Assistant controller vs finance leader

The differences between assistant controllers and finance leaders 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 leader. Additionally, a finance leader has an average salary of $117,284, 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 leader are financial analysis, financial management, and business development.

Assistant controller vs finance leader overview

	Assistant Controller	Finance Leader
Yearly salary	$91,447	$117,284
Hourly rate	$43.96	$56.39
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	58,643	93,582
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 finance leader do?

The duties of a finance leader depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around monitoring the sales and financial operations in a company, preparing financial reports and statements, finding new sales opportunities, identifying the market and client needs, and maintaining records of all financial transactions. There are also instances where a finance leader may set and allocate budgets, perform audits in costs and expenditures, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Assistant controller vs finance leader salary

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

	Assistant Controller	Finance Leader
Average salary	$91,447	$117,284
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $132,000	Between $78,000 And $174,000
Highest paying City	Stamford, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Oregon
Best paying company	Cloudflare	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between assistant controller and finance leader education

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

	Assistant Controller	Finance Leader
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Assistant controller vs finance leader demographics

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

	Assistant Controller	Finance Leader
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between assistant controller and finance leader 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 leader example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate annual GAAP audit of corporation financial statements.
Manage impairment and trouble debt restructures identification & measurement process in compliance with regulatory and GAAP guidance.
Participate in Lawson ERP implementation and training resources for corporate and site finance group.
Create superior back office business processes in conjunction with JD Edwards ERP implementation team.
Recruit by the CFO to support the growth and development of the Americas business.
Review, interpret, and approve budgets for all trade promotion events in the Americas.

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Assistant controller vs finance leader skills

Common assistant controller skills

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

Common finance leader skills

Financial Analysis, 8%
Financial Management, 5%
Business Development, 5%
Financial Performance, 4%
Strong Analytical, 4%
HR, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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