Building a Finance Team in Bangalore? Here’s How to Hire the Best Accountants

If you're expanding your business into Bangalore and gearing up to build your finance team, you're likely wondering: "Where do I start?"

I’ve seen fast-growing companies, especially MNCs and mid-sized firms, stumble at this very first step. The demand for skilled accountants in Bangalore has never been higher, and the challenge isn’t just hiring; it’s about hiring right the first time.

You might already be running operations in other Indian cities or in global markets. Maybe you’ve just opened your Global Capability Center (GCC) in Bangalore and now need to set up your financial backbone, a reliable, efficient, and scalable finance team. And yet, sourcing your first five accountants can feel more complex than hiring 50 developers.

I’ve helped several companies in your shoes, avoid costly missteps by strategically building finance teams that not only handle numbers but align with long-term business goals. So if you're looking to hire accountants in Bangalore, this guide will help you do it the right way, the first time.

Why Hiring Your First Accountant in Bangalore Can Make or Break Your Finance team Expansion

The early-stage finance hires you make in a new geography determine how fast you scale, how compliant you stay, and how efficiently you operate.

You might think it's just about hiring accountants with CA or MBA-Finance degrees. But in practice, those first five hires must also:

• Understand Indian statutory and compliance frameworks

• Be able to support ERP integrations, tools like SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks, or Zoho Books

• Handle both bookkeeping and strategic financial planning

• Support global reporting frameworks, especially if you're a listed entity

• Communicate cross-functionally with HR, operations, and legal

One of our clients, a Netherlands-based eCommerce scale-up, tried hiring locally through job boards but ended up with an unbalanced team of junior accountants who couldn’t handle audits or support consolidation reports. When they brought Exlcareer in, we helped them restructure the team and hire two accountants with strong IFRS exposure, and another with prior Big Four audit experience. The difference in productivity was visible within the first month.

Want to avoid wasting 3-4 months on the wrong hires? Let’s talk, just drop us a line.

Step 1: Define the Right Mix, Roles to Prioritize in Your First 5 Finance Hires

You might assume you need general accountants. But the right way to build a lean, high-impact finance team in Bangalore is to balance skills across operational and strategic finance.

Here’s the ideal mix we’ve helped clients hire when they’re building from scratch:

1. Financial Accountant – For general ledger, monthly closings, statutory compliance.

2. Accounts Payable / Receivable Specialist – Someone who understands GST, TDS, and local vendor ecosystems.

3. Payroll and Compliance Executive – Especially important if you're onboarding your first employees in India.

4. FP&A Analyst – To build and maintain internal forecasting, budgeting, and variance reporting.

5. Audit & Tax Associate – Preferably with experience working with Big 4 or mid-tier Indian CA firms.

By structuring your team like this, you cover both daily execution and strategic planning. Many MNCs we've worked with who skipped this planning stage ended up rehiring within months. You don’t want that.

And if you’re looking for candidates with experience in tools like Tally, SAP FICO, Power BI, or Excel modeling, mention that upfront. We've seen a clear hiring trend, Excel fluency and BI tool proficiency are as important as degrees today.

Step 2: Hire Local, Think Global, Why Bangalore Is a Finance Talent Powerhouse

Bangalore is known as India’s tech capital, but don’t underestimate its finance talent. The city houses Big 4 offices, GCCs of Fortune 500 companies, and Tier-1 finance colleges like Christ University and IIM Bangalore.

The kind of finance professionals you find here often have:

• Global finance exposure (especially through audit firms and MNC experience)

• Comfort working across time zones and ERP platforms

• Strong communication skills (vital when you’re reporting to global HQs)

For instance, we recently placed a finance analyst with FP&A and SAP background into the Bangalore GCC of a Swedish med-tech client. She had three years at KPMG and was fluent in both local compliance and internal reporting dashboards used globally.

This cross-capability mindset is why companies like Goldman Sachs, Siemens, and Shell continue to scale their finance teams in Bangalore.

Smart hiring tip: Focus your sourcing not just on resume keywords but also on industry exposure and tool-specific experience.

Need help shortlisting from hundreds of candidates? Let us do the heavy lifting : Contact us today.

Step 3: Avoid Common Hiring Pitfalls Most Companies Make

I’ve seen this over and over, companies hire accountants the same way they hire developers: post a job, wait, filter, and interview.

That’s a mistake. Here's what typically goes wrong:

• You end up with overqualified candidates who’ll leave in six months for better opportunities

• You get candidates from BPO backgrounds, but you need core finance experience

• You realize post-hire that your team has no one with hands-on GST filing or audit exposure

How Exlcareer helps you avoid this:

• We pre-screen every candidate for practical tool exposure (e.g., SAP, Tally, Excel macros)

• We look at career stability and team culture fit, not just titles and degrees

• We advise you based on your current growth stage, whether you're Series A funded or already at GCC scale

Step 4: Align Hiring Strategy With Business Roadmap, Not Just Headcount

Hiring your first five accountants isn’t just a number game. It’s about aligning roles with your business milestones.

• Are you planning to raise funds? You’ll need someone skilled in due diligence and investor reporting.

• Planning to open new locations? Hire for multi-state GST exposure.

• Going to integrate ERP tools like SAP or Oracle? Bring in a finance transformation specialist.

