you can rely on. A head of finance owns what the business does with those numbers, the model, the reporting frameworks and the systems that let you fundraise and scale. The controller builds and runs the function. The head of finance shapes the decisions that come out of it, which is why the band sits roughly $20k to $40k higher.
What should I look for in a head of finance interview?
Look for someone who is two steps ahead. A senior accountant waits for direction and executes well when asked. A head of finance pulls you into the conversation before a decision is made, explains the implications, makes recommendations you did not ask for, and flags risks you had not considered. If a candidate only answers the questions you put to them rather than telling you what you should be thinking about, they are likely operating a level below the title.
Can a head of finance also do the bookkeeping and payroll?
Not sustainably, and expecting it is the most common mistake at this level. A brief that asks for strategic oversight plus accounts payable, reconciliations, month-end close and payroll is two jobs in one. The structure that works for a business of ten to fifty people is a head of finance or controller on the strategic work, with an accounts assistant or bookkeeper handling the transactional processing.
Should a Series A startup hire a head of finance or a CFO?
For most Series A businesses the head of finance is the right first senior hire. The CFO mandate, carrying the board and investor relationship alongside the function, usually does not have enough real work in it until later. Hiring a CFO too early means paying $275k and up for work a head of finance would own at $180k to $240k, and the role can look thin to a strong candidate.
References
- Story Recruitment 2026 finance leadership salary bands: VP / Head of Finance $180-240k plus equity.
- Story Recruitment 2026 finance leadership salary bands: Financial Controller $160-200k plus super; late Series A CFO $275-325k plus equity.
- Tom Hunter on the limits of large benchmarking providers, which do not capture what a Head of Finance in a Series A Sydney fintech or a CFO in an Adelaide deep tech startup is worth.
- Tom Hunter on the Senior Accountant versus Head of Finance distinction: the latter proactively pulls founders into meetings, explains implications before decisions, and makes unsolicited recommendations.
- Tom Hunter: a finance professional waiting for the founder to specify needs is operating as a Senior Accountant with a more senior title, which is ineffective at Head of Finance level.
- Tom Hunter's advice to founders: seek a Head of Finance who is two steps ahead and proactively flags unconsidered risks.
- Tom Hunter on the most common Head of Finance briefing error: expecting strategic oversight alongside AP, reconciliations, month-end close and payroll is two jobs in one.
- Story Recruitment finance structure guidance for businesses of 10-50 staff or $5-10m revenue/ARR: Head of Finance or Financial Controller on strategic oversight and governance, with an Accounts Assistant or Bookkeeper on transactional processing.
- Tom Hunter on why founders misprice first finance hires: focused on growth, product and technology, they write job descriptions on guesswork, including asking AI what a Head of Finance at their stage should cost.