Hire Financial Controller Services
Experienced financial controllers matched to your business in around 7 days. Houston & Ko sources freelance and remote finance management talent globally, all under one Swiss contract, with hourly rates or monthly mandates built to flex with your needs.
Find a financial controller who keeps your numbers accurate, on time and audit-ready
From a clean month-end close to a fully outsourced finance process, we match Swiss and EU businesses with experienced financial controllers, on hourly rates or monthly mandates, sourced from around the globe. Every financial controller has run a finance function before, works remotely and is covered by a single Swiss contract from day one.
Month-end & year-end close
Reconciliations, accruals and closing entries done on a fixed timetable, so your accounts are final when you need them, not weeks later.
Management reporting & KPIs
Monthly management accounts, variance analysis and KPI reports that show leadership where the business stands and why.
Budgeting & forecasting
Annual budgets and rolling forecasts built from your actual numbers, then tracked month by month against what really happened.
Internal controls
Approval workflows, segregation of duties and documented controls that protect the business and stand up to an auditor's questions.
Audit preparation
Audit files, schedules and supporting documents prepared in advance, for a statutory audit that runs on time and without surprises.
VAT, tax & statutory compliance
Swiss VAT returns, social security reconciliations and statutory reporting under the Swiss Code of Obligations, Swiss GAAP FER or IFRS.
Finance process improvement
Business process re-engineering for the finance function: fewer manual steps, faster closes and processes ready to outsource or automate.
Finance systems & ERP
Set-up, clean-up and day-to-day management of Bexio, Abacus, Xero, SAP and similar systems, so the data going in is right.
Interim & project cover
Short-term controller capacity for a system migration, an audit season, a parental leave or a gap in the team.
What is a financial controller?
A financial controller runs the day-to-day management of a company’s finances. They own the accounting process from transaction to final accounts, make sure the numbers are accurate and compliant, and turn them into reports that leadership can act on.
The role sits in the middle of the finance function. A bookkeeper records the transactions. A financial controller makes sure those records are complete, correct and closed on time, runs the controls around them, and prepares the management reporting, budgets and audit files. A CFO then uses that reporting to set financial strategy. If you need help with the recording itself, our bookkeepers are the better fit. If the numbers are already right and you need someone to decide what to do with them, look at a fractional CFO.
Most financial controllers also manage the wider finance process: the team or outsourced providers doing the bookkeeping, payroll and collections, the systems they use, and the business continuity plans that keep payments and reporting running if something goes wrong.
At a glance
Experienced financial controllers who have run a finance function before
Month-end close, reporting, controls and audit preparation
Hourly rates or monthly mandates, scales with your needs
Fully remote, working in your systems and your processes
Why hire a financial controller?
Every growing business reaches the point where bookkeeping alone is no longer enough. The transactions are recorded, but the month-end takes three weeks, the management accounts arrive too late to be useful, nobody is sure the controls would survive an audit, and the founder is still the one checking every payment.
A financial controller fixes the process behind the numbers. They set a closing timetable and keep to it, build controls that protect the business without slowing it down, and deliver reporting you can make decisions with. They also take the finance management work off the founder’s desk, which is often the biggest gain of all.
For many Swiss SMEs a full-time financial controller is more than the workload justifies. Two to eight days a month from an experienced controller covers the close, the reporting and the audit, at a fraction of a CHF 120,000 to CHF 150,000 salary.
The benefits of outsourcing financial controller services
Outsourcing your financial controller gives you an experienced finance manager at a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire, and on exactly the scale your business justifies. It is business process outsourcing (BPO) for the part of the finance function that needs judgement, not just processing.
Experienced finance management without a full-time salary
A faster, more reliable month-end close
Scale up for year-end and audits, scale back afterwards
Independent controls that protect the business
One simple Swiss contract covers all your support
Hourly rates or monthly mandates, no permanent contract needed
Industries we help find financial controllers
From a scaling startup to an established mid-sized business, we match financial controllers to the processes of your sector. Every financial controller we place already understands the reporting, compliance and cost structures your industry runs on.
Startups & scaling businesses
A proper close, investor reporting and controls in place before the next funding round asks for them.
Technology & SaaS
Revenue recognition for subscriptions, deferred revenue and the SaaS metrics investors and auditors check first.
E-commerce & retail
Inventory valuation, marketplace and payment provider reconciliations and margin reporting by channel.
Manufacturing & industrial
Cost accounting, stock and work in progress valuation, and capital expenditure tracking across long production cycles.
Professional services & consulting
Project accounting, utilisation reporting and work in progress control for businesses that sell time.
Transportation & logistics
Fleet and fuel cost control, customs and VAT handling, and tight margin reporting by route or contract.
Hospitality
Daily revenue reconciliation, seasonal cash planning and cost control across sites with high fixed costs.
Health & medical practices
Billing and insurer reconciliations, practice cost reporting and controls suited to regulated healthcare.
Real estate & property
Property accounting, service charge reconciliations and project cost reporting for portfolios and developments.
Insurance & finance
Regulatory reporting, AML documentation and the internal controls that FINMA, auditors and SROs expect to see.
Charities & non-profits
Restricted fund accounting, grant reporting and the year-end preparation trustees and auditors rely on.
