A clearer basis for choosing who to interview.
Every shortlisted candidate is assessed against the Gravitate Baseline: five equally weighted criteria, each scored 1 to 5. They are proactivity, accountability, commitment to the role, communication and technical background. We score each person 1 to 5 on every criterion when we screen them, and you get those scores with written notes before deciding who to interview.
How the Baseline works →Download the interview scorecard (PDF)
Hiring a finance professional?
Salary benchmark, shortlist of three or four assessed candidates and a two-stage process you can plan around.
How we hire for you →Looking for your next finance role?
Live roles across the South West, confidential CV registration and straight salary advice.
Jobs and CV registration →
You deal with me, from brief to start date.
I'm Eliot Acton. I've recruited finance professionals for over 10 years, and founded Gravitate in 2022. The person who takes your brief is the person who closes your hire: no account managers, no handovers.
Financial Controller for a fast-growing premium drinks brand, followed by a Credit Controller and a Management Accountant as the team scaled.
The Two-Week Finance Hire
A 30-minute brief from you. Then we research, approach and screen candidates, and you see three or four of them, assessed and ready to interview.
- Step 1 · Before the shortlist
Brief and search
A 30-minute brief with you, then we research the market, approach candidates and screen them on motivation, salary, notice period and counter-offer risk.
- Step 2 · Shortlist
Three or four assessed candidates
Each scored 1 to 5 against the Gravitate Baseline, with written notes per criterion, so you can compare like with like.
- Step 3 · Target: within two weeks
Two interview stages to offer
You hold interview slots and give quick feedback; we manage the offer and plan for the counter-offer. Start date then depends on notice.
A structured two-stage process targeting shortlist to offer within two weeks.
The two weeks start when we present the shortlist: briefing, research, outreach and screening happen before that. Hitting it relies on you holding interview slots, giving feedback within a day or two and making decisions promptly. Start dates then depend on each candidate's notice period. It's a target we plan around, not a guarantee.
Built on our 7-step methodology, with every candidate assessed against the Gravitate Baseline.
Most hires don't fail at the shortlist.
They fail between the final interview and the start date: slow feedback, a vague offer, or a counter-offer nobody planned for.
Recent work and what clients say
Building a drinks brand’s finance team
Financial Controller for a fast-growing premium drinks brand, followed by a Credit Controller and a Management Accountant as the team scaled.
Six hires into one finance team
Head of FP&A (£100k) for a luxury lifestyle retail and hospitality group, followed by a Finance Operations Manager, two Financial Accountants and two Accounts Assistants – six hires into the same finance team in under a year.
Selected anonymised assignments.
“We used Gravitate to fill three new roles in a newly opened regional office. The roles were key and we needed to move fast. We couldn't be happier with how the processes were conducted and have three quality candidates joining the business but could easily have hired everyone we met”
“So much more than introducing a candidate, the value that Gravitate have brought to making our hiring process more robust and effective is tangible”
“The hiring process with Gravitate was completely different to our previous experience with other recruiters. More consultative and informative. A true business partner and a pleasure to work with”
Finance roles, from first accountant to FD.
Roles
Specialist sectors
Across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bath. We recruit in other sectors too.
Finance jobs we're working on now
Finance Manager
A growing retail business in Crediton is looking to appoint a commercially minded Finance Manager to take ownership of its financial reporting, manage…
Management Accountant
We're partnering with a highly regarded, values-led consumer brand to recruit a Management Accountant into a growing finance team.…
The South West Finance Hiring Guide 2026/27
Salary bands for eight finance roles, a two-week shortlist-to-offer plan and counter-offer advice, written by Eliot Acton.
Got a finance role to fill?
A 30-minute call: the role, a salary benchmark, a realistic timeline and which search option fits.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Gravitate charge to recruit a finance role?
Fees are agreed per role. They depend on which exclusive option suits the hire: Platinum Search for critical or hard-to-fill leadership roles, Gold Search for priority hires, or Silver Search for straightforward roles with no upfront fee. Any engagement fee is deducted from the final fee. Book a call and we'll share our terms.
How long does it take to hire a Financial Controller or Finance Director in the South West?
We run a structured two-stage interview process that targets shortlist to offer within two weeks. Sourcing and screening happen before the shortlist, and the timeline relies on prompt interview slots and decisions on your side. The start date then depends on the candidate's notice period, which is often longer for senior roles such as Financial Controllers and Finance Directors, so plan for that when you set the hiring timeline.
How do you handle counter-offers?
In our own offers over the last 12 months, about 1 in 3 met a counter-offer. We ask every candidate the counter-offer question at screening, flag the risk on the shortlist, shape the offer around what they told us they want, and prepare them for resignation day. It doesn't remove the risk; it reduces it.
Which areas of the South West do you cover?
We're based in Exeter and recruit across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Bath. That's our specialist focus, and we also recruit finance roles anywhere in the UK, so get in touch wherever you're based. We don't actively cover Bristol. Most roles are on-site or hybrid, so we focus on candidates who can realistically commute to your offices.