Industry: Financial Consulting
Roles: Accounting Manager + Accounting Specialist (Full-time, Remote)
Location: Latin America (Mexico & Colombia)
Monthly Cost: $7,700 total
Previous Cost: $9,500/month (Controller)
Monthly Savings: ~$1,800
Time to Hire: 22 days
Background: Maintaining Quality While Reducing Costs
Our client is a U.S.-based financial consulting firm that supports businesses with accounting, financial reporting, and operational finance.
They were looking to maintain the same level of talent and output while achieving a more sustainable cost structure. After parting ways with their previous Controller for internal reasons, they needed a solution that would not only fill the role but also improve efficiency and scalability.
That’s when they partnered with South.
The Challenge: One Expensive Hire vs. a Scalable Solution
The client previously relied on a single Controller earning $9,500/month.
However, this structure created:
- High dependency on one individual
- Limited scalability as the business grew
- A cost structure that was difficult to optimize
They needed:
- Strong expertise in U.S. GAAP and accrual-based accounting
- Ability to manage multiple clients and reporting cycles
- Hands-on execution + leadership
- Same quality, at a lower cost
The Solution: A Two-Person LATAM Accounting Team
Instead of replacing the Controller with another expensive U.S.-based hire, South helped the client build a complementary accounting team in LATAM.
Within 22 days, we placed:
- 1 Accounting Manager (Mexico)
- 1 Accounting Specialist (Colombia)
Both fully remote, full-time, and fully integrated into the client’s operations.
Key Capabilities Delivered
Accounting Manager
- Owns accuracy and delivery of accrual-based financials across clients
- Reviews and approves monthly closes, reconciliations, and financial statements
- Leads and develops the accounting team to improve output quality
- Acts as the main client-facing accounting lead
- Drives process improvements and standardization
Accounting Specialist
- Owns the month-end close process end-to-end
- Manages accruals and balance sheet reconciliations
- Cleans and organizes complex QuickBooks files
- Identifies and fixes historical inconsistencies
- Prepares accurate financial statements for decision-making
Meet the Team
José from Mexico (Accounting Manager)
Senior finance professional with 10+ years of experience across Big 4 consulting, multinational companies, and startups.
Deep expertise in U.S. GAAP, financial controlling, and building finance functions from scratch.
Led operations across LATAM and managed multiple international teams, while supporting high-growth companies and M&A processes.
Luisa from Colombia (Accounting Specialist)
International Business professional with 5+ years of experience in accounting across multinational environments.
Strong background supporting U.S. and Canadian entities, with hands-on experience in month-end close, accruals, and reconciliations under U.S. GAAP.
Previously led a financial clean-up initiative resolving over €4.5M in aged balances, significantly improving data accuracy.
The Impact: More Output, Less Cost, Better Structure
By shifting from a single Controller to a structured team, the client was able to:
- Reduce dependency on one individual
- Improve overall output and financial accuracy
- Handle multiple clients more efficiently
- Build a scalable accounting function
Results
- Time to Hire: 22 days
- Team Structure: 2-person accounting team
- Monthly Cost: $7,700
- Monthly Savings: ~$1,800
- Operational Impact: Improved structure, higher output, and better scalability
Why South
With South, companies don’t just replace roles; they upgrade their operations.
We handle:
- Sourcing & vetting
- Hiring & onboarding
- Payroll & compliance
So you can focus on building a stronger, more efficient team.
👉 Looking to optimize your finance team without sacrificing quality? Let’s talk.
