Assistant controller vs division controller

The differences between assistant controllers and division 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 division controller. Additionally, a division controller has an average salary of $110,117, 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 division controller are GAAP, internal controls, and CPA.

Assistant controller vs division controller overview

	Assistant Controller	Division Controller
Yearly salary	$91,447	$110,117
Hourly rate	$43.96	$52.94
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	58,643	41,679
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 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 division controller do?

A division controller is typically in charge of overseeing a company division's financial activities and human resources operations. Their role is to set objectives and guidelines, perform audits and assessments, evaluate the workforce performance, handle budgets and timelines, and develop strategies to optimize processes. They must monitor the progress of activities and projects, producing regular reports and presentations to keep the executives informed. Furthermore, as a division controller, it is essential to lead staff and implement the company's policies and regulations.

Assistant controller vs division controller salary

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

	Assistant Controller	Division Controller
Average salary	$91,447	$110,117
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $132,000	Between $76,000 And $158,000
Highest paying City	Stamford, CT	Concord, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Illinois
Best paying company	Cloudflare	KLA
Best paying industry	Finance	Construction

Differences between assistant controller and division controller education

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

	Assistant Controller	Division Controller
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

Assistant controller vs division controller demographics

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

	Assistant Controller	Division Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%
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, 8.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between assistant controller and division 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.

Division controller example responsibilities.

Develop long-term financial/ operational strategy for high-tech company as well as managed accounting, finance, and treasury operations.
Provide and interpret monthly portfolio financial results ensuring proper GAAP treatment of accounting transactions.
Review monthly balance sheet reconciliations to general ledger, sub-ledgers and independent supporting documentation.
Identify over $400K in book gain previously unrecognize by outside CPA firm during annual audit.
Plan and develop proper procedures to have an accurate and smooth physical count acceptable to hire CPA firm.
Implement new ERP accounting systems, providing ability to fully job-cost by job/location/salesperson.

Assistant controller vs division controller skills

Common assistant controller skills

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

Common division controller skills

GAAP, 6%
Internal Controls, 6%
CPA, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Financial Analysis, 4%
Oversight, 4%

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Assistant Controller
Assistant Controller vs Division Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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