Marketing & creative agencies
Project profitability, retainer revenue tracking and cash flow control through uneven client billing.
Law firms
Client account controls, matter profitability and work in progress management for legal practices.
Family businesses
Clear reporting for owners, separation of business and family finances, and controls ready for the next generation.
Holding & group companies
Intercompany reconciliations, consolidation and group reporting across Swiss and international entities.
Tell us what you need and we’ll match you with an experienced financial controller, ready to start in around 7 days.
How hiring works
From the first conversation with us to your financial controller starting, in about a week.
1. Tell us what you need
Share the role, the tasks, and the hours. A quick call is all it takes to get started.
2. We match you with the right talent
We shortlist financial controllers, the top 14% who pass our screening, and present the best fits for you to choose from.
3. Start in around 7 days
Choose your financial controller and start working, under one simple Swiss contract with us.
Businesses we supported with expert remote talent
Looking to add top-quality, flexible freelancers to your team?
*A 30-min, no-obligation consultation call.
Ready to find your financial controller?
Tell us what you need and we’ll match you with an experienced financial controller, ready to start in around 7 days.
*A 30-min, no-obligation consultation call.
Financial controller FAQs
The clearest sign is a month-end that takes too long or never quite finishes. Other signs: management accounts arrive weeks late or not at all, the auditor keeps finding the same issues, nobody outside the founder knows whether a payment was approved, or the bookkeeper is being asked questions that go beyond their role. If your bookkeeping is accurate but nobody is managing the process around it, that is the gap a financial controller fills.
Our financial controllers work on an hourly basis, from CHF 70 to CHF 150 per hour, or on a fixed monthly mandate for ongoing engagements, depending on experience and scope.
Most businesses need between two and eight days a month, which is a fraction of the CHF 120,000 to CHF 150,000 a full-time financial controller earns in Switzerland before employer costs. No recruitment fees, no upfront costs, one rate, one Swiss invoice. See the full pricing guide on our Pricing page.
Our financial controllers cover the full finance management remit, including:
- Month-end and year-end close and reconciliations
- Monthly management accounts and KPI reporting
- Budgets, forecasts and variance analysis
- Internal controls and approval processes
- Audit preparation and auditor liaison
- Swiss VAT, social security and statutory reporting
- Finance process improvement and business process re-engineering
- Finance systems and ERP management
- Managing bookkeepers, payroll and outsourced finance providers
- Business continuity planning for the finance function
Need something specific to your sector or systems? Tell us at briefing and we’ll source for it.
Our financial controllers are freelance professionals, but your commercial contract is with Houston & Ko, an established Swiss GmbH, so all of your finance support sits under a single, robust Swiss agreement. You deal with us; we handle the legal setup, compliance and invoicing.
As much or as little as you need. Common setups include:
- A few days each month covering the close and management reporting
- Heavier involvement at year-end and during the audit
- A defined project such as a system migration or a controls review
- Full-time cover during a transition or a leave period
Hourly rates or monthly mandates scale up or down at any time, with none of the constraints of a permanent contract.
Yes, on the finance side. In Switzerland, financial intermediaries that are not supervised directly by FINMA must join a self-regulatory organisation (SRO, or Selbstregulierungsorganisation) for anti-money laundering supervision. Membership comes with ongoing duties: client due diligence records, transaction monitoring, internal controls and an annual audit.
A financial controller can keep the records and controls behind those duties in order, prepare the documentation for the SRO audit and make sure the finance processes match your AML policies. Your designated compliance officer remains responsible for AML decisions and for reporting to your SRO. Tell us at briefing if your business is SRO-affiliated and we’ll match you with a financial controller who has worked under one.
Our founders work with you directly to define the role, then match you with candidates from our pre-vetted pool, only the 14% who pass full screening. To get the best fit, be clear on:
- What needs fixing first: the close, the reporting, the controls or the audit
- The accounting systems you use
- The standards you report under, such as the Swiss Code of Obligations, Swiss GAAP FER or IFRS
- Your sector and any regulatory requirements, such as SRO membership
- Who they will work with internally and who they report to
See how our process works → Process page.
Experience with businesses like yours matters more than technical tests. Good questions include:
- “How long did the month-end close take when you started, and how long when you left?”
- “Tell me about a control you put in place that caught a real problem.”
- “Which accounting systems have you run the close in?”
- “How have you prepared a business for its first proper audit?”
- “What would you look at first in our numbers?”
The first question tells you the most. A financial controller who has shortened a close before knows how to do it again.
1. Be clear on the gap. If transactions are not being recorded properly, start with a bookkeeper. If the records are right but the close, controls and reporting are not, you need a financial controller. If the reporting is solid and you need strategy, look at a CFO.
2. Match experience to your size. A financial controller from a large group with a team of twenty often struggles in a business where they do the reconciliations themselves. Ask what size finance functions they have run.
3. Check the systems and standards. Experience in your accounting software and your reporting standards saves weeks of onboarding.
4. Start with the close. One month-end delivered on time tells you more than any interview.
5. Work with a specialist recruitment partner. If you want to skip the sourcing and screening, working with Houston & Ko gives you access to pre-vetted financial controllers, placed within 7 days, under a single Swiss contract with no minimum commitment. Contact us today.