What does a controller/finance manager do?
A Controller/Finance Manager is a lead accountant who is responsible for overseeing the accounting activities of an organization while ensuring accurate ledger balances. This manager must implement improvements in their accounting policies and procedures surrounding the purchasing and revenue cycles to enforce internal controls. The manager should work closely with a CPA firm for annual audit and preparation of income tax to ensure they are following the SEC requirements. A Controller/Finance Manager is also required to complete, and report audited financial statements to their banking partners.
Controller/finance manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real controller/finance manager resumes:
- Manage the preparation of monthly reporting packs and board presentations with robust variance analysis, commentaries and forward looking KPIs.
- Review balance sheet reconciliations and assist with variance analysis.
- Authore internal control guidelines and provide training to employees & suppliers to promote compliance with SOX and corporate policies.
- Engage process and control owners to assess impact of business changes and associate risk to ensure changes comply with SOX requirements.
- Perform all treasury functions and partners distributions.
- Assist in implementing computerize ERP software system.
- Identify and implement ERP system integrating both financial and manufacturing processes.
- Oversee all accounting to provide financial and operational reporting ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP standards and regulatory requirements.
- Produce financial reports according to IFRS and statutory requirements.
- Develop, implement, document and train financial internal control systems including KPI for measuring operational and accounting teams.
- Interact frequently with Marriott legal and regional offices as the hotel ownership undergo foreclosure and bankruptcy.
Controller/finance manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Controller/Finance Managers are proficient in CPA, Internal Controls, and External Auditors. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Controller/Finance Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPA, 9%
Worked closely with CPA firm to insure compliance with SEC requirements.
- Internal Controls, 7%
Documented the internal controls over financial reporting, consolidations and income tax reporting and return preparation using activity level flowcharts.
- External Auditors, 7%
Coordinated external auditors and site controllers for annual physical inventories for Logistics area.
- SOX, 6%
Provided mentoring and support to staff whose jobs had to be transformed and re-aligned because of SOX Segregation of Duties requirements.
- Internal Audit, 5%
Execute internal audit to ensure regulatory compliance and operational efficiency and accuracy.
- Oversight, 4%
Advanced to increasingly responsible positions, culminating in management role with oversight for an Accounting department with seven associates.
Most controller/finance managers use their skills in "cpa," "internal controls," and "external auditors" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential controller/finance manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a controller/finance manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Controller/finance managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "result: accelerated the negotiations and simplified due diligence process, including virtual data room phases. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling controller/finance manager duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions." According to a controller/finance manager resume, here's how controller/finance managers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "career profile financial controller and leader with good communication and team building skills. "
Detail oriented. controller/finance managers are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to controller/finance manager responsibilities, because "in preparing and analyzing reports, such as balance sheets and income statements, financial managers must be precise and attentive to their work in order to avoid errors." A controller/finance manager resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "provided detailed monthly profit and loss reporting and ongoing financial analysis of business unit activity. "
Math skills. controller/finance manager responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." This resume example shows what controller/finance managers do with math skills on a typical day: "created a reporting personnel statistics for the human resources and operations groups to compile data on individual performance. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for controller/finance manager responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of controller/finance managers all the time, as "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." An excerpt from a real controller/finance manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a controller/finance manager does: "manage organizational cash flow forecasting by working in partnership with the program chiefs. "
The three companies that hire the most controller/finance managers are:
- Ernst & Young19 controller/finance managers jobs
- Pwc18 controller/finance managers jobs
- Wells Fargo17 controller/finance managers jobs
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Compare different controller/finance managers
Controller/finance manager vs. Accounting manager/controller
An accounting manager/controller is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a company's accounting department. They monitor the company's budgets, including its costs and expenditures, and produce financial reports. It is also their duty to establish objectives and guidelines, manage accounting staff, monitor financial activities, review and assess financial statements, approve expenditures, and resolve issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as an accounting manager/controller, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between controller/finance managers and accounting manager/controller. For instance, controller/finance manager responsibilities require skills such as "internal audit," "payroll," "project management," and "risk management." Whereas a accounting manager/controller is skilled in "payroll taxes," "general ledger accounts," "financial reports," and "balance sheet accounts." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Accounting managers/controller earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $89,839. On the other hand, controller/finance managers are paid more in the energy industry with an average salary of $158,853.On average, accounting managers/controller reach similar levels of education than controller/finance managers. Accounting managers/controller are 4.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Controller/finance manager vs. Corporate controller
A corporate controller is an individual who is responsible for supervising the overall daily accounting operations of an organization. Integral to the financial health of the organization, corporate controllers are required to help the organization with strategic financial decisions through forecasting reports and financial statements. They oversee maintaining accounting records by keeping and storing them in an operable system. Corporate controllers are also required to manage the accounting operations of the organization's subsidiaries.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real controller/finance manager resumes. While controller/finance manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "balance sheet," "shared services," and "sox testing," corporate controllers use skills like "financial reports," "tax compliance," "real estate," and "balance sheet accounts."
Corporate controllers may earn a higher salary than controller/finance managers, but corporate controllers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $141,530. On the other hand, controller/finance managers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $158,853.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Corporate controllers tend to reach similar levels of education than controller/finance managers. In fact, they're 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for controller/finance managers in the next 3-5 years?
Brian Meehan
Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College
Controller/finance manager vs. Assistant controller
An assistant controller is an individual who supports and reports to the corporate controller about all the organization's accounting-related activities such as managerial accounting and financial activities. Assistant controllers are instrumental in maintaining the accountability of the organization's financial resources and protecting the assets of its investors. They delegate data entry tasks with junior accounting staff and coordinate financial audits with the vice president and chief financial officer (CFO). The minimum educational attainment of an assistant controller is to obtain a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting related field.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from controller/finance manager resumes include skills like "oversight," "payroll," "project management," and "risk management," whereas an assistant controller is more likely to list skills in "payroll processing," "general ledger accounts," "balance sheet accounts," and "strong analytical. "
Assistant controllers earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $99,888. Controller/finance managers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $158,853.Most assistant controllers achieve a lower degree level compared to controller/finance managers. For example, they're 6.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Controller/finance manager vs. Division controller
A division controller is typically in charge of overseeing a company division's financial activities and human resources operations. Their role is to set objectives and guidelines, perform audits and assessments, evaluate the workforce performance, handle budgets and timelines, and develop strategies to optimize processes. They must monitor the progress of activities and projects, producing regular reports and presentations to keep the executives informed. Furthermore, as a division controller, it is essential to lead staff and implement the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between controller/finance managers and division controllers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a controller/finance manager might have more use for skills like "project management," "risk management," "balance sheet," and "shared services." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of division controllers require skills like "financial reports," "balance sheet accounts," "division management," and "capital expenditures. "
In general, division controllers earn the most working in the construction industry, with an average salary of $105,362. The highest-paying industry for a controller/finance manager is the energy industry.The average resume of division controllers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to controller/finance managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.Types of controller/finance manager
Updated January 8, 2025