At Exlcareer, we recently worked with a US-based SaaS company opening its Bangalore office. They thought they needed five junior accountants. But after mapping their business roadmap, we recommended:

• 2 accountants for daily operations

• 1 finance systems lead with Netsuite implementation experience

• 1 FP&A specialist

• 1 payroll and compliance head

They not only avoided rehiring but had zero audit flags during their first India regulatory filing.

Strategic hiring beats reactive hiring, every single time.

Step 5: Use Tier-1 Finance Talent Without Paying Tier-1 Salaries

Here's a surprising insight: you can hire accountants with Big 4 experience, ERP fluency, and international exposure in Bangalore, at salaries 40–60% lower than in Western markets.

But that only works if you know where to look.

• Mid-sized CA firms often groom solid talent that’s undervalued in the market

• Many candidates are open to hybrid or remote roles, giving you geographic flexibility

• We’ve even placed returnees, Indian CAs coming back from Gulf or Singapore, who bring rare global finance skills

This is where specialized finance recruitment partners like Exlcareer matter. We know where top-tier talent lives, even if they aren’t on job boards.

Step 6: Fast Track Onboarding With the Right Tools & Policies

Hiring the right finance professionals is just half the battle. Your onboarding experience should match their expertise.

Ensure you have:

• Clear JD and KRAs defined

• Access to accounting tools (Tally, Zoho Books, or SAP)

• A working policy for remote/hybrid setups

• Timelines for statutory registrations (EPF, ESIC, PT, etc.)

We often help our clients design onboarding playbooks and setup payroll, compliance checklists, and software licenses ahead of Day 1.

A good first impression = better retention. And when you’ve invested this much into hiring top-tier finance talent, you don’t want to lose them due to poor onboarding.

Want help with hiring + onboarding execution? Let’s align your systems with your hiring, just send us a message now.

Step 7: Work With a Finance-Focused Hiring Partner

If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly committed to getting your hiring right. But doing it alone, especially in a new geography like Bangalore, can be risky and time-consuming.

That’s where a finance-focused recruitment agency like Exlcareer comes in.

We’ve helped companies across verticals, from SaaS to manufacturing to fintech, hire accountants in Bangalore who go beyond job descriptions and actually scale with your business.

Why companies choose us:

• We specialize in mid to senior-level finance hiring

• We screen for technical + cultural alignment

• We cover major cities: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Noida, Chennai, Gurugram, Mumbai, Delhi, and Coimbatore

Whether you're hiring 1 accountant or building a team of 20, we make sure every hire is ROI-positive. Want us to help you build your finance team? Let’s start with your first five hires.

If you’re ready to hire accountants in Bangalore and want to avoid costly missteps, I hope this guide showed you exactly how to do it right. The right hires are out there. Let’s find them, together.

FAQs -

• What is the best way to hire accountants in Bangalore for a new finance team?

  The most effective way is to partner with a specialized recruitment firm like Exlcareer that understands the local talent pool. They can help you identify, screen, and onboard the first 5 accountants quickly, without compromising quality.

• How much does it cost to hire an accountant in Bangalore?

  Entry-level accountants in Bangalore may cost ₹4–6 LPA, while experienced professionals can range from ₹8–12 LPA or more. Exlcareer can guide you on realistic salary benchmarks based on your exact needs.

• Should I hire accountants full-time or contract for my Bangalore office?

  It depends on your scale and compliance needs. Full-time hiring is ideal for building long-term stability, while contract accountants work best for seasonal audits or quick project-based roles. Exlcareer helps you balance both models effectively.

• Where can I find experienced accountants for a finance team in Bangalore?

  Instead of wasting time on job portals, consider using Exlcareer’s pre-vetted accountant pool. These candidates are already assessed for financial tools, compliance knowledge, and industry-specific expertise.

• How long does it take to hire the first 5 accountants in Bangalore?

  With traditional hiring, it might take 6–8 weeks. But with Exlcareer’s help, companies have onboarded full teams in under 3 weeks, thanks to our ready-to-interview candidate network.

• What qualifications should I look for when hiring accountants in India?

  Look for B. Com, M. Com, or CA Inter-qualified professionals with strong Excel and Tally or SAP experience. Exlcareer shortlists only those with domain exposure relevant to your industry, from IT to manufacturing.

• How do I avoid bad hires when building a finance team from scratch?

  Most bad hires come from rushed or unclear hiring criteria. Exlcareer runs deep vetting, including behavioral, functional, and tool-based assessments, so you're only interviewing the best.

• Can I build a remote finance team in India or should I hire only in Bangalore?

  You can absolutely go remote. But for roles like payroll, compliance, or statutory reporting, Bangalore-based accountants offer better access to local regulations. Exlcareer supports both on-site and hybrid finance hiring models.

• What’s the difference between hiring through job portals vs recruitment agencies like Exlcareer?

  Job portals give you quantity (lots of unfiltered resumes), while Exlcareer gives you quality, handpicked candidates matched to your exact finance team goals. We save you time, reduce hiring errors, and accelerate growth.

• Does Exlcareer help with bulk hiring or just the first few accountants?

  We do both. Whether you’re hiring your first 5 accountants or scaling to 50, Exlcareer customizes the hiring plan based on your stage, from candidate sourcing to onboarding support.