Accounting director vs cost accounting manager

The differences between accounting directors and cost accounting managers 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 cost accounting manager. Additionally, an accounting director has an average salary of $132,126, which is higher than the $89,286 average annual salary of a cost accounting manager.

The top three skills for an accounting director include CPA, GAAP and internal controls. The most important skills for a cost accounting manager are variance analysis, financial analysis, and reconciliations.

Accounting director vs cost accounting manager overview

	Accounting Director	Cost Accounting Manager
Yearly salary	$132,126	$89,286
Hourly rate	$63.52	$42.93
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	56,323	61,135
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
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 cost accounting manager do?

A cost accounting manager is responsible for analyzing and evaluating pricing and costing systems of the goods and services of an organization, ensuring its adherence to the internal guidelines and state regulations. Cost accounting managers review business and financial transactions to generate accounting reports for management reference. They also identify business opportunities that would provide revenue resources and profits by monitoring industry trends and public demands. A cost accounting manager must have excellent analytical skills and accounting principles knowledge, especially in resolving account and expense discrepancies.

Accounting director vs cost accounting manager salary

Accounting directors and cost accounting managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Director	Cost Accounting Manager
Average salary	$132,126	$89,286
Salary range	Between $89,000 And $193,000	Between $67,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting director and cost accounting manager education

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

	Accounting Director	Cost Accounting Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting director vs cost accounting manager demographics

Here are the differences between accounting directors' and cost accounting managers' demographics:

	Accounting Director	Cost Accounting Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 9.2% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between accounting director and cost accounting manager 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.

Cost accounting manager example responsibilities.

Manage the monthly analysis of variances which include PPV, MUV, substitution and labor.
Lead ERP system integration team and restructure manufacturing accounting system of newly acquire facility.
Manage payroll and all taxation matters, coordinate independent audit; communicate with outside organizations and agencies.
Direct the development, administration, and standards necessary to maintain financial controls in compliance with GAAP and SOX.
Provide financial management of inventories for multiple facilities to include book-to-physical account reconciliations, inventory projections and reduction plans.
Maintain standard cost integrity including annual standard changes, inventory valuation, monthly closings, account reconciliations and annual budgeting.

Accounting director vs cost accounting manager skills

Common accounting director skills

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

Common cost accounting manager skills

Variance Analysis, 5%
Financial Analysis, 5%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%
Product Cost, 4%
ERP, 4%

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 Cost Accounting Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs