In short
Talfino works with US companies in one specific way: placing the leadership layer of their India operation. GCC Finance Heads and Controllers fluent in both US GAAP and India statutory, plus CTOs and engineering leaders who have scaled rather than maintained.
- Billing in USD under a standard MSA. US tax documentation provided as required.
- Calls in ET or PT. Interviews coordinated so your team is not running loops at midnight.
- Contingency mandates invoiced only when your hire actually joins.
- Full guide: US companies hiring in India.
Most US companies do not need a search firm in America — there are thousands. What they struggle to find is a partner who genuinely understands the market they are hiring into, and who works when they do.
The problem we exist to solve
Your India Finance Head has to satisfy two masters. Your US auditors need clean reporting under your parent's GAAP policy. The Registrar of Companies needs filings signed by someone who understands Indian statutory obligations — Companies Act 2013, GST, TDS, ROC annual returns, transfer pricing documentation under Rule 10D.
Most strong India finance leaders have one of those, not both. Big Four-trained candidates carry deep statutory knowledge and often no experience reporting to a foreign parent. Candidates from US-parented GCCs have the reverse, or both — and those people are employed, well paid and not on job boards.
How this usually surfaces: a generalist firm sends five strong candidates who all interview well. The gap appears at the first quarterly close or the first audit, when the reporting has to be redone in the US. Two quarters lost, and the search runs again.
What we place for US clients
- GCC Finance Head — the first hire in almost every case, and the one that sets the standard for everything after
- Financial Controller — US GAAP reporting with India statutory signing authority
- Site Leader / Country Manager — where the centre will exceed roughly fifty people
- CTO, VP Engineering, Director of Engineering — leaders who have taken a platform through a step change in scale
- Head of FP&A — the bridge between India operations and parent reporting
- HR lead — consistently underestimated; Indian employment law diverges sharply from US at-will assumptions
Working across a ten-and-a-half-hour gap
Your morning, our evening
Kickoff and update calls scheduled in ET or PT. You are not taking calls at 10pm.
Overnight progress
Approaches and screening happen during the Indian working day. Shortlists land in your inbox before you start.
Interview coordination
We manage scheduling across both zones, including the candidate's current-employer constraints.
Weekly written update
Every Friday, news or no news. Search firms go quiet when a mandate is going badly — which is exactly when you need to know.
Working with a search partner based in India
What this arrangement is good for, and what it is not
Where we are genuinely strong: anything where the role, the candidate or the operation touches India. Your GCC leadership layer. A US-based finance or engineering leader who will run an India team. An Indian-origin leader in the US considering a move. That is our network, and a US-only firm generally cannot map it.
Where a US firm will serve you better: a purely domestic US search that depends on knowing who is frustrated at which company in your city this quarter. That is network work built over years in a market, and we would rather tell you so than take a mandate we would run at seventy percent.
We would rather lose the fee than have you discover the limitation eight weeks in.
Your hours
Calls in ET or PT. You are not taking calls at 10pm.
USD billing
Standard MSA, US tax documentation provided as required, wire or Stripe.
Overnight progress
Approaches run during the Indian day; shortlists land before your morning.
Weekly written update
Every Friday, news or no news.
What it costs
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Role | Fixed base (₹ LPA) | Approx. total USD |
|---|---|---|
| GCC Finance Head — first India hire | ₹60–90L | $86k–140k |
| Financial Controller (US GAAP) | ₹45–80L | $62k–120k |
| VP Engineering | ₹70–140L | $100k–218k |
| Site Leader / Country Manager | ₹95–180L | $148k–300k |
Indicative fixed base ranges plus bonus. Full detail in our 2026 pay bands, published free with sourcing stated.
The premium US parents do not budget for: a US-backed centre pays meaningfully above a domestic Indian company for the same title, because the US GAAP requirement thins the pool. Budgeting at domestic Indian benchmarks is the most common reason a first India search stalls at offer stage — after six weeks of work.
How the commercial side works
- Billing in USD under a standard Master Services Agreement, NDA-ready
- Payment by international wire or Stripe. US tax documentation provided as required
- Indian withholding and GST shown separately on the invoice, not added to the quoted fee
- Governing law negotiable — we will contract under your jurisdiction where reasonable
- Fees on fixed annual CTC, excluding variable pay, joining bonus, ESOP and employer provident fund
- Contingency payable only on joining. 90-day replacement, six months on C-suite
Where to go next
A recent example directly from this market: a CTO search for a Technology/SaaS company on the East Coast, where the role needed someone who could operate with real autonomy at the top of the function, not just technical depth. Closed within two to three months — detailed on our homepage, alongside a GCC CFO search and two India-based Head of Finance searches.
- US companies hiring in India — the complete guide: entity vs EOR, hiring order, costs, timelines, mistakes
- Bangalore vs Hyderabad for your GCC — the location decision
- GCC Finance Head recruitment — the role in depth
- Who we are not for — if you would rather rule us out fast
Twenty minutes, in your morning
Bring the role and we will tell you what it realistically costs, how long it takes and whether it is a search worth running — whether or not you hire us. If your budget is short for the market, we will say so.
Can a search firm in India run a search for a US-based role?
It depends on the role. Where the position, the candidate or the operation touches India, we are genuinely strong and often better placed than a US-only firm. For a purely domestic US search that depends on knowing who is frustrated at which company in your city this quarter, a US-based firm will serve you better, and we will tell you that rather than take the mandate.
Can a US company hire in India without setting up an entity?
Yes, through an Employer of Record, which takes days rather than weeks and typically costs 10 to 15 percent on top of salary. It suits a handful of engineers but works poorly for leadership hires, because senior India candidates read an EOR arrangement as a signal the parent is not committed and often decline in favour of a permanent role at an established centre.
Which India role should a US company hire first?
The Finance Head or Controller, even when engineering is the reason for the centre. Indian statutory filings need a local signatory who understands what they are signing, and a US-based Controller cannot cover that remotely. Engineering delayed two months costs two months of output; compliance left unowned accumulates exposure that takes quarters to unwind.
How does a US company pay an India-based search firm?
Billing in USD under a standard Master Services Agreement, paid by international wire or Stripe, with US tax documentation provided as required. Any Indian withholding or GST appears separately on the invoice rather than being added to the quoted fee, and governing law is negotiable.
What does a GCC Finance Head cost a US company?
Indicatively 60 to 90 lakh rupees fixed base for a first India hire plus a 20 to 30 percent bonus, roughly 86,000 to 140,000 US dollars in total. Established centres run higher. US-backed centres pay above domestic Indian benchmarks because the US GAAP requirement narrows the candidate pool.
How do you handle the time zone difference?
Calls are scheduled in ET or PT, approaches and screening happen during the Indian working day so shortlists arrive before your morning, and interview scheduling is coordinated across both zones. You also get a written search update every Friday whether or not there is news.
Also serving: United Kingdom · UAE & GCC · India
Building your India team?
Twenty minutes, in your morning. Bring the role and we will tell you what it realistically costs, how long it takes, and whether it is a search worth running — whether or not you hire us. Billed in USD.
No brief required · Senior partner replies within 2 hours · Contingency payable only when your hire joins