Accounting director vs senior finance manager

The differences between accounting directors and senior finance 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 senior finance manager. Additionally, a senior finance manager has an average salary of $133,358, 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 senior finance manager are hyperion, financial performance, and financial analysis.

Accounting director vs senior finance manager overview

	Accounting Director	Senior Finance Manager
Yearly salary	$132,126	$133,358
Hourly rate	$63.52	$64.11
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	56,323	139,639
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
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 senior finance manager do?

A senior finance manager is an individual who supervises financial department staff members as well as monitors the daily financial operations within a company. Senior finance managers must keep track of the financial status and performance of the company so that they can identify areas for potential improvement. They review financial data and prepare reports to be presented to the management to help them in their business decision making. Senior finance managers must also maintain policies within the company and should have a deep understanding of financial regulations and legislations.

Accounting director vs senior finance manager salary

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

	Accounting Director	Senior Finance Manager
Average salary	$132,126	$133,358
Salary range	Between $89,000 And $193,000	Between $95,000 And $185,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Roku
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between accounting director and senior finance manager education

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

	Accounting Director	Senior Finance Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting director vs senior finance manager demographics

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

	Accounting Director	Senior Finance Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between accounting director and senior finance 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.

Senior finance manager example responsibilities.

Manage regional treasury functions including coordination with international HQ for daily cash balance requirements.
Manage staff of financial analysts who perform divisional and branch portfolio and profit/loss analysis.
Manage Oracle/Hyperion application upgrade used to support the close, consolidate and report process within Oracle/PeopleSoft ERP environment.
Manage financial reporting in support of CEO/CFO/President with oversight for data integrity and consistency of reporting across enterprise.
Manage eight team members' activities including daily transaction processing, monthly reconciliations and analysis, and financial statement preparation
Manage senior financial analysts responsible for evaluating the financial risks of a portfolio of large property and casualty insurance programs.

Accounting director vs senior finance manager skills

Common accounting director skills

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

Common senior finance manager skills

Hyperion, 7%
Financial Performance, 5%
Financial Analysis, 5%
Business Development, 4%
SR, 4%
Financial Models, 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 Senior Finance Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs