Controller/Business Managers are responsible for managing the daily operations of the accounting department. You must be a self-starter, adaptable, able to communicate, and have strong accounting and finance skills. As a Controller/Business Manager, you will report to the CFO.
Controller/Business Managers are primarily in charge of accounting personnel and processes, manage those responsible for payroll, billing, collection, accounts payable, and fixed assets. You will motivate and mentor the accounting staff and give the objectives, direction, and coaching to achieve and finish the work that needs to be done. A Controller/Business Manager will meet regularly with staff and provide training, discuss ideas, and work on issues. You will be responsible for audits, financials, and ledger management and manage the month-end closing and account reconciliation processes.
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in accounting is preferred. A CPA certification is preferred. You may also need at least five to seven years of relevant financial management experience with proven leadership and management skills. A strong corporate tax and audit background is preferred. With all these qualifications and demands, you will be able to make a median salary of $90,000 to $120,000 a year.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Controller/Business Manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $52.81 an hour? That's $109,845 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 104,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many Controller/Business Managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Analytical skills, Communication skills and Detail oriented.
If you're interested in becoming a Controller/Business Manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.4% of Controller/Business Managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 15.6% of Controller/Business Managers have master's degrees. Even though most Controller/Business Managers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Controller/Business Manager. When we researched the most common majors for a Controller/Business Manager, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Controller/Business Manager resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Doctoral Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Controller/Business Manager. In fact, many Controller/Business Manager jobs require experience in a role such as Controller. Meanwhile, many Controller/Business Managers also have previous career experience in roles such as Accounting Manager or Accountant.