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The differences between cost accounting managers and finance leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a cost accounting manager and a finance leader. Additionally, a finance leader has an average salary of $117,284, which is higher than the $89,286 average annual salary of a cost accounting manager.
The top three skills for a cost accounting manager include variance analysis, financial analysis and reconciliations. The most important skills for a finance leader are financial analysis, financial management, and business development.
| Cost Accounting Manager | Finance Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $89,286 | $117,284 |
| Hourly rate | $42.93 | $56.39 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 61,135 | 93,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A cost accounting manager is responsible for analyzing and evaluating pricing and costing systems of the goods and services of an organization, ensuring its adherence to the internal guidelines and state regulations. Cost accounting managers review business and financial transactions to generate accounting reports for management reference. They also identify business opportunities that would provide revenue resources and profits by monitoring industry trends and public demands. A cost accounting manager must have excellent analytical skills and accounting principles knowledge, especially in resolving account and expense discrepancies.
The duties of a finance leader depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around monitoring the sales and financial operations in a company, preparing financial reports and statements, finding new sales opportunities, identifying the market and client needs, and maintaining records of all financial transactions. There are also instances where a finance leader may set and allocate budgets, perform audits in costs and expenditures, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Cost accounting managers and finance leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cost Accounting Manager | Finance Leader | |
| Average salary | $89,286 | $117,284 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $118,000 | Between $78,000 And $174,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between a cost accounting manager and a finance leader in terms of educational background:
| Cost Accounting Manager | Finance Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between cost accounting managers' and finance leaders' demographics:
| Cost Accounting Manager | Finance Leader | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 9.2% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |