Role search
Get a intercompany accountant who can own intercompany elimination variance resolution.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You choose from a short list of people who have done this before.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Interim Headhunters starts with the work behind this request: An intercompany accountant is hired to stop the bleed of unreconciled intercompany activity. While a general senior accountant manages standard month-end activities, an intercompany specialist focuses on the specific friction points between separate legal entities.
This is what we do all day: place interim executives, interim managers and contract professionals.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
- No upfront fee
- 2 to 3 vetted consultants per assignment
- Matched to your industry
- You choose
- Interim plus permanent search
- intercompany accountant
The judgment call
What this hire really comes down to
An intercompany accountant is hired to stop the bleed of unreconciled intercompany activity. While a general senior accountant manages standard month-end activities, an intercompany specialist focuses on the specific friction points between separate legal entities. This includes mapping intercompany account codes, resolving variances in transaction timing, and enforcing uniform transfer pricing rules across the general ledger.
The role is distinct because it requires a mindset geared toward internal dispute resolution. You need someone who does not just identify that an intercompany account is out of balance but knows how to communicate with the accounting lead at a sister entity to force a resolution.
What we check
What we check before you see anyone
- We verify their history with intercompany eliminations. We ask how they managed currency translation differences for international entities and what specific reconciliation steps they took when transactions did not pair correctly between accounts, focusing on their ability to isolate whether the variance was a coding error or a timing mismatch.
- We audit their ERP technical knowledge regarding intercompany modules. We test if they know how to configure automated matching rules or if they are accustomed to manually validating data extracts from two different system instances to force a tie-out between entity A and entity B.
- We assess their ability to document intercompany policies. We check their experience in writing or updating memos that define how charges are allocated across subsidiaries, ensuring they understand the logic behind transfer pricing and management fees, as well as their capacity to maintain the master data required for cross-entity tagging.
- We confirm their experience with audit schedules specifically for intercompany accounts. We ask how they organized the supporting schedules for auditors to prove that intercompany balances eliminated in consolidation were verified and supported, ensuring they can produce a roll-forward of intercompany activity upon request.
Sourcing
Where we find them
We locate these professionals within organizations that operate multiple legal entities or global subsidiaries. These individuals often transition out of high-volume shared service centers where they spent years managing thousands of cross-entity transactions. They seek roles where they can apply structured reconciliation frameworks to less mature accounting systems, often moving because they desire the challenge of building a cleaner process from scratch rather than maintaining a stagnant, fully automated environment.
We also recruit from public accounting firms where candidates performed consolidation audits. These accountants understand the risk of uneliminated balances and the importance of timing in intercompany transactions. They move into project-based work to find environments that require deep technical cleanup of messy intercompany subledgers.
Where searches go wrong
Mistakes we see
- Hiring a generalist to manage complex intercompany work. A standard senior accountant often lacks the experience to handle the nuances of FX gains, transfer pricing adjustments, and multiple currency consolidations, which leads to temporary fixes rather than permanent structural reconciliation.
- Assuming the role is administrative or clerical. Intercompany accounting requires a strong grasp of technical accounting and the ability to investigate and resolve complex variances that arise from inter-entity transactions, demanding a deep understanding of ledger architecture rather than just data entry speed.
- Failing to provide access to both sides of the intercompany transaction. An intercompany accountant cannot perform their duties if they are restricted to one entity's ledger and cannot see the corresponding activity in the other entity's systems, creating a blind spot that makes root cause analysis impossible.
The search
How the intercompany accountant search runs
- First, we isolate the specific technical complexity of your intercompany environment. We determine if the candidate must reconcile manually between disparate ERPs or if they will be managing a consolidated intercompany module within a single system. This dictates whether we look for a heavy data-manipulation expert using complex lookup formulas or a system-process expert who can configure automated mapping and validation rules.
- Second, we screen for their communication style regarding inter-entity variances. We look for candidates who provide specific examples of how they influenced accounting teams at other locations to fix timing differences. We prioritize those who own the reconciliation process rather than those who rely on external teams to provide answers, specifically testing for their ability to articulate the technical accounting logic behind a proposed adjustment.
- Third, we confirm availability for your specific close cycle. Intercompany work is sensitive to deadlines because it often serves as a prerequisite for the broader consolidation process. We ensure the candidate can integrate into your existing schedule without requiring extensive training on your unique reporting dependencies, ensuring they are ready to contribute to the trial balance tie-out by the second or third day of the engagement.
Questions
Is this the same as a general senior accountant?
No. An intercompany accountant focuses exclusively on reconciling balances between legal entities. A senior accountant handles broader month-end duties like fixed assets, accruals, and cash.
How soon can they start making an impact?
They start immediately once system access is granted. Their primary value is identifying the source of long-standing unreconciled items.
What happens if our ERP is custom or obscure?
We prioritize candidates who have successfully managed intercompany modules in complex environments. If they understand the logic of double-sided entries, they adapt to your system quickly.
Do I pay extra if I need them for audit help?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Audit preparation is a standard part of the scope for a senior-level intercompany accountant.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
How are recruiting fees agreed?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present. We scope the assignment before quoting; the fee page explains our model.
How soon can we see options?
Availability depends on the assignment and the people who fit it. We qualify interest and commitments rather than promising a shortlist date before the search is scoped.
What if the scope grows?
Discuss new responsibilities before adding them to the engagement. Agree the priorities and record any change to the brief and terms.
Can we extend an engagement?
Discuss what remains unfinished and whether the same responsibility is still needed. Extensions depend on the person's commitments and the agreed engagement terms.
Can the appointment become permanent?
A permanent move can be discussed if both sides want it. Review the future role and the applicable agreement instead of assuming that temporary coverage automatically converts.
How is a confidential search handled?
Tell us what can be disclosed and whom we must not contact. We agree those boundaries before approaching people; do not send sensitive records with an initial brief.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not sell job-board reposting as a search or bill hourly for recruiting work. We do not take a retainer unless expressly agreed, and an introduction does not authorize an engagement.
Tell us the seat
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Share the title, the situation and the timing. A person reads it.
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The Six-Step Search
What do you get at each step of the search?
We agree what the person must own before contacting anyone. You see how the search is scoped and which backgrounds we pursue. We speak with candidates about the work before presenting them. The Six-Step Search gives you useful written notes and support through interviews, rather than a pile of applications.
- 01
Scope call
We talk through the seat, the business and what has to change.
You get: A one-page role brief you approve before we search.
- 02
Market map
We work out where people who have done this job actually sit.
You get: A short note on the pool and how we plan to reach it.
- 03
Direct outreach
We approach people who are not looking at job boards.
You get: Progress updates so you are never chasing us.
- 04
Screening
We interview every candidate on the work, not the resume.
You get: Written notes on fit, availability and terms for each person.
- 05
Shortlist and interviews
You meet a short list. We handle the scheduling.
You get: Several vetted options and a debrief after each interview.
- 06
Offer and start
You choose. We help settle terms and the start date.
You get: Confirmed terms, a start date and check-ins after day one.
Tell us who you need.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.
Send us the seat. We will take it from there.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you engage someone we present.