The senior finance ladder
These are the 2026 ranges I see land offers in Australian high-growth tech, fintech and deep tech. Equity sits on top from head of finance upwards and gets heavier at later stages.
| Role | 2026 range and what it owns | |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Controller | $160k to $200k + super | Owns the integrity of the numbers: the close, compliance and reporting the board can rely on. |
| VP / Head of Finance | $180k to $240k + equity | Owns the model, the 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. |
| CFO, Series B | $325k to $375k + equity | Has raised capital, led a team and sat on a board before. The premium is scar tissue, not title. |
| CFO, Series C+ / pre-IPO | $350k to $500k+, weighted to equity | Public-company ready, with IPO, M&A or secondary experience behind them. |
The full ladder including the levels below senior sits in the salary guide, along with where the numbers come from here.
Three profiles, and why the strongest one may not fit
Most early-stage senior finance candidates fall into one of three buckets. FP&A and reporting specialists, capable when processes are already in place but lighter on building from chaos. Controllers, deep in accounting but more limited on strategy or capital. And senior CFOs who have done the build before but want to stay strategic rather than hands-on.[1]
None of those is a weakness. They are different shapes, and the expensive mistake is hiring the most impressive person rather than the right shape. A business with no reliable close does not need a strategic CFO who would rather not be hands-on. It needs someone who will build the thing that does not exist yet.
The rare candidate is the one who spans both. I am working with a senior finance candidate who built and sold a bootstrapped business, then established finance functions from scratch across a startup, a family office and a VC fund, and sat on investment committees for fintech deals, covering treasury, forecasting, controls, reporting and board materials from seed to Series C.[2] That blend of strategic insight and hands-on capability is genuinely uncommon, and it prices at the top of every band it touches.
The skill that increasingly sets the top of the band
Based on conversations with CFOs and senior finance leaders, my read is that finance teams will get leaner while expectations grow. If AI tools can generate reports, flag variances and draft commentary, leaders will choose smaller teams with stronger commercial influence.[3] That shifts what a senior finance salary is actually buying.
A senior finance leader told me recently they were struggling to build a national tender team. The issue was not the numbers, because reporting and pricing were covered. What was missing was the ability to take the information, tell its story, and communicate it in a way that won business.[4] That gap is where the premium sits now. The technical floor is assumed. The commercial articulation is what moves someone from the middle of a band to the top of it.
If the role is mostly forecasting and analysis rather than owning the function, the FP&A band is the relevant one here.
What candidates weigh besides the number
At this level the package is not the deciding factor as often as founders assume. My standing advice to senior finance candidates is not to ignore discomfort with a CEO's communication, decision-making or energy during interviews. Chemistry is not a nice-to-have at this level, it is a must-have, and any discomfort will intensify in the role.[5]
That cuts both ways, and it is worth knowing as a founder. A strong candidate walking away after a good process is usually not about money. It is about whether they believe they can work with you when something goes wrong, which is the part of the job neither of you gets to rehearse.
Common questions
What are the senior finance roles and what do they pay?
In Australian high-growth businesses in 2026: financial controller $160k to $200k plus super, VP or head of finance $180k to $240k plus equity, and CFO from $275k to $325k at late Series A, $325k to $375k at Series B, and $350k to $500k and up at Series C or pre-IPO with the package weighted towards equity. What separates the levels is how much of the role is running the function versus shaping the decisions that come out of it.
What types of senior finance candidates are there?
Most early-stage senior finance candidates fall into three buckets: FP&A and reporting specialists who are strong when processes exist but lighter on building from chaos, controllers who are deep in accounting but more limited on strategy and capital, and senior CFOs who have done the build before but prefer to stay strategic rather than hands-on. The expensive mistake is hiring the most impressive candidate rather than the right shape for what your business is missing.
What skills are becoming most valuable in senior finance?
Commercial articulation. Based on conversations with CFOs and senior finance leaders, finance teams are getting leaner while expectations grow: if AI can generate reports, flag variances and draft commentary, leaders will choose smaller teams with stronger commercial influence. One senior leader described struggling to build a national tender team where reporting and pricing were covered but nobody could take the information, tell its story and communicate it in a way that won business. That gap is where the premium now sits.
Why do senior finance candidates turn down good offers?
Usually chemistry rather than money. My standing advice to 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 will intensify in the role. If a strong candidate walks away after a good process, it is generally about whether they believe they can work with you when something goes wrong.
References
- Tom Hunter on the three buckets most early-stage senior finance candidates fall into: FP&A and reporting specialists, controllers, and senior CFOs who have done the build but want to stay strategic.
- Story Recruitment candidate example: a senior finance leader who built and sold a bootstrapped business and established finance functions from scratch across a startup, a family office and a VC fund, covering treasury, forecasting, controls, reporting and board materials from Seed to Series C.
- Tom Hunter's market prediction, based on conversations with CFOs and senior finance leaders: finance teams will get leaner while expectations grow, with leaders opting for smaller teams with stronger commercial influence as AI absorbs reporting and commentary tasks.
- Story Recruitment conversation with a senior finance leader struggling to build a national tender team: reporting and pricing were covered, but the missing capability was taking the information, telling its story and communicating it in a way that won business.
- 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 and discomfort will intensify in the role.