Origin Staffing - Thoughts on Recruitment

Recruiting an Assistant Controller – SEC Reporting, M&A Accounting & Integration — Search Agency Case Study

Origin Staffing infographic: Assistant Controller SEC reporting, M&A integration and ERP transformation search journey.

Executive Summary

  • Mandate: Fill an Assistant Controller – SEC Reporting, M&A Accounting & Integration role at an acquisitive, publicly traded manufacturing technology company.
  • Why it was hard: The seat required end-to-end SEC reporting ownership, technical accounting judgment, SOX/ICFR durability, and meaningful involvement in a finance transformation / ERP upgrade—while still supporting acquisition accounting and integration.
  • Why Origin Staffing was engaged: The client needed a “builder-operator” who could run quarter-close and filings while improving the system and partnering with external consultants on a major financial systems program.
  • Result: Origin Staffing placed a finalist who matched the technical bar and the transformation/integration agenda—without sacrificing reporting stability for a public company.

Role Context and Why This Hire Mattered

In public company controllership, an Assistant Controller with SEC ownership is more than a filings manager. This seat becomes an “operating system” role—responsible for keeping the reporting engine reliable under deadline pressure and audit scrutiny.

Key pillars of the role included:

We positioned this as a high-leverage seat for the right candidate: visibility, ownership, transformation exposure, and skill-building that compounds over time.

The Differentiator: Finance Transformation + ERP Upgrade (Why this role is central)

A defining element of the search was the company’s planned finance transformation / ERP upgrade. The Assistant Controller would be a key accounting leader in:

  • Future-state close and reporting design
  • Controls-by-design (building ICFR into the process rather than retrofitting after go-live)
  • Integration of acquisitions into the new system architecture
  • Partnering with external consultants / SI teams (requirements, testing, cutover planning, and adoption)

ERP upgrades are hard even in stable environments. In acquisitive, public manufacturing/technology organizations, they get harder due to:

  • Multi-entity consolidation complexity
  • Frequent acquisition onboarding (new ledgers, charts of accounts, and reporting packages)
  • Tight reporting deadlines that don’t pause for implementations
  • SOX/ICFR evidence standards that can’t be compromised during transition

Reputable perspectives on ERP transformation realities:

Systems examples (common platforms)

While every company’s architecture differs, the market typically clusters around platforms like:

Origin Staffing made “systems + transformation + integration” a first-class requirement—because that is where the role creates outsized business value.

Why This Search Was Hard (and why it’s exciting to the right candidate)

The market gap

Origin Staffing sees this repeatedly: candidates can be strong in SEC reporting, or technical accounting, or ERP / transformation, or M&A integration—but true hybrids who can do all of it with ownership are rare.

Two integration problems, not one

Most companies underestimate that there are two different integration skill sets:

  1. Systems integration (requirements, configuration decisions, testing discipline, cutover readiness, controls-by-design)
  2. Acquired-company integration (policy harmonization, chart-of-accounts mapping, reporting package alignment, close stabilization)

The best hires can do both—and explain exactly how they avoid destabilizing close while change is underway.

Why the right candidate finds this compelling

Origin Staffing positioned this role as a genuine career accelerator:

  • You’re building a finance engine, not just maintaining it.
  • You gain high-value skills: transformation leadership, consultant management, post-merger integration, and executive-level communication.
  • You become materially more competitive for future Controller and broader finance leadership roles.

Strong integration viewpoints (PMI fundamentals):

Origin Staffing’s Approach: Scorecard + Proof-Based Screening

We reduce risk on hard controllership searches by converting the intake into a decision-grade scorecard and then screening for proof of ownership.

The Origin Staffing scorecard (9 dimensions)

  1. End-to-end SEC ownership (not “exposure”)
  2. Technical judgment tied to real standards
  3. SOX/ICFR durability
  4. Stakeholder command (audit, legal, senior finance)
  5. Team leadership coverage (lead + get into the weeds without bottlenecking)
  6. M&A accounting + integration posture
  7. Finance transformation / ERP readiness (partnering with external consultants)
  8. Data quality instincts (source-of-truth discipline)
  9. Operating style + staying power

Proof-based prompts Origin Staffing uses

  • “Walk through your last 10-Q / 10-K cycle end-to-end—what did you own, where did risk sit, what changed after issues occurred?”
  • “Describe a technical accounting conclusion that became a disclosure—what did you write, who challenged it, how did it land?”
  • “Tell me about a system change: requirements, testing, controls-by-design, cutover readiness—what did you own vs what consultants owned?”
  • “Tell me about integrating an acquisition into the close/reporting model—what broke, how did you stabilize it, what did you standardize?”

This separates candidates who can talk about the work from candidates who have actually owned it.

  • Treat this seat as an operating system builder (SEC cadence + controls durability + integration + transformation).
  • Define SEC “ownership” precisely—support is not ownership.
  • If you’re acquisitive, prioritize candidates who can integrate both businesses and systems.
  • Build controls into ERP upgrades from the start (controls-by-design), not after go-live.
  • Hire for shipped improvements, not enthusiasm for tools.
  • A disciplined, scorecard-led process is a competitive advantage in senior finance hiring.

FAQ

What makes hiring an Assistant Controller – SEC Reporting, M&A Accounting & Integration difficult?

Because it’s a rare hybrid: end-to-end SEC ownership, technical accounting judgment, SOX/ICFR durability, and the ability to support M&A integration and financial systems transformation without breaking close. Origin Staffing specializes in these blended controllership searches because keyword matching fails at this level.

How does Origin Staffing evaluate SEC reporting ownership versus surface exposure?

Origin Staffing pressure-tests the full 10-Q/10-K workflow, tie-outs, review routing, and accountability—using SEC reporting expectations as the baseline.

Why does Origin Staffing emphasize ERP upgrade experience in this role?

ERP upgrades are high-risk, high-impact initiatives. Origin Staffing screens for candidates who can partner with external consultants, embed controls, run testing discipline, and still keep SEC reporting stable.

What systems commonly show up in finance transformation searches Origin Staffing runs?

Common platforms include Workday Financial Management, Oracle Cloud Financials, and SAP S/4HANA. Origin Staffing focuses less on the logo and more on whether the candidate has successfully led requirements, testing, controls-by-design, and adoption.

Why is it hard to find candidates who can do both system integrations and acquired-company integrations?

Because they are different muscles. System integration requires configuration/test/cutover rigor; acquisition integration requires policy harmonization, chart mapping, reporting package alignment, and close stabilization. Origin Staffing specifically targets builder-operators who have done both in real environments.

How does Origin Staffing make this exciting to the right candidate?

Origin Staffing positions these roles as high-visibility career accelerators: transformation leadership, consultant management, post-merger integration, and executive communication—all while building a durable controllership engine.

To work with Origin Staffing

If you’re hiring for Accounting & Finance leadership with a focus on SEC Reporting, M&A Accounting & Integration (or similar controllership + transformation leadership), Origin Staffing can help lead the search, map the market, and close decisively.

This search was led by Andrei Nikulin – Head of Recruiting at Origin Staffing