How to Recruit an “AI-Ready” Finance Team

At Talentedge, we speak to CFOs daily about building finance teams for high-growth businesses. One theme now dominates those conversations: the rise of AI.

As AI moves beyond experimentation, finance leaders must shape recruitment strategies around AI-driven innovation to stay competitive. For fractional CFOs, this is especially exciting. Unlike those in large corporates, they’re not constrained by legacy systems or inherited teams. They can design lean, AI-ready finance functions from the ground up.

The question is no longer if AI will reshape finance teams, but how to hire people who remain relevant as automation takes on more of the workload.

The New “Must-Have” Skills

Finance leaders increasingly ask whether their teams are equipped for the age of AI. The core priorities they highlight are:

• Optimising finance processes – using AI to automate month-ends, reporting and forecasting.
• Driving technology adoption – hiring curious, innovative thinkers who can spot opportunities to embed new tools.
• Partnering the business – using data and insight to shape commercial decisions, not just report on them.

Technical finance skills still matter, but they’re no longer enough. Adaptability, curiosity and strategic thinking now define future-ready hires.

The Changing Shape of Finance Teams

Automation is rapidly reducing the need for manual processing roles such as:

• Accounts payable/receivable clerks
• Bookkeepers or data entry specialists

These functions are handled by cloud and AI-powered systems. Instead, growth businesses are prioritising:

• FP&A specialists – experts in scenario modelling, predictive analytics and AI-enhanced forecasting.
• Finance Business Partners – commercially minded professionals who translate financial data into growth strategies.
• Data & Analytics Leads – those integrating finance and operational data for a single source of truth.
• Tech-savvy Finance Leaders – CFOs and Controllers who can select, embed and optimise AI tools.

Every hire should add strategic value and help the finance function scale intelligently.

The Growth Mindset Advantage

Skills can be taught; mindset determines long-term value. A “growth mindset” in finance means:

• Embracing new systems and tools quickly
• Seeing technology as an enabler, not a threat
• Continuously upskilling and experimenting
• Staying resilient when processes evolve

That’s why many CFOs now hire for adaptability over a “perfect CV.” In a fast-moving tech landscape, the ability to learn outruns any single system expertise.

Interviewing for AI Readiness

When designing interview processes, forward-thinking CFOs go beyond technical competence. They test for curiosity, problem-solving and openness to change.

Questions to gauge AI adaptability:

• What tools or technologies have you implemented or improved?
• How have you used automation or analytics to enhance decision-making?
• If we introduced a new tool tomorrow, how would you learn and embed it?
• Which area of finance will AI transform most in the next three years?

Questions to uncover growth mindset:

• Tell me about a time you took on something outside your comfort zone.
• What’s a skill you’ve recently taught yourself?
• How do you keep your skills relevant as finance evolves?

These questions reveal curiosity, initiative and resilience, qualities that future-proof finance teams.

Why This Matters for Fractional CFOs

Fractional CFOs enjoy a rare advantage: they can design finance teams for today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities. They can:

• Keep teams lean with outsourcing and automation for transactional work
• Focus hiring on strategic, insight-driven roles
• Prioritise adaptability and tech fluency
• Oversee smooth transitions until permanent structures are ready

Freed from legacy constraints, they can build AI-ready teams from day one.

Founded in 2006, Talentedge helps startup and scaling businesses find permanent and interim finance talent that support growth and deliver strategic goals.