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.
Assistant controller responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant controller resumes:
- 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.
- Ensure Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls are maintained; recognize for extraordinary efforts and contribution to the successful achievement of the Sarbanes-Oxley audit.
- Collaborate extensively with CPA during year-end audit processes.
- Collaborate extensively with CPA to provide in-depth reporting.
- Prepare and/or review all business tax returns including payroll, inventory and property.
- Maintain and update ERP accounting software to support reporting, management and analysis requirements.
- Coordinate accounting activities, including day-to-day processes, bank reconciliation, and payroll management.
- Collaborate frequently with accounting, treasury and tax departments to ensure efficient operations and drive intelligent business decisions.
- Prepare and review required supporting documentation and financial statements to ensure compliance with GAAP and company policies and procedures.
- Maintain and monitor compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements relate to the consolidation process and participate in its testing and confirmations.
Assistant controller skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Assistant Controllers are proficient in Reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Controllers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reconciliations, 9%
Maintained timely and accurate general ledger account reconciliations, oversaw treasury management, and handled fixed asset tracking and reporting.
- CPA, 8%
Collaborated extensively with CPA during year-end audit processes.
- GAAP, 7%
Directed balance sheet and inter-company reconciliations according to GAAP and ensured compliance across accounting, payroll, and inventory management systems.
- Internal Controls, 5%
Formulated new/improved accounting procedures/internal controls.
- Payroll Processing, 5%
Slashed payroll processing time by 40% by automating commission calculations and eliminating complex and problematic compensation policies.
- External Auditors, 5%
Collaborated extensively with internal/external auditors.
"reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap" are among the most common skills that assistant controllers use at work. You can find even more assistant controller responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an assistant controller to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Assistant controllers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintained and updated erp accounting software to support reporting, management and analysis requirements. "
Communication skills. Many assistant controller duties rely on communication skills. "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions.," so an assistant controller will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways assistant controller responsibilities rely on communication skills: "maintained work in progress schedule to facilitate revenue recognition and supervised the development and communication of all financial statements and reports. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for assistant controllers to perform their duties. For an example of how assistant controller responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "in preparing and analyzing reports, such as balance sheets and income statements, financial managers must be precise and attentive to their work in order to avoid errors." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an assistant controller: "prepared and presented financial reports for senior management, including detailed sales analysis, employee productivity and financial ratios. ".
Math skills. assistant controller responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." This resume example shows what assistant controllers do with math skills on a typical day: "analyze and review the month end financial statements and production statistics for nine divisions. "
Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for an assistant controller to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what assistant controllers relies on this skill, since "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." How this skill relates to assistant controller duties can be seen in an example from an assistant controller resume snippet: "led organizational merger and restructuring of corporate subsidiary and due diligence efforts. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant controllers are:
- Robert Half139 assistant controllers jobs
- Waste Connections32 assistant controllers jobs
- Danaher31 assistant controllers jobs
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Compare different assistant controllers
Assistant controller vs. Manager finance planning and analysis
A manager finance planning and analysis oversees the daily operations of a company's financial planning department. They typically have administrative duties such as setting goals and guidelines, establishing timelines and budgets, delegating tasks among teams and staff, and reviewing financial reports regularly. They also perform research and assessments, gather and analyze financial data from different departments, coordinate staff, and solve issues and concerns when any arise. Additionally, as a manager, they must lead and empower staff to reach goals while implementing company policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between assistant controllers and manager finance planning and analysis. For instance, assistant controller responsibilities require skills such as "cpa," "payroll processing," "general ledger accounts," and "balance sheet accounts." Whereas a manager finance planning and analysis is skilled in "financial performance," "customer service," "financial models," and "hyperion." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Managers finance planning and analysis tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $109,735. In contrast, assistant controllers make the biggest average salary, $99,888, in the finance industry.The education levels that managers finance planning and analysis earn slightly differ from assistant controllers. In particular, managers finance planning and analysis are 11.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant controller. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant controller vs. Manager/finance accounting
A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations. A manager of finance accounting must also maintain accurate financial records, identify any errors or inconsistencies, and perform support tasks for staff when necessary. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant controller resumes. While assistant controller responsibilities can utilize skills like "sales tax," "human resources," "enterprise resource planning," and "management reports," managers/finance accounting use skills like "customer service," "hr," "shared services," and "hyperion."
Managers/finance accounting may earn a lower salary than assistant controllers, but managers/finance accounting earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $92,198. On the other hand, assistant controllers receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $99,888.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Managers/finance accounting tend to reach higher levels of education than assistant controllers. In fact, they're 6.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for assistant controllers in the next 3-5 years?
Grace Huff
Assistant Professor of Accounting, Daemen College
Assistant controller vs. Cost accounting manager
A cost accounting manager is responsible for analyzing and evaluating pricing and costing systems of the goods and services of an organization, ensuring its adherence to the internal guidelines and state regulations. Cost accounting managers review business and financial transactions to generate accounting reports for management reference. They also identify business opportunities that would provide revenue resources and profits by monitoring industry trends and public demands. A cost accounting manager must have excellent analytical skills and accounting principles knowledge, especially in resolving account and expense discrepancies.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, assistant controllers are more likely to have skills like "cpa," "payroll processing," "general ledger accounts," and "financial data." But a cost accounting manager is more likely to have skills like "product cost," "general ledger," "journal entries," and "cost analysis."
Cost accounting managers earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $89,769. Assistant controllers earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $99,888.cost accounting managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to assistant controllers. Specifically, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant controller vs. Accounting director
An Accounting Director supervises the general accounting and financial reporting functions, as well as financial services within a company or organization. They also ensure that all transactions and financial policies for their organization meet federal regulations and standards.
Types of assistant controller
Updated January 8, 2025
