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The differences between assistant controllers and projects controllers 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 projects controller takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant controller has an average salary of $91,447, which is higher than the $79,451 average annual salary of a projects controller.
The top three skills for an assistant controller include reconciliations, CPA and GAAP. The most important skills for a projects controller are project management, financial analysis, and project controller.
| Assistant Controller | Projects Controller | |
| Yearly salary | $91,447 | $79,451 |
| Hourly rate | $43.96 | $38.20 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 58,643 | 16,334 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
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.
A project controller is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of project management procedures, ensuring that the team adheres to the clients' specifications and requirements, and keeping all project resources and deliverables within the budget goals and set timeframe. Project controllers determine the progress of the project and coordinate the updates to the client, adjusting the project approach as needed to achieve high-quality standards and objectives. They also maintain an organized report of expenditures, as well as generating process reports to identify potential process improvement techniques that will maximize operational efficiency.
Assistant controllers and projects controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Controller | Projects Controller | |
| Average salary | $91,447 | $79,451 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $132,000 | Between $53,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Cloudflare | California Resources |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an assistant controller and a projects controller in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Controller | Projects Controller | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between assistant controllers' and projects controllers' demographics:
| Assistant Controller | Projects Controller | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% | Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |