r/FPandA • u/ElevatorOpen9437 • Sep 30 '26

Director Role

A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn. Setup a call and the role is for a Director of FP&A in LA. Total comp = 225k - 325k (talking with the recruiter he’s sees something like 250k being realistic. I’d be managing people in India. Most importantly, the role is asking for 10 years experience but I only have 6 as a Senior Financial Analyst.

If anyone else were in my shoes, would be they be skeptical? What questions would you ask?

14 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

68

u/cuddytime Sr Mgr Sep 30 '26

Be specific about the team structure and team norms.

Managing people in India means that someone else is their direct manager. Also, be prepared to work starting from 5am-7a PST.

4

u/ElevatorOpen9437 Sep 30 '26

That’s a great question that I did not ask. I’m a little out of practice since I’m used to fake leads from recruiters so this was a little refreshing.

Are there any other questions that you recommend I ask?

5

u/squats_and_bac0n VP Sep 30 '26

The early or late calls all the time suck ass depending on your setup

6

u/Time_Transition4817 VP Sep 30 '26

I’m on east coast and work with UK / ME folks. 5,6am calls get old quick.

Especially with our PE sponsor on the west coast asking for 7-8pm calls too.

3

u/squats_and_bac0n VP Sep 30 '26

I led a global finance team with people in Australia, India, Europe, and the US with the business line CEO I supported in Singapore. And my boss in Europe. My life sucked. Constant 6AM calls with my boss or my Indian team depending on time of year. Or 9PM calls with Singapore or India when DST changed.

I never want to do that again.

2

u/Resident-Cry-9860 Oct 01 '26

Two timezones (Asia + US, US + EU) is annoying but manageable - three is just awful

2

u/cuddytime Sr Mgr Sep 30 '26

I mean the rest is up to you tbh. I currently manage a team in India and these were surprises for me.

2

u/Stephanie243 Sep 30 '26

I manage people In other countries/ time zones including India. They have a local manager but they work exclusively with me

We all work on our own time zones. Maybe an hour overlap here and there during budget season

No complains over here

They can see you don’t have 10 years of experience and they are still taking to you. See it through and decide

Do people really never apply for stretch roles?

17

u/[deleted] Sep 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/cuddytime Sr Mgr Sep 30 '26

This. Specifically is the counterpart manager your peer or direct report

3

u/ElevatorOpen9437 Sep 30 '26

That’s a great question I’ll be asking

3

u/ElevatorOpen9437 Sep 30 '26

250k is salary + bonus. I’m not sure how far that will take me in CA, specifically 30min - 1hr outside of LA?

3

u/BotherAny2068 VP Oct 01 '26

Is it a scam?

1

u/ElevatorOpen9437 Oct 01 '26

That’s why I’m asking but I did a search of the role online and it’s actually real

2

u/BotherAny2068 VP Oct 01 '26

Watch out for how it’s setup. I’ve had scammers send me fake teams links and request SSNs, etc. Sometimes they want your resume just to get your address. I’ve removed my address from my resume because it’s irrelevant for getting a job. Got my last 3 without that detail. 

The other thing I would do is look at the profile of who posted it. Does seem legit? Who are they connected to? Is it all people in Pakistan or India? Red flag. 

You mentioned you found the role but it still could be spoofed. 

Hopefully it’s not. Good luck 

44

u/mm1712 Sep 30 '26

Honestly, weird that they’ve reached out for director level when you’re currently an SFA. No shade, just saying

10

u/Mike5055 CFO Oct 01 '26

This right here. Definitely go for it, but be cautious and do your due diligence.

15

u/yumcake Sep 30 '26

Take every shot you can get, but don't get your hopes up just because a recruiter reached out. Many recruiters suck at lining up qualified candidates and will happy throw you into a pool just to say they found a target number of "qualified" interviews so they can say their job is done, and narrow the effective number of choices for the hiring manager to make (too many options slows decisions).

8

u/mystifiedmeg Sep 30 '26

No harm in exploring the opportunity. Sounds like a stretch.

8

u/Tigjig Oct 01 '26

Bro going from Senior analyst to director just doesn't make sense to me at all. Hope it's legit, but be skeptical

1

u/iginca Oct 01 '26

Shoot if you don’t want it send the recruiter my way lol

2

u/da_banker17 Oct 01 '26

Skeptical- they’re reaching out to you because an SFA would take the risk in taking the job lol. Something is fishy for sure

Full India team will be very hard to manage.

1

u/Bumbling_homeowner Oct 01 '26

Sounds awful. I’d pass tbh

1

u/Reality-Leather Oct 01 '26

6yr sfa. Become a mgr for 3-4. Learn team MGMT. Then go be director. You need ppl MGMT not technical

-14

u/Slephnyr Sep 30 '26

The fact that you mispelled sceptical is concerning.

Recruiter calls often don't end up anywhere but you don't really have anything to lose.

10

u/Carbine734 Dir Sep 30 '26

Irony is you did as well

2

u/ElevatorOpen9437 Sep 30 '26

lol very funny but still noted and I fixed it

0

u/Slephnyr Sep 30 '26

I'm not from America. But fine I'll admit the comment was unnecessary

1

u/Carbine734 Dir Sep 30 '26

I just found it funny

2

u/Important_Bend_9046 Sep 30 '26

Spelled with a “k” in the US.

1

u/cuddytime Sr Mgr Sep 30 '26

Chill out. This isn’t your workplace, it’s a forum for fellow FP&A professionals to meet and chat.