Controller/Business Manager Overview
Working as a Controller/Business Manager
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 $54.1 an hour? That's $112,524 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 104,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Controller/Business Manager Do
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, math skills and communication skills.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a controller/business manager, we found that a lot of resumes listed 9.5% of controller/business managers included oversight, while 9.2% of resumes included financial statements, and 8.9% of resumes included internal controls. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the controller/business manager job title. But what industry to start with? Most controller/business managers actually find jobs in the finance and professional industries.
How To Become a Controller/Business Manager
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 48.8% of controller/business managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 36.8% of controller/business managers have master's degrees. Even though most controller/business managers have a college degree, it's possible 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 finance analyst.
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Controller/Business Manager Jobs
Controller/Business Manager Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a controller/business manager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as chief finance officer, progress to a title such as chief operating officer and then eventually end up with the title interim chief executive officer.
| Top Careers Before Controller/Business Manager |
|---|
Controller15.8 % |
Accounting Manager7.8 % |
Finance Analyst7.8 % |
Accountant7.2 % |
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| Top Careers After Controller/Business Manager |
|---|
Controller22.5 % |
Chief Finance Officer12.5 % |
Finance Director7.4 % |
Accounting Manager5.7 % |
| Show More |
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Controller/Business Manager
Best Paying Cities
- $140,743
- $136,876
- $130,838
- $124,433
- $122,136
Recently Added Salaries
| Job TitleCompany | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Robert Half Business Controller Business Controller | Robert Half Robert Half | 05/19/2020 05/19/2020 | $75,00005/19/2020 $75,000 |
Robert Half Controller: Essential Business Controller: Essential Business | Robert Half Robert Half | 03/26/2020 03/26/2020 | $125,00003/26/2020 $125,000 |
International Flavors & Fragrances Business Controller Business Controller | International Flavors & Fragrances International Flavors & Fragrances | 03/25/2020 03/25/2020 | $50,00003/25/2020 $50,000 |
Robert Half Small Business Controller Small Business Controller | Robert Half Robert Half | 03/04/2020 03/04/2020 | $65,00003/04/2020 $65,000 |
Wells Fargo Controller/Business Manager Controller/Business Manager | Wells Fargo Wells Fargo | 01/30/2020 01/30/2020 | $110,60001/30/2020 $110,600 |
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Controller/Business Manager Demographics
| Gender |
|---|
Male 55.2 % |
Female 40.3 % |
Unknown 4.5 % |
| Ethnicity |
White 60.4 % |
Hispanic or Latino 15.1 % |
Black or African American 12.1 % |
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| Foreign Languages Spoken |
Spanish 35.6 % |
Portuguese 15.3 % |
French 13.6 % |
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Controller/Business Manager Education
| Schools |
|---|
Texas A&M University 7.1 % |
Northern Illinois University 7.1 % |
University of South Florida 5.7 % |
University of Colorado at Boulder 5.7 % |
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| Majors |
Accounting 34.6 % |
Business 32.0 % |
Finance 13.1 % |
Management 5.3 % |
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| Degrees |
Bachelors 48.8 % |
Masters 36.8 % |
Associate 5.4 % |
Certificate 3.8 % |
| Show More |
Entry Level Jobs For Becoming A Controller/Business Manager
Top Skills For a Controller/Business Manager
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.5% of controller/business managers listed oversight on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and math skills are important as well.
Best States For a Controller/Business Manager
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a controller/business manager. The best states for people in this position are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and North Dakota. Controller/business managers make the most in New York with an average salary of $137,619. Whereas in New Jersey and Connecticut, they would average $133,774 and $124,396, respectively. While controller/business managers would only make an average of $124,009 in North Dakota, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New York
$137,619
Avg. Salary
2. New Jersey
$133,775
Avg. Salary
3. Connecticut
$124,396
Avg. Salary
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