Research Summary. Here are some key points about hiring controllers in the United States:
There are different types of costs for hiring controllers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new controller employee.
Controllers earn a median yearly salary is $101,204 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find controllers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $33 and $69.
To hire a controller, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a controller:
The first step in the controller hiring process is determining what type of worker you actually need. For example, certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.
Before you hire a controller, you should also consider the ideal background you'd like them to have. For example, what industry or field they have experience in, what level of seniority or education the job requires, and how much it'll cost to hire a candidate that fits the bill.
The list breaks down common controller roles and compares their salaries.
Type Of Controller | Description | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|
Controller | Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization. | $33-69 |
Business Manager-Finance Manager | A business manager/finance manager is responsible for handling the financial transactions of an organization, analyzing financial reports, and monitor investment activities. Business managers/finance managers strategize effective techniques to boost the organization's financial performance and identify business opportunities to increase revenues... Show More | $35-73 |
Manager/Finance Accounting | A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations... Show More | $31-61 |
Before creating a controller job description, imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile. What skills do they have and what responsibilities do they have to be proficient in?
Here are some of the most common controller skills:
Here are the most common controller responsibilities:
Beyond the nuts and bolts, cultural fit is an important factor. It might help to ask yourself how your ideal controller will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place. Clearly communicating this vision in your controller job description will help attract candidates who are better suited for the role.
Rank # | State | # Of Jobs | % of Population | Avg. Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 4,021 | 10% | $109,990 |
2 | New York | 1,590 | 8% | $121,130 |
3 | Illinois | 1,546 | 12% | $91,557 |
4 | Massachusetts | 1,156 | 17% | $112,665 |
5 | Virginia | 958 | 11% | $102,436 |
Including a salary range in your job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A controller salary can vary based on several factors:
Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Maine | $121,606 | $58 | |
2 | New York | $121,157 | $58 | 128 |
3 | California | $120,399 | $58 | 16 |
4 | New Jersey | $113,947 | $55 | 3 |
5 | Massachusetts | $112,814 | $54 | 36 |
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Perkins Coie | $186,620 | $89.72 | 6 |
2 | Instacart | $148,643 | $71.46 | |
3 | White & Case | $144,620 | $69.53 | |
4 | Firstservice Residential California, Inc. | $140,054 | $67.33 | 27 |
5 | Related Companies | $137,441 | $66.08 | 17 |
6 | Luxe | $137,395 | $66.06 | |
7 | ZS | $137,157 | $65.94 | |
8 | The Walt Disney Company | $135,603 | $65.19 | 14 |
9 | Marathon Petroleum | $135,582 | $65.18 | 5 |
10 | Neuberger Berman | $133,404 | $64.14 | 9 |
11 | Bloomberg | $132,552 | $63.73 | 10 |
12 | BP America Inc | $130,365 | $62.68 | |
13 | General Motors | $128,570 | $61.81 | 1 |
14 | Cisco | $128,530 | $61.79 | 6 |
15 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $125,744 | $60.45 | 4 |
16 | Nokia | $125,409 | $60.29 | 2 |
17 | First National Realty | $125,369 | $60.27 | |
18 | Koch Industries | $124,628 | $59.92 | 32 |
19 | Pathway Medical | $124,462 | $59.84 | |
20 | Barclays | $123,028 | $59.15 | 4 |
A job description for a controller role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a controller job description:
There are a few common ways to find controllers for your business:
Post your job online:
Recruiting controllers involves bringing your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they introduce their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
Don't forget to include a few questions that give a candidate chance to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their special skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, candidates who are good enough can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Once you've found the controller candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary, as well as the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer needs to be competitive if you really like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.