Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Corporate controller skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Carol Sullivan,

Thomas King

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical corporate controller skills. We ranked the top skills for corporate controllers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 7.4% of corporate controller resumes contained payroll as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a corporate controller needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 corporate controller skills for your resume and career

1. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how corporate controllers use payroll:

Worked closely with Human Resources on sourcing additional insurance benefits for the Company including processing payroll.
Handled capital expenditures, bank/balance sheet reconciliations, accounts payable/receivable, and payroll.

2. CPA

Here's how corporate controllers use cpa:

Assisted outside CPA firm on a regular basis throughout the year in preparation for year-end tax reporting for each reporting entity.
Coordinate work with CPA firm as well as delivering property related information requested by the auditors on a timely basis.

3. GAAP

Here's how corporate controllers use gaap:

Formulated and implemented accounting policies and procedures to comply with the requirements of existing and new GAAP standards and regulatory pronouncements.
Handled U.S. GAAP financial reporting and compliance for international subsidiaries via indirect reporting relationship to country managers and controllers.

4. Internal Controls

Here's how corporate controllers use internal controls:

Redesigned financial statement reconciliation/analysis process and improved internal controls.
Review monthly account reconciliations and journal entries to assure accurate financial information is generated and proper internal controls are in place.

5. External Auditors

Here's how corporate controllers use external auditors:

Established and maintained the relationship with the company s external auditors, and coordinated proactive communication with appropriate senior management personnel.
Interfaced with external auditors (KPMG) and prepared audited financial statements including consolidation of majority owned subsidiary including footnote disclosures.

6. General Ledger

Here's how corporate controllers use general ledger:

Redeveloped general ledger account coding structure within JD Edwards accounting system resulting in lower consulting costs and more accurate financial reporting.
Maintain and monitor the general ledger on a monthly basis and generating all necessary corporate financial reports including variance summaries.

Choose from 10+ customizable corporate controller resume templates

Build a professional corporate controller 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 controller resume.

7. Reconciliations

Here's how corporate controllers use reconciliations:

Developed account reconciliation formats & procedures, prepared 16 months of account reconciliations and recorded all related correcting journal entries.
Implemented procedures for standard journal entries, monthly reconciliations, account analysis and documentation to support the monthly reporting requirements.

8. Cash Management

Here's how corporate controllers use cash management:

Selected areas of focus included financial reporting and analysis, treasury/cash management, risk management, employee benefits and payroll/HR systems.
Directed the preparation of documents for the asset based loan, assumed complete cash management responsibilities and performed all treasury obligations.

9. Financial Reports

Here's how corporate controllers use financial reports:

Developed costing standards and operational and financial reports for emerging businesses to enable the evaluation of potential product growth and profitability.
Developed financial reports and operational summaries of the companies' performance to facilitate management analysis of various business segments.

10. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how corporate controllers use oversight:

Maintained responsibility and oversight of company financial models and budget, including cost structure to ensure fulfillment of financial goals.
Directed financial reporting and analysis functions, annual financial statement preparation, audit oversight, and budget planning/forecasting.

11. Treasury

Here's how corporate controllers use treasury:

Partner with Treasury, Planning and Procurement organizations restructuring Company equipment lease profile and adopting new capital lease accounting treatment.
Developed long-term financial/ operational strategy for high-tech company as well as managed accounting, finance, and treasury operations.

12. Close Process

A close process is the necessary closing steps required to prepare the accounts for recording the transactions of the next period. Its purpose is to reset or close the temporary account balances on the general ledger, and the accounting system for a company's financial data including income statement and accounts payable.

Here's how corporate controllers use close process:

Designed effective monthly close process to produce timely and accurate financial statements for internal and external reporting.
Developed and implemented financial close processes and procedures to ensure timely and accurate reporting of financial results.

13. Cash Flow

Here's how corporate controllers use cash flow:

Assumed full management responsibility for activities related to finance and accounting management, including cash flow management, and policy administration.
Orchestrated cash flow improvement program through the factoring of receivables, development of customer relationships, and cost/inventory reduction.

14. Due Diligence

Due diligence refers to the process of auditing, investigating, or reviewing done to confirm the authenticity of relevant facts. In addition to this, it also refers to the evaluation of a party's financial records to determine whether one should enter into a transaction with the said party or not.

