Post job

What does a corporate accounting manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
9 min read
Quoted expert
Alicja Foksińska

A corporate accounting manager is responsible for overseeing the financial reporting processes, monitoring accounting procedures, and resolving financial discrepancies. Corporate accounting managers analyze cost-reduction techniques and identify business opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues that would increase the company's profitability. They also manage payroll and petty cash release, ensure the accuracy of balance sheets, and submit timely reports to the management. A corporate accounting manager must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to assist the accounting staff and maintain smooth financial operations.

On this page

Corporate accounting manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real corporate accounting manager resumes:

  • Manage the general accounting and recording of treasury and international transactions.
  • Manage payroll and all taxation matters, coordinate independent audit; communicate with outside organizations and agencies.
  • Coordinate with external CPA firm in the preparation of the annual financial audits.
  • Work with outside professionals including CPA firm on the preparation of annual audit and tax return schedules.
  • Consolidate and analyze monthly GAAP financial statements.
  • Review preparation of monthly financial statements in accordance with GAAP requirements.
  • Direct external reporting, treasury and debt compliance functions; monitor spending activity.
  • Prepare monthly accruals, quarterly profit and loss statements and investment activity analysis.
  • Coordinate borrowing base audits with lending institutions and assist internal auditors on SOX audits.
  • Execute monthly financial reporting, identify risks and opportunities, and book necessary accruals.
  • Implement audit and financial reporting control recommendations in addition to assisting various external and internal audits including Sarbanes-Oxley.
  • Review department processes and implement modifications that increase efficiency, minimize conflict of interest, and ensure SOX compliance.
  • Monitor and maintain the corporate accounting systems; review and upgrade as necessary to ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
  • Provide key expertise knowledge of payroll tax and compliance resulting the identification and resolution of compliance matters within the organization.
  • Key contributor in developing operational enhancements and cost-saving strategies to ensure viability of company; for example, renegotiate ADP contract.

Corporate accounting manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Corporate Accounting Managers are proficient in Reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Corporate Accounting Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Reconciliations, 9%

    Performed monthly account reconciliations and prepared monthly financial statements with analysis for CFO for final approval for distribution to investors.

  • CPA, 9%

    Enabled the company to achieve six successful year end audits involving Ernst & Young (Big 4 CPA firm).

  • GAAP, 8%

    Structured a PC accounting environment that produced immaculate records and controls necessary for each corporation's yearly comprehensive GAAP audit.

  • Close Process, 5%

    Trained business unit controllers to input their financial results into Hyperion, increasing efficiency and reducing month-end close process.

  • External Auditors, 4%

    Coordinated and worked with external auditors, state and insurance companies and provide pertinent operational and management information on request.

  • Internal Controls, 4%

    Directed improvement programs designed to develop, maintain and continually enhance the financial accounting internal controls within the department.

Common skills that a corporate accounting manager uses to do their job include "reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap." You can find details on the most important corporate accounting manager responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a corporate accounting manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Additionally, a corporate accounting manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "led conversion from mri to oracle erp software and set up ibm cognos tm1 financial reporting, a relational database software. "

Communication skills. Many corporate accounting manager duties rely on communication skills. "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions.," so a corporate accounting manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways corporate accounting manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "top level review of all reported subsidiary financial data including communication with subsidiaries to confirm results. "

Detail oriented. corporate accounting managers are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to corporate accounting 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 corporate accounting manager resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "assisted in year-end audit by preparing work papers, analysis and financial detail for external auditors. "

Math skills. A big part of what corporate accounting managers do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to corporate accounting manager responsibilities because "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical corporate accounting manager tasks: "conduct timely cash flow analysis, cash forecasting, and quantitative scenario analysis perform ad hoc financial analysis. "

Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for a corporate accounting manager to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what corporate accounting managers relies on this skill, since "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." How this skill relates to corporate accounting manager duties can be seen in an example from a corporate accounting manager resume snippet: "set organizational accounting policies and internal controls. "

Most common corporate accounting manager skills

The three companies that hire the most corporate accounting managers are:

Choose from 10+ customizable corporate accounting manager resume templates

Build a professional corporate accounting manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corporate accounting manager resume.
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume
Corporate Accounting Manager Resume

Compare different corporate accounting managers

Corporate accounting 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.

