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What is a director of accounting & finance and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Thomas King

A director of accounting and finance is a management professional who oversees all financial activities and decisions for an organization or a company. They also develop financial plans and strategies to increase production and revenue and work with analysts and staff to gather and analyze sales data, production data and report on this information to upper management and clients. These management professionals also oversee accounting and finance staff and departments and set budget goals and objectives for organizational departments.

A director of accounting and finance typically has a bachelor's or a master's degree in business, marketing, accounting, finance, or a related area and should have experience managing accounting and sales teams. These individuals should possess strong communication, organizational, analytical, and mathematical skills and should be comfortable working with accounting and financial data software.

A director of accounting and finance can work in a variety of industries and make up to $113,000 per year. The career field is also expected to increase 16% in the next ten years.

What general advice would you give to a director of accounting & finance?

Thomas King

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

Be dependable. Reputations form quickly after people join organizations. A newly hired professional who demonstrates the ability to get things done rapidly and accurately will soon become a "go-to" person when new opportunities arise. Such exposure early in a career is invaluable.
ScoreDirector Of Accounting & FinanceUS Average
Salary
8.3

Avg. Salary $127,871

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.8

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 9.42%

Black or African American 7.69%

Hispanic or Latino 14.77%

Unknown 4.11%

White 63.67%

Gender

female 32.87%

male 67.13%

Age - 46
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46
Stress level
7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Director of accounting & finance career paths

Key steps to become a director of accounting & finance

  1. Explore director of accounting & finance education requirements

    Most common director of accounting & finance degrees

    Bachelor's

    74.9 %

    Master's

    20.1 %

    Associate

    3.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of accounting & finance skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CPA7.05%
    GAAP7.02%
    Internal Controls5.37%
    Financial Data4.94%
    Balance Sheet4.47%
  3. Research director of accounting & finance duties and responsibilities

    • Implement the firm's financial policy while managing day to day accounting and oversight of accounting staff and financial vendors.
    • Manage ERP implementation for both development and general construction operations.
    • Lead business validation process to produce accurate and timely portfolio consolidation results while ensuring favorable audit and SOX compliance opinions.
    • Manage financial accounting and reporting for all client entities, including consolidations and inter-company reconciliations, with recommendations for process improvements.
  4. Get director of accounting & finance experience

    Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a director of accounting & finance. The most common roles before becoming a director of accounting & finance include controller, accounting manager team lead and senior accountant.
  5. Prepare your director of accounting & finance resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of accounting & finance resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of accounting & finance resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of accounting & finance resume templates

    Build a professional director of accounting & finance resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of accounting & finance resume.
    Director Of Accounting & Finance Resume
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    Director Of Accounting & Finance Resume
    Director Of Accounting & Finance Resume
    Director Of Accounting & Finance Resume
    Director Of Accounting & Finance Resume
  6. Apply for director of accounting & finance jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of accounting & finance job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of accounting & finance job

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Average director of accounting & finance salary

The average director of accounting & finance salary in the United States is $127,871 per year or $61 per hour. Director of accounting & finance salaries range between $88,000 and $184,000 per year.

Average director of accounting & finance salary
$127,871 Yearly
$61.48 hourly

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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.

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