Accounting director vs regional controller

The differences between accounting directors and regional 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 regional controller. Additionally, an accounting director has an average salary of $132,126, which is higher than the $102,904 average annual salary of a regional controller.

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

Accounting director vs regional controller overview

	Accounting Director	Regional Controller
Yearly salary	$132,126	$102,904
Hourly rate	$63.52	$49.47
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	56,323	57,984
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
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 regional controller do?

It is the responsibility of a regional controller to manage the financial reports and finances of the company in a specific geographic location. The regional controllers prepare and coordinate financial reports to ensure compliance with corporate policy and government regulations. They oversee the accounting activities of the corporation. It is their job to coordinate and prepare both external and internal financial statements. They also need to develop skills and knowledge in internal controls, financial management, accounting, payroll, and financial performance.

Accounting director vs regional controller salary

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

	Accounting Director	Regional Controller
Average salary	$132,126	$102,904
Salary range	Between $89,000 And $193,000	Between $68,000 And $153,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Sharp
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting director and regional controller education

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

	Accounting Director	Regional Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting director vs regional controller demographics

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

	Accounting Director	Regional Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6%
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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between accounting director and regional 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.

Regional controller example responsibilities.

Manage daily accounting, treasury, and investment functions.
Lead effort to document all significant processes to gain compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines including reconciliation criteria and coding guidelines.
Manage implementation and ongoing compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley financial accountability reporting, liaising with counterparts to ensure uniform application of standards.
Administer general ledger activity, including reconciliations, journal entries, and financial closing.
Prepare and process journal entries, including accounts receivable, inventory, prepay expenses and accruals.
Make all adjusting and closing journal entries, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, including accruals and inventory.

Accounting director vs regional controller skills

Common accounting director skills

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

Common regional controller skills

Internal Controls, 7%
CPA, 6%
Payroll, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Internal Audit, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

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Accounting Director
Accounting Director vs Regional Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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