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City manager vs chief finance officer

The differences between city managers and chief finance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a city manager and a chief finance officer. Additionally, a chief finance officer has an average salary of $143,947, which is higher than the $76,188 average annual salary of a city manager.

The top three skills for a city manager include human resources, economic development and oversight. The most important skills for a chief finance officer are payroll, CPA, and oversight.

City manager vs chief finance officer overview

City ManagerChief Finance Officer
Yearly salary$76,188$143,947
Hourly rate$36.63$69.21
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs8,928145,184
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age5252
Years of experience--

What does a city manager do?

A city manager is responsible for monitoring city operations and manage staff to advise programs and initiatives for the benefits of the citizens. City managers oversee community projects and allocate adequate resources to support functions and societal activities. They also serve as a liaison to clear political disputes and officer conflicts. A city manager attends community events and meetings to represent the city, provide progress updates, and coordinate with other local organizations for sponsorship and funding events.

What does a chief finance officer do?

A chief financial officer is responsible for managing and reviewing the financial status of a company. Chief financial officers' duties include ensuring the accuracy of financial reports, monitoring the company's expenses and budget goals, providing recommendations to prevent financial loss and increase revenues, processing the company's tax obligations, and resolving financial disputes. A chief financial officer must have an impeccable knowledge of the financial industry, updated with the current market trend, and strong leadership and decision-making skills to support the organization's financial department.

City manager vs chief finance officer salary

City managers and chief finance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

City ManagerChief Finance Officer
Average salary$76,188$143,947
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $142,000Between $80,000 And $257,000
Highest paying CityHayward, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleBaker McKenzie
Best paying industryStart-upConstruction

Differences between city manager and chief finance officer education

There are a few differences between a city manager and a chief finance officer in terms of educational background:

City ManagerChief Finance Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorBusinessAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

City manager vs chief finance officer demographics

Here are the differences between city managers' and chief finance officers' demographics:

City ManagerChief Finance Officer
Average age5252
Gender ratioMale, 69.6% Female, 30.4%Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between city manager and chief finance officer duties and responsibilities

City manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage debt issuance, debt service, redemptions and tax arbitrage calculations.
  • Interpret and apply GAAP and GASB and other applicable accounting guidelines.
  • Provide assistance in oversight and management of all city operations.
  • Deploy code enforcement oversight to counter deteriorating private properties as well as public infrastructure.
  • Complete major renovations and improvements to the city water plant and negotiate and purchase a new city police station building.
  • Save utility system from financial collapse while completing city wide meter installations with new water rate and tap fee schedules.
  • Show more

Chief finance officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead management team in developing and executing a combination of pricing and cost savings strategies that improve EBITDA more than threefold.
  • Lead the consolidation of financial and operational systems for non-acute services including rehabilitation and psychiatry services.
  • Lead system conversion to Hyperion planning budgeting/forecasting software, responsible for training, developing and implementation.
  • Manage all firm banking relationships, treasury functions and retain signatory authority for all partnership and corporate accounts.
  • Lead implementation of new worldwide consolidation system, Hyperion, significantly reducing closing time and improving controls over the consolidation process.
  • Prepare annual general ledger reconciliations and consolidate financial reports for CPA tax preparation.
  • Show more

City manager vs chief finance officer skills

Common city manager skills
  • Human Resources, 9%
  • Economic Development, 8%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Public Works, 6%
  • Payroll, 6%
Common chief finance officer skills
  • Payroll, 7%
  • CPA, 6%
  • Oversight, 5%
  • Financial Reports, 4%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Internal Controls, 4%

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