What does an assistant to the controller do?
Assistant to the controller responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant to the controller resumes:
- Manage financial reporting, monthly close, GAAP accruals and supervision of the accounting department.
- Manage general ledger and coordinate annual internal audit, interacting with CPA firm and auditing staff.
- Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
- Reconcile accounts receivable between A2000 systems and QuickBooks for monthly reporting and closing.
- Prepare wire transfer, ACH transactions and verify accuracy and follow up transactions until completion.
- Process weekly check runs and send checks to appropriate companies or post ACH payments online.
- Utilize the QuickBooks software to ensuring that account are properly reconcile while highlight inconsistencies or unusual transactions.
- Assume responsibility for special projects and assignments, including creating and editing PowerPoint presentations for legal training.
- Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
- Calculate and update monthly department allocation and project formulas in PeopleSoft.
- Convert adjusting entries to automatically feed to PeopleSoft uploads which reduce production time for financial statements and increase efficiency.
- Create and establish monthly Medicaid billing procedures and bill governmental agencies for project-base funding.
Assistant to the controller skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Assistants To The Controller are proficient in General Ledger Accounts, Account Reconciliations, and Purchase Orders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistants To The Controller that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Developed process for reconciling sales invoicing system to general ledger accounts receivable eliminating inaccuracy and unsubstantiated write offs.
- Account Reconciliations, 7%
Prepared and posted general ledger entries, maintained account reconciliations, managed capital and prepared commissions.
- Purchase Orders, 6%
Verified purchase orders and inventory records.
- Windows, 6%
Prepared weekly payroll for more than 118 employees, using ADP PC Payroll for windows.
- External Auditors, 5%
Coordinated and interacted extensively with internal and external auditors coordinating quarterly and year-end financial and operational audits.
- Bank Reconciliations, 5%
Completed bank reconciliations for all agency programs and investigated checks not returned from vendors.
"general ledger accounts," "account reconciliations," and "purchase orders" are among the most common skills that assistants to the controller use at work. You can find even more assistant to the controller responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling assistant to the controller duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "accountants and auditors must be able to listen to and discuss facts and concerns from clients, managers, and other stakeholders." According to an assistant to the controller resume, here's how assistants to the controller can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "managed accounts receivables, accounts payables, office processes and telecommunications accounts. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for assistants to the controller to perform their duties. For an example of how assistant to the controller responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "strong organizational skills are important for accountants and auditors, who often work with a range of financial documents for a variety of clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an assistant to the controller: "performed various administrative tasks collaborated with accounts payable and accounts receivable personnel to complete organizational projects".
Detail oriented. For certain assistant to the controller responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of an assistant to the controller rely on this skill, as "accountants and auditors must pay attention to detail when compiling and examining documents." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what assistants to the controller do: "verify the details on invoices with that on the purchase orders. "
Math skills. A commonly-found skill in assistant to the controller job descriptions, "math skills" is essential to what assistants to the controller do. Assistant to the controller responsibilities rely on this skill because "accountants and auditors must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures." You can also see how assistant to the controller duties rely on math skills in this resume example: "well organized and efficient strong math skills recorded financial transactions, such as checks, credit cards. "
The three companies that hire the most assistant to the controllers are:
- Cudd Energy Services3 assistants to the controller jobs
- Catholic Health East3 assistants to the controller jobs
- Domtar2 assistants to the controller jobs
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Compare different assistants to the controller
Assistant to the controller vs. Certified public accountant
A certified public accountant (CPA) acts as an advisor to small businesses and chief financial officers to Fortune 500 companies. They typically work for both small and large public accounting firms. They offer advice on many issues, such as accounting and taxation. They aid businesses and individuals to plan and achieve their financial goals. There are several requirements to become a CPA, including having a degree in accounting, passing the CPA examination, and obtaining a CPA license to practice.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between assistants to the controller and certified public accountant. For instance, assistant to the controller responsibilities require skills such as "account reconciliations," "purchase orders," "windows," and "external auditors." Whereas a certified public accountant is skilled in "strong customer service," "customer service," "irs," and "state tax returns." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Certified public accountants tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $92,755. In contrast, assistants to the controller make the biggest average salary, $53,464, in the non profits industry.certified public accountants tend to reach similar levels of education than assistants to the controller. In fact, certified public accountants are 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Assistant to the controller vs. Accounting supervisor
Account supervisors are in charge of the accounting and financial operations within an organization's accounting department. They supervise the account team and provide feedback about their performance and recommend improvements when necessary. It is their responsibility to review the company's financial statements for accuracy. They even reconcile the enterprise's general ledger accounts and oversee the communications and marketing plans of the clients. Also, they maintain profitable and long-term customer relationships to keep the trust of the clients.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant to the controller resumes. While assistant to the controller responsibilities can utilize skills like "purchase orders," "windows," "credit card," and "balance sheet," accounting supervisors use skills like "reconciliations," "customer service," "balance sheet accounts," and "close process."
On average, accounting supervisors earn a higher salary than assistants to the controller. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, accounting supervisors earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $86,930. Whereas assistants to the controller have higher pay in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $53,464.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Accounting supervisors tend to reach similar levels of education than assistants to the controller. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Assistants to the controller in the next 3-5 years?
Terri Walsh
Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida
Assistant to the controller vs. Senior accountant
A senior accountant is responsible for organizing financial reports, analyzing cost estimates, reviewing budget goals regularly, and making adjustments with the company's account statements as necessary. Senior accountants' duties also include managing account reconciliations, preparing tax documents, maintaining audit records and balance sheets, generating invoices, and providing recommendations to minimize possible financial loss. A senior accountant must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of accounting and financial principles.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from assistant to the controller resumes include skills like "account reconciliations," "purchase orders," "windows," and "bank reconciliations," whereas a senior accountant is more likely to list skills in "reconciliations," "payroll," "sox," and "strong analytical. "
Senior accountants earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $74,982. Comparatively, assistants to the controller have the highest earning potential in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $53,464.When it comes to education, senior accountants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to assistants to the controller. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Assistant to the controller vs. Staff accountant
Staff accountants are employees who are part of the company's accounting department. They are usually certified public accountants (CPAs). Staff accountants should be familiar with accounting tasks. Previous accounting experiences play a huge advantage in their success. They perform a variety of accounting responsibilities such as information verification and analysis, financial report preparation and presentation, financial account reconciliation, billing and payment receiving activities, vendor database management, and invoice processing requirements. They should also know how to do bookkeeping. Staff accountants should have good communication skills, analytical skills, and decision-making skills. They should also be organized and trustworthy since they will be handling confidential information.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between assistants to the controller and staff accountants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an assistant to the controller might have more use for skills like "purchase orders," "windows," "bank reconciliations," and "inventory control." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of staff accountants require skills like "reconciliations," "balance sheet accounts," "accruals," and "payroll tax returns. "
In general, staff accountants earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $57,168. The highest-paying industry for an assistant to the controller is the non profits industry.In general, staff accountants hold similar degree levels compared to assistants to the controller. Staff accountants are 3.2% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of assistant to the controller
Updated January 8, 2025
