Assistant controller vs corporate controller

The differences between assistant controllers 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 assistant controller and a corporate controller. Additionally, a corporate controller has an average salary of $144,304, which is higher than the $91,447 average annual salary of an assistant controller.

The top three skills for an assistant controller include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a corporate controller are payroll, CPA, and GAAP.

Assistant controller vs corporate controller overview

	Assistant Controller	Corporate Controller
Yearly salary	$91,447	$144,304
Hourly rate	$43.96	$69.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	58,643	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 assistant controller do?

An assistant controller is an individual who supports and reports to the corporate controller about all the organization's accounting-related activities such as managerial accounting and financial activities. Assistant controllers are instrumental in maintaining the accountability of the organization's financial resources and protecting the assets of its investors. They delegate data entry tasks with junior accounting staff and coordinate financial audits with the vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). The minimum educational attainment of an assistant controller is to obtain a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting related field.

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.

Assistant controller vs corporate controller salary

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

	Assistant Controller	Corporate Controller
Average salary	$91,447	$144,304
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $132,000	Between $99,000 And $209,000
Highest paying City	Stamford, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Cloudflare	SideCars
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between assistant controller and corporate controller education

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

	Assistant Controller	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

Assistant controller vs corporate controller demographics

Here are the differences between assistant controllers' and corporate controllers' demographics:

	Assistant Controller	Corporate Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 64.0% 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 assistant controller and corporate controller duties and responsibilities

Assistant controller example responsibilities.

Lead divisional capital management through ROI analysis on new products and other capital investments to maximize returns.
Facilitate the implementation of ERP system, which increase productivity in efficiently and effectively manage the functionality of the organization.
Initiate ongoing departmental projects to automate daily tasks which include the calculations for income distributions and the daily income account reconciliation.
Maintain timely and accurate general ledger account reconciliations, oversee treasury management, and handle fixed asset tracking and reporting.
Direct balance sheet and inter-company reconciliations according to GAAP and ensure compliance across accounting, payroll, and inventory management systems.
Oversee corporate financial internal controls including a complete re-write of all standard operating procedure documentation and supporting annual SOX audit work.

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.

Assistant controller vs corporate controller skills

Common assistant controller skills

Reconciliations, 9%
CPA, 8%
GAAP, 7%
Internal Controls, 5%
Payroll Processing, 5%
External Auditors, 5%

Common corporate controller skills

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

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Assistant Controller
Assistant Controller vs Corporate Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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