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Assistant controller vs finance director

The differences between assistant controllers and finance directors 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 finance director. Additionally, a finance director has an average salary of $118,518, 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 finance director are CPA, financial analysis, and payroll.

Assistant controller vs finance director overview

Assistant ControllerFinance Director
Yearly salary$91,447$118,518
Hourly rate$43.96$56.98
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs58,64390,012
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

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 director do?

A finance director's role is to oversee all financial activities and aspects of a company or organization. One of their duties is to gather necessary financial data and cultivate reports on essential matters such as revenue and budget, provide risk assessments and estimates, implement vital policies, and allocate funds within the company. Furthermore, a finance director must also devise strategies and recommend innovative methods for financial gains, while in adherence to the organization's policies and regulations.

Assistant controller vs finance director salary

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

Assistant ControllerFinance Director
Average salary$91,447$118,518
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $132,000Between $76,000 And $183,000
Highest paying CityStamford, CTPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyCloudflareMeta
Best paying industryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between assistant controller and finance director education

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

Assistant ControllerFinance Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Assistant controller vs finance director demographics

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

Assistant ControllerFinance Director
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 49.8% Female, 50.2%Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between assistant controller and finance director 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.
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Finance director example responsibilities.

  • Manage treasury functions considering the inflationary situation and changes in economic patterns to minimize any negative impact they may involve.
  • Improve internal controls and operating efficiency by training accountants and converting general ledger reconciliations to GAAP formats.
  • Prepare financial data and footnotes for independent CPA annual audit financial statements.
  • Develop financial models in Hyperion to aggregate sales data and allocate expenses for profitability analysis.
  • Complete Sarbanes-Oxley procedural requirements for entire incentive development, administration and reporting process.
  • Develop an electronic billing capacity and are the first Montana health care provider to bill Medicaid electronically.
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Assistant controller vs finance director skills

Common assistant controller skills
  • Reconciliations, 9%
  • CPA, 8%
  • GAAP, 7%
  • Internal Controls, 5%
  • Payroll Processing, 5%
  • External Auditors, 5%
Common finance director skills
  • CPA, 7%
  • Financial Analysis, 6%
  • Payroll, 4%
  • Work Ethic, 4%
  • Oversight, 4%
  • Financial Management, 4%

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