The annual salary of assistant controllers is $5,577 lower than the average salary of corporate accounting managers.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both corporate accounting manager and assistant controller positions are skilled in reconciliations, cpa, and gaap.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, corporate accounting manager responsibilities require skills like "oversight," "process improvement," "hyperion," and "income statement." Meanwhile a typical assistant controller has skills in areas such as "strong analytical," "sales tax," "human resources," and "accounts payables." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Assistant controllers really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $99,888. Comparatively, corporate accounting managers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $96,076.assistant controllers tend to reach similar levels of education than corporate accounting managers. In fact, assistant controllers are 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Corporate accounting 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.

A career as a division controller brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a corporate accounting manager. In fact, division controllers salary is $13,093 higher than the salary of corporate accounting managers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both corporate accounting managers and division controllers have skills such as "reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, corporate accounting manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "treasury," "accruals," "general ledger accounts," and "hyperion." Meanwhile, a division controller has duties that require skills in areas such as "payroll," "general ledger," "journal entries," and "financial performance." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Division controllers earn a higher average salary than corporate accounting managers. But division controllers earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $105,362. Additionally, corporate accounting managers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $96,076 annually.In general, division controllers achieve similar levels of education than corporate accounting managers. They're 4.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for corporate accounting managers in the next 3-5 years?

Alicja FoksińskaAlicja Foksińska LinkedIn profile

Lead IT Auditor at Protective Life, and ISACA Birmingham Chapter President

In the world of auditing, I believe that auditing the "intangible" is on the horizon, which means that auditors will need to understand what data their company collects and how they can use this data for an audit. Data analytics will be key, as more audit shops will be connecting multiple data sources to uncover ever deeper insights of the business. Rather than focusing on using a specific new technology or software, increasing maturity of data analytics and advancing its application on the data that the company collects, or should collect, will be more important for IT auditors going forward.

For example, company culture is not easily quantifiable as its scope is wide and divided among many different segments comprising of employee benefits and wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and continuous learning opportunities for the employees. With more companies allowing their employees to permanently work from home, auditors will be asked to answer questions ranging from employee productivity, burnout, to employee identity with the company.

It will be the job of auditors to look at the data landscape of the company and see what data points could help tell the story of the "intangibles," thus unveiling new knowledge for the company.

Corporate accounting manager vs. Regional controller

It is the responsibility of a regional controller to manage the financial reports and finances of the company in a specific geographic location. The regional controllers prepare and coordinate financial reports to ensure compliance with corporate policy and government regulations. They oversee the accounting activities of the corporation. It is their job to coordinate and prepare both external and internal financial statements. They also need to develop skills and knowledge in internal controls, financial management, accounting, payroll, and financial performance.

On average, regional controllers earn higher salaries than corporate accounting managers, with a $5,880 difference per year.By looking over several corporate accounting managers and regional controllers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a corporate accounting manager is likely to be skilled in "oversight," "treasury," "accruals," and "general ledger accounts," while a typical regional controller is skilled in "payroll," "financial performance," "general ledger," and "financial management."

Regional controllers earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $96,404. Corporate accounting managers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $96,076.When it comes to education, regional controllers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to corporate accounting managers. In fact, they're 2.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Corporate accounting manager vs. Finance controller

A financial controller is primarily in charge of the daily finance activities and accounting functions of a company. Their responsibilities typically revolve around preparing and organizing financial reports, analyzing data and looking out for any discrepancies or inconsistencies, and overseeing the company's overall revenues and expenditures. A financial controller must also maintain documentation, participate in risk assessment and budgeting activities, and develop strategies for profit growth. Furthermore, one must coordinate with other department staff to ensure accuracy, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Finance controllers typically earn higher pay than corporate accounting managers. On average, finance controllers earn a $8,845 higher salary per year.While their salaries may vary, corporate accounting managers and finance controllers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "oversight," "general ledger accounts," "income statement," and "shared services" are skills that commonly show up on corporate accounting manager resumes. On the other hand, finance controllers use skills like payroll, financial controller, general ledger, and strong analytical on their resumes.The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for finance controllers, with average annual pay of $119,209. Comparatively, the highest corporate accounting manager annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.The average resume of finance controllers showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to corporate accounting managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of corporate accounting manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs