Executive Search Firm — Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale's Executive Search Firm for Finance & Operations Leaders

Prospect Recruiting is a boutique executive search firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. We place senior accounting, finance, tax, HR, and operations leaders for companies across the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond.

Why Scottsdale and Phoenix companies choose a boutique search firm over a large one.

Most executive search firms promise senior attention and deliver junior execution. An experienced partner sells the engagement, and the actual search work — sourcing, outreach, initial screening — gets assigned to a researcher two years out of college with no real relationship in your market. You end up paying large-firm fees for small-firm output.

Prospect Recruiting is built differently. Aaron Wiese — the founder, with 14+ years in the Phoenix and Scottsdale market — personally conducts every search. He makes the calls, does the interviews, builds the shortlist, and manages the offer process. There are no junior coordinators touching your search. When you speak to Prospect Recruiting, you're speaking to the person doing the work.

We are also a niche firm — deliberately and permanently. We work exclusively in accounting, finance, tax, HR, and operations. Not IT. Not sales. Not marketing. This focus means our network in Phoenix and Scottsdale is deeper than any generalist firm's, because every relationship we've built over 14 years is in the same talent pool you're trying to hire from.

And we are a local firm — by choice. We know the Phoenix metro well enough to know which companies are the best employers in their category, which candidates are ready for their next step, and which searches require a more creative approach because the talent you need lives in a different city. That local intelligence compounds year over year. It's what 300+ Arizona placements looks like from the inside.

Start an Executive Search Meet Aaron Wiese
B

Boutique — every search gets the founder.

No junior recruiters, no researcher handoffs, no wondering who's actually working your search. Aaron runs it personally from day one to close.

N

Niche — finance, accounting, and HR only.

We don't dilute our network across every function. Every relationship we have is with the talent you need. That depth is a direct advantage for your search.

L

Local — 14 years in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

We know this market — the companies, the candidates, the compensation landscape, the culture differences between North Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix. That knowledge lives in our relationships, not in a database.

300+

Arizona placements

14

Years Phoenix focus

34

Days avg. to shortlist

3.1yr

Avg. candidate retention

The companies we work with across Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Arizona.

Prospect Recruiting serves a wide range of Arizona companies — from high-growth startups needing their first Controller to PE-backed companies building out an executive team ahead of a transaction. The common thread: they all need finance, accounting, HR, or operations talent they can't find on their own.

Private Equity-Backed Companies

PE-backed portfolio companies have the most urgent and specific finance hiring needs in the market. Pre-transaction build-outs, post-close upgrades, and 100-day plan hiring require a recruiter who understands the PE environment. We've worked with PE sponsors and their portfolio companies across the Phoenix metro.

Family-Owned Businesses

Arizona has a deep base of family-owned companies that have grown to the point where they need professional finance and accounting leadership. We understand the culture, the priorities, and the candidate profile that thrives in a family business environment — and we find them.

High-Growth Startups

Startups scaling through Series A, B, and beyond often need their first professional Controller or first FP&A leader. These are high-stakes hires that will shape the financial infrastructure of the company. We work with founders and CFOs to find candidates who can build from scratch and grow into bigger roles.

Public Companies

Public companies in Arizona need candidates with SEC reporting experience, SOX compliance background, and the ability to operate under the scrutiny of quarterly earnings. We have direct access to finance professionals who've worked in public-company environments and are ready for a Scottsdale or Phoenix-based role.

Real Estate & Construction

Real estate and construction are among the largest industries in the Arizona economy — and among the most demanding when it comes to specialized accounting talent. Job cost accounting, WIP schedules, revenue recognition under ASC 606 — we know what this industry needs and where to find the people who know how to do it.

Professional Services & Financial Services

Law firms, accounting firms, investment managers, and financial services companies have distinct cultures and compensation expectations. We've placed finance and accounting leaders in professional services environments across Scottsdale and Phoenix — and we understand what makes those placements work long-term.

Five functions. One market. Deep expertise in every one.

Our narrow specialty is our biggest competitive advantage. By staying focused on five functions in one geography, we've built a bench of relationships that generalist firms simply cannot match in Arizona.

01

Accounting

From Staff Accountants to Chief Accounting Officers, accounting placements are our most frequent search. We know the full spectrum — close management, revenue recognition, consolidations, technical accounting, external reporting — and we know which candidates can handle which environments.

Roles: CAO · Controller · Assistant Controller · Accounting Manager · Senior Accountant · Staff Accountant · Accounting Supervisor

02

Finance

Finance leadership searches at the VP, Director, and CFO level require a recruiter who can speak the language fluently — capital structure, FP&A buildouts, investor reporting, M&A support. We've placed senior finance leaders at companies ranging from growth-stage to publicly traded across the Phoenix metro.

Roles: CFO · VP Finance · Director of Finance · FP&A Director · Finance Manager · Senior Financial Analyst

03

Tax

Tax professionals are among the most difficult hires in the accounting world — high demand, low supply, highly specialized by entity type and industry. We work with in-house tax teams at Arizona companies looking for Tax Managers, Directors of Tax, and VPs of Tax with public or private industry backgrounds.

Roles: VP Tax · Director of Tax · Tax Manager · Senior Tax Accountant · International Tax · Transfer Pricing

04

Human Resources

HR leadership at the Director, VP, and CHRO level is a search that intersects the talent world with organizational strategy. We place senior HR professionals for Arizona companies navigating scaling, culture transformation, compensation program buildouts, and compliance in dynamic workforce environments.

Roles: CHRO · VP HR · HR Director · HR Business Partner · Compensation Director · Talent Acquisition Director

05

Operations

Operations leadership — from COO to VP of Operations to Director of Operational Finance — sits at the intersection of business execution and financial oversight. We place operations leaders for Arizona companies that need someone who can run the business and read the balance sheet. Our network includes COOs, operations directors, and supply chain leaders with finance acumen who are active in the Phoenix market.

Roles: COO · VP Operations · Director of Operations · VP of Supply Chain · Operational Finance Director · Business Operations Manager

From executives and finance leaders placed across Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Aaron was far more concerned with finding me the perfect career fit than worrying about how it would affect him. A lot of recruiters say they put candidates first, but few actually do.

Cory R. Director of FP&A — Footprint

Aaron is one of the best in the business. What stands out most is how direct, honest, and reliable he is. He understands both sides — candidates and companies.

Bryson H., CPA, MBA Managing Partner & Founder — H&H Accounting Services

Scottsdale-based. Arizona-focused. Founded March 2020.

Prospect Recruiting was founded by Aaron Wiese on March 3, 2020 — right before the world got complicated. The firm survived and grew through a pandemic, a labor market unlike anything in recent history, and the fastest rate cycle in 40 years. That's not marketing. It's just what happened. Through all of it, we kept placing people.

Today, Prospect Recruiting is one of the most active boutique executive search firms in the Phoenix and Scottsdale market for accounting, finance, tax, HR, and operations. More than 300 placements. An average time to shortlist of 34 days. Candidates who stay an average of 3.1 years post-placement.

Our office is at 9375 E Shea Blvd, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. We're a local firm, run by a local recruiter, solving local hiring problems — with the network to make it happen faster than you'd expect.

About Aaron Wiese →
  • Boutique firm: the founder runs every search personally
  • One market: 14+ years of relationships in Phoenix and Scottsdale
  • One specialty: accounting, finance, tax, HR, and operations only
  • Contingent and retained search options — matched to each role
  • Confidential search capability for sensitive senior roles
  • 34-day average time to shortlist — urgency without compromising quality
  • 3.1-year average candidate retention — proof that fit matters

Ready to start an executive search in Scottsdale or Phoenix?

Tell us about the role you're trying to fill. We'll respond within one business day with a candid assessment of what the search will look like — timeline, candidate availability, and what it takes to close.

Start a Search I'm a Candidate

Call us: 480.278.0155  |  info@prospect-recruiting.com