Accounting director vs corporate controller

The differences between accounting directors and corporate controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an accounting director and a corporate controller. Additionally, a corporate controller has an average salary of $144,304, which is higher than the $132,126 average annual salary of an accounting director.

The top three skills for an accounting director include CPA, GAAP and internal controls. The most important skills for a corporate controller are payroll, CPA, and GAAP.

Accounting director vs corporate controller overview

	Accounting Director	Corporate Controller
Yearly salary	$132,126	$144,304
Hourly rate	$63.52	$69.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	56,323	57,715
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does an accounting director do?

An Accounting Director supervises the general accounting and financial reporting functions, as well as financial services within a company or organization. They also ensure that all transactions and financial policies for their organization meet federal regulations and standards.

What does a corporate controller do?

A corporate controller is an individual who is responsible for supervising the overall daily accounting operations of an organization. Integral to the financial health of the organization, corporate controllers are required to help the organization with strategic financial decisions through forecasting reports and financial statements. They oversee maintaining accounting records by keeping and storing them in an operable system. Corporate controllers are also required to manage the accounting operations of the organization's subsidiaries.

Accounting director vs corporate controller salary

Accounting directors and corporate controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Director	Corporate Controller
Average salary	$132,126	$144,304
Salary range	Between $89,000 And $193,000	Between $99,000 And $209,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	SideCars
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting director and corporate controller education

There are a few differences between an accounting director and a corporate controller in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Director	Corporate Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting director vs corporate controller demographics

Here are the differences between accounting directors' and corporate controllers' demographics:

	Accounting Director	Corporate Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between accounting director and corporate controller duties and responsibilities

Accounting director example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate ACH preparation, positive pay and execution activities.
Manage and review annual preparation of work papers for CPA firm to coordinate federal returns and state franchise returns.
Manage daily receipts, payment reversals, adjustments, ACH and wire payments, and other accounts receivable activity.
Lead finance team in major ERP implementation project in the areas of inventory, accounts payable, and general ledger.
Lead the effort to establish accounting policy, streamline operating procedures and implement Sarbanes-Oxley compliance processes.
Manage foundation accounting and establish internal accounting controls and accounting procedures to ensure contributions are accounted for in accordance with GAAP.

Corporate controller example responsibilities.

Manage general accounting staff (A/P, A/R, & G/L), financial planning, reporting and analysis functions.
Direct and manage all aspects of the external audit, including implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Lead implementation of SyteLine ERP solution to replace outdate manufacturing software and streamline manufacturing and transaction processes.
Develop long-term financial/ operational strategy for high-tech company as well as managed accounting, finance, and treasury operations.
Facilitate maintenance of treasury and risk management activity serving as primary point of contact for all financially relate matters.
Implement procedures for standard journal entries, monthly reconciliations, account analysis and documentation to support the monthly reporting requirements.

Accounting director vs corporate controller skills

Common accounting director skills

CPA, 10%
GAAP, 9%
Internal Controls, 7%
Reconciliations, 5%
External Auditors, 5%
Payroll, 5%

Common corporate controller skills

Payroll, 7%
CPA, 6%
GAAP, 6%
Internal Controls, 6%
External Auditors, 5%
General Ledger, 3%

Accounting Director vs. similar jobs

Accounting Director related careers

Accounting Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Accounting Director
Accounting Director vs Corporate Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs