Post job

Assistant controller vs finance analyst

The differences between assistant controllers and finance analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an assistant controller, becoming a finance analyst takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant controller has an average salary of $91,447, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.

The top three skills for an assistant controller include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a finance analyst are financial analysis, financial models, and financial data.

Assistant controller vs finance analyst overview

Assistant ControllerFinance Analyst
Yearly salary$91,447$69,887
Hourly rate$43.96$33.60
Growth rate17%9%
Number of jobs58,643138,600
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4640
Years of experience84

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 finance analyst do?

A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios. Finance analysts must have excellent critical and analytical thinking skills to identify the best actions for the company's profitability.

Assistant controller vs finance analyst salary

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

Assistant ControllerFinance Analyst
Average salary$91,447$69,887
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $132,000Between $46,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityStamford, CTSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyCloudflareThe Citadel
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between assistant controller and finance analyst education

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

Assistant ControllerFinance Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorAccountingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Assistant controller vs finance analyst demographics

Here are the differences between assistant controllers' and finance analysts' demographics:

Assistant ControllerFinance Analyst
Average age4640
Gender ratioMale, 49.8% Female, 50.2%Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage11%7%

Differences between assistant controller and finance analyst 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.
  • Show more

Finance analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage company asset accounts, wire funds to clients and record and structure amounts into QuickBooks.
  • Manage the UAT team involve in the testing of an enterprise accounting and project management software.
  • Manage customer portfolio to department KPI's, target balance, aging metrics, cash recovery and write-off tolerance.
  • Manage contract database and SalesForce for historical research and financial reporting purposes.
  • Manage and maintain information in worldwide-military database which include exemptions, transfers, retirements, and payroll records.
  • Accomplish project accounting functions including project costing, time reporting, project accruals and proper capitalization of development costs.
  • Show more

Assistant controller vs finance analyst skills

Common assistant controller skills
  • Reconciliations, 9%
  • CPA, 8%
  • GAAP, 7%
  • Internal Controls, 5%
  • Payroll Processing, 5%
  • External Auditors, 5%
Common finance analyst skills
  • Financial Analysis, 9%
  • Financial Models, 5%
  • Financial Data, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
  • Variance Analysis, 4%
  • Hyperion, 3%

Browse executive management jobs