Here's how corporate controllers use due diligence:

Succeeded in incorporating accounting operations following two acquisitions acting as a key role in due diligence processes of one acquisition.
Assisted CEO in attempting to raise additional capital by preparing comprehensive financial due diligence packages reviewed by prospective investors.

15. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how corporate controllers use erp:

Selected, negotiated and implemented Intuitive ERP system for finance, manufacturing accounting, engineering and order administration groups.
Evaluated and implemented ERP system to improve labor tracking, contract profitability, and inventory management.

5 Corporate Controller resume examples

Build a professional corporate controller resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your corporate controller resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help Corporate Controllers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on corporate controller resumes?

Carol Sullivan

Associate Professor, The University of Texas Permian Basin

Microsoft Office is most important in my professional opinion, but also Accounting software like QuickBooks is important. Computer literacy is really important, especially if employees continue to work remotely.

What soft skills should all corporate controllers possess?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to develop working relationships with a wide range of colleagues who have diverse skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for corporate controllers?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

The ability to extract information from unfamiliar data sets and then explain conclusions reached in a clear, persuasive manner.

What corporate controller skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Gary P Braun

Professor, California State University - Chico

Technology, technology, technology - there are different forms of this, but the intersection of data analysis and technology seems like the place that has the most bang for the buck. Perhaps I am overstating it here, but in my 35-plus years in the accounting world, there has been a continuous march toward the use of computer technology tools. My advice would be to either do a graduate program that has a focus on technology or to pick up certifications in specific tools. Another option would be to find free resources on these topics (MOOCs, for example). Also, for students wanting to be certified, I would say another great use of time is to get the hours needed to sit for the exam and to take the exam ASAP.

What type of skills will young corporate controllers need?

Dr. Lilac Nachum Ph.D.

Professor, International Business, Baruch College, City University New York

In light of the changes described in #1, the most apparent skills would be those related to digital employment. These will relate to both new opportunities, created digitally, as well as the transformation of brick and mortar jobs online. The former requires skills such as online management of supply chains, digital marketing, online sale, and the likes. These new jobs might require in addition to digital skills also heavy doses of creativity and entrepreneurship as new products and industries are being created and developed. In relation to the latter, the jobs themselves might be well established and familiar for some graduates but their delivery would be transformed in significant ways and require advanced digital skills related to the implementation of these activities.

What technical skills for a corporate controller stand out to employers?

Dr. JP Krahel Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Accounting, Accounting Department Chair, Loyola University Maryland

First, Excel. It's the most basic, essential tool for the accounting professional. If you can come in on Day 1 knowing essential keyboard shortcuts, proper formula and reference use, and how to format a spreadsheet properly, you'll have an immediate advantage over your peers.

Second, believe it or not, is writing. People think that accounting is all about numbers, but really, it's less about the math (which Excel does for you) and more about being able to explain the deeper meaning behind the results. Can you explain complex depreciation methods to an audit client? Give bad news to a tax client in an understandable way? These are big deals.

Third is data analytics. Given the immense volume of data now available to firms, someone who can extract, clean, and present that data using modern software tools will have an edge. It's really another form of communication, and one that early-career accounting professionals would do well to familiarize themselves with before entering the workforce.

Do you want to know more?

List of corporate controller skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a corporate controller resume and required skills for a corporate controller to have include:

Payroll
CPA
GAAP
Internal Controls
External Auditors
General Ledger
Reconciliations
Cash Management
Financial Reports
Oversight
Treasury
Close Process
Cash Flow
Due Diligence
ERP
Financial Analysis
Tax Compliance

Revenue Recognition
SOX
Risk Management
Fixed Assets
Financial Data
Human Resources
Journal Entries
Tax Returns
Process Improvement
Financial Management
Real Estate
Direct Reports
Financial Results
Internal Audit
Balance Sheet Accounts
A/P
R

Variance Analysis
Sarbanes-Oxley
Account Reconciliations
Financial Systems
Executive Management
Tax Filings
Financial Performance
Sales Tax
Financial Operations
IFRS
Financial Controls
QuickBooks
KPI
Financial Functions
IPO
Cost Savings

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs