SkyWater Blog

Financial Services Vs. Accounting & Finance

Written by Lindsay Dubbeldee | 2/3/22 8:41 PM

Financial Services vs. Accounting & Finance - What's the difference? It's a question we hear often. There are a lot of differences, in fact. Today, I met with Julie Amende, the leader of our Financial Services division, to chat through the three main differences that set our specialties apart. 

Who are your hiring managers?

Financial Services

In the  Financial Services and Investment Management industry, Julie would be working directly with professionals in Wealth Management and Investment Management. If it is a small company, she might work directly with the President/CEO of that company. Here are a few examples of the type of clients Julie would speak with most often, being a recruiter in the Financial Services space:

  • Chief investment officers
  • Heads of distribution
  • President / CEO
  • Investment Management professionals
  • Wealth Management professionals
Accounting & Finance

A recruiter in the Accounting & Finance space is working with professionals in the corporate space such as the Chief Financial Officer, and likely anyone who reports up to him/her. Here are some examples of the type of clients I would speak with most often, being a recruiter in the Accounting & Finance space:

  • Chief Financial Officers
  • Controllers
  • Finance Directors

What types of companies do you work with?

Financial Services

Julie is most often going to partner with Investment Management companies. Her candidates will likely serve as a liaison between the company and Wallstreet. Here are some examples of the type of companies Julie would partner with most often, being a recruiter in the Financial Services space:

  • Investment Management companies. 
  • Investor Relation firms.
  • Wealth Management companies.
Accounting & Finance

The Accounting & Finance team at SkyWater covers a ton of industries, as every mid-sized company typically needs a Chief Financial Officer, a Controller, a Finance Manager, a payroll person... to name a few. At SkyWater specifically, we are heavier in some industries more than others. Here are some examples of the type of industries I work in most often, being a recruiter in the Accounting & Finance space:

  • Manufacturing
  • Healthcare
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Financial Services

What types of candidates do you work with?

The breadth of Julie's experience is in the distribution and product management layers of an organization. Julie is a former analyst herself, so this is an area she knows well.  Julie also works with marketing professionals. These are the thought leaders who might be responsible for white papers, RFPs, RFIs. 

Here are some examples of the types of candidates Julie works with most often:

Financial Services
  • Institutional sales
  • Wholesalers
  • Product Management
  • Portfolio Managers
  • Research Analyst
  • Client Service
  • Investor Relations
  • Marketing thought leadership
  • Compliance
  • Trading 
  • Trad. Investments
  • Alt. investments
  • Quant investing

If you'd like to learn more about the Financial Services group at SkyWater, here is a longer list of the types of roles Julie typically fills: https://www.skywatersearch.com/practice_areas/financial-services/

Another great place to browse the types of roles Julie specializes in is to check out her Financial Services Job Board on the Skywater website.


Accounting & Finance

My team works with individual contributors on Accounting and Finance teams. Here are a few types of professionals that our clients come to us for help sourcing:

  • Controller
  • Treasurer
  • Director of Tax
  • Internal Audit Manager
  • Finance Manager
  • Financial Analyst
  • Payroll Managers

If you'd like to learn more about the Accounting & Finance group at SkyWater, here is a lengthier list of the types of roles we typically fill: https://www.skywatersearch.com/practice_areas/accounting-finance/

Another great place to browse the types of roles we specialize in is our Accounting & Finance Job Board.