Controller, vice president vs projects controller

The differences between controllers, vice president and projects controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a controller, vice president, becoming a projects controller takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a controller, vice president has an average salary of $161,965, which is higher than the $79,451 average annual salary of a projects controller.

The top three skills for a controller, vice president include risk management, oversight and internal controls. The most important skills for a projects controller are project management, financial analysis, and project controller.

Controller, vice president vs projects controller overview

	Controller, Vice President	Projects Controller
Yearly salary	$161,965	$79,451
Hourly rate	$77.87	$38.20
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	67,401	16,334
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	8	4

What does a controller, vice president do?

A Controller, Vice President is focused on controlling and directing financial planning and budget management. They supervise the daily operations of the finance department, such as financial reporting, accounts payable, and payroll.

What does a projects controller do?

A project controller is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of project management procedures, ensuring that the team adheres to the clients' specifications and requirements, and keeping all project resources and deliverables within the budget goals and set timeframe. Project controllers determine the progress of the project and coordinate the updates to the client, adjusting the project approach as needed to achieve high-quality standards and objectives. They also maintain an organized report of expenditures, as well as generating process reports to identify potential process improvement techniques that will maximize operational efficiency.

Controller, vice president vs projects controller salary

Controllers, vice president and projects controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Controller, Vice President	Projects Controller
Average salary	$161,965	$79,451
Salary range	Between $110,000 And $237,000	Between $53,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	New Jersey
Best paying company	World Surf League	California Resources
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between controller, vice president and projects controller education

There are a few differences between a controller, vice president and a projects controller in terms of educational background:

	Controller, Vice President	Projects Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Controller, vice president vs projects controller demographics

Here are the differences between controllers, vice president' and projects controllers' demographics:

	Controller, Vice President	Projects Controller
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5%	Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between controller, vice president and projects controller duties and responsibilities

Controller, vice president example responsibilities.

Manage a professional staff of 8 responsible for A/R, A/P, inventory control, billing, and collections.
Lead the implementation of global processes and documentation requirements aim at meeting Sarbanes-Oxley requirements one year early.
Manage regulatory and financial reporting functions, taxation, foreign exchange, treasury, and company administrative matters.
Lead implementation of new worldwide consolidation system, Hyperion, significantly reducing closing time and improving controls over the consolidation process.
Interface with all levels - liaison to banks, CPA, auditors, legal, and producers.
Ensure timely and accurate filings of corporate tax returns and completion of the annual audit by the corporate CPA firm.

Projects controller example responsibilities.

Develop GAAP compliant reporting and manage software implementations.
Manage treasury, open several new accounts, establish new procedures and controls, monitor daily activity.
Prepare accruals and revenue recognition calculations.
Work with foremen and supervisors to ensure proper WBS elements are charged.
Set up and management of charge numbers according to an establish WBS and distribution of project authorizations to team members.
Process journal entries and accruals monthly to account for all orders, revenue, and cost in the appropriate period.

Controller, vice president vs projects controller skills

Common controller, vice president skills

Risk Management, 10%
Oversight, 9%
Internal Controls, 6%
CPA, 4%
Internal Audit, 4%
External Auditors, 4%

Common projects controller skills

Project Management, 11%
Financial Analysis, 7%
Project Controller, 5%
Earned Value Management, 3%
Project Cost, 3%
Work Breakdown Structure, 3%

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Controller, Vice President
Controller, Vice President vs Projects Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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