Accounting director vs finance director

The differences between accounting directors and finance directors 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 finance director. Additionally, an accounting director has an average salary of $132,126, which is higher than the $118,518 average annual salary of a finance director.

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

Accounting director vs finance director overview

	Accounting Director	Finance Director
Yearly salary	$132,126	$118,518
Hourly rate	$63.52	$56.98
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	56,323	90,012
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
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 finance director do?

A finance director's role is to oversee all financial activities and aspects of a company or organization. One of their duties is to gather necessary financial data and cultivate reports on essential matters such as revenue and budget, provide risk assessments and estimates, implement vital policies, and allocate funds within the company. Furthermore, a finance director must also devise strategies and recommend innovative methods for financial gains, while in adherence to the organization's policies and regulations.

Accounting director vs finance director salary

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

	Accounting Director	Finance Director
Average salary	$132,126	$118,518
Salary range	Between $89,000 And $193,000	Between $76,000 And $183,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting director and finance director education

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

	Accounting Director	Finance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting director vs finance director demographics

Here are the differences between accounting directors' and finance directors' demographics:

	Accounting Director	Finance Director
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 14.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between accounting director and finance director 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.

Finance director example responsibilities.

Manage treasury functions considering the inflationary situation and changes in economic patterns to minimize any negative impact they may involve.
Improve internal controls and operating efficiency by training accountants and converting general ledger reconciliations to GAAP formats.
Prepare financial data and footnotes for independent CPA annual audit financial statements.
Develop financial models in Hyperion to aggregate sales data and allocate expenses for profitability analysis.
Complete Sarbanes-Oxley procedural requirements for entire incentive development, administration and reporting process.
Develop an electronic billing capacity and are the first Montana health care provider to bill Medicaid electronically.

Accounting director vs finance director skills

Common accounting director skills

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

Common finance director skills

CPA, 7%
Financial Analysis, 6%
Payroll, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Oversight, 4%
Financial Management, 4%

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Accounting Director
Accounting Director vs Finance Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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