Accounting and Finance Support to Build Out a Shared Services Center

Business Challenge

A global fire and security services provider had grown significantly through several small and midsized acquisitions. Each acquired company still operated with stand-alone accounting functions with different practices and software, and the company risked making financial misstatements.

The company decided to build a shared services center in Florida to centralize controls and eliminate redundant work. Company leaders knew they needed talent but were unsure of the specific skills they’d require to get the center running and then operate it. They wanted to hire pedigreed Big 4 talent on a permanent basis and then determine roles and responsibilities, but faced a major challenge: they had a poor reputation with candidates, and were unable to source the talent they wanted for the role.

Our Solution

Aston Carter partnered with the customer’s management team to understand their challenges, timelines and needs — and propose a solution.

We had planned to support the company by hiring permanent staff, but given their hiring challenges and the lack of clarity about which long-term roles were needed to support a shared services center, we stepped in with a suggestion to meet their challenges.

We proposed the company hire workers from sources outside the Big 4 on a contract-to-permanent basis, which would allow access to a new pool of workers. This model would also avoid hiring talent with skills that might not be needed permanently, leading to unnecessary future lay-offs. We knew from experience which candidates possessed the skill and drive to meet the client’s needs, and that the contract-to-permanent model could allow them to try this hiring approach with much lower risk.