City controller vs director of accounting & finance

The differences between city controllers and directors of accounting & finance can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a city controller and a director of accounting & finance. Additionally, a director of accounting & finance has an average salary of $127,871, which is higher than the $110,568 average annual salary of a city controller.

The top three skills for a city controller include financial reports, payroll and balance sheet accounts. The most important skills for a director of accounting & finance are CPA, GAAP, and internal controls.

City controller vs director of accounting & finance overview

	City Controller	Director Of Accounting & Finance
Yearly salary	$110,568	$127,871
Hourly rate	$53.16	$61.48
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	19,157	100,209
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

City controller vs director of accounting & finance salary

City controllers and directors of accounting & finance have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Controller	Director Of Accounting & Finance
Average salary	$110,568	$127,871
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $177,000	Between $88,000 And $184,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Fried Frank
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between city controller and director of accounting & finance education

There are a few differences between a city controller and a director of accounting & finance in terms of educational background:

	City Controller	Director Of Accounting & Finance
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

City controller vs director of accounting & finance demographics

Here are the differences between city controllers' and directors of accounting & finance' demographics:

	City Controller	Director Of Accounting & Finance
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%	Male, 67.1% Female, 32.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between city controller and director of accounting & finance duties and responsibilities

City controller example responsibilities.

Manage accounting systems configuration and improvement, external auditor communication and requirements, regulatory compliance and SOX controls review.
Manage accounting systems configuration and improvement, external auditor communication and requirements, regulatory compliance and SOX controls review.
Create custom reports in ADP for accounting department analysis and distribution to management.

Director of accounting & finance example responsibilities.

Implement the firm's financial policy while managing day to day accounting and oversight of accounting staff and financial vendors.
Manage ERP implementation for both development and general construction operations.
Lead business validation process to produce accurate and timely portfolio consolidation results while ensuring favorable audit and SOX compliance opinions.
Manage financial accounting and reporting for all client entities, including consolidations and inter-company reconciliations, with recommendations for process improvements.
Champion and manage the integration of account reconciliation software to improve the efficiency and accuracy of inter-department and company-wide account reconciliations.
Assist CPA with yearly audit requirements and enter adjusting journal entries.

City controller vs director of accounting & finance skills

Common city controller skills

Financial Reports, 41%
Payroll, 30%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 12%
Financial Operations, 8%
Firsthand Knowledge, 4%
Press Releases, 3%

Common director of accounting & finance skills

CPA, 7%
GAAP, 7%
Internal Controls, 5%
Financial Data, 5%
Balance Sheet, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

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City Controller vs Director Of Accounting & Finance

Updated January 8, 2025

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