Director of administration & finance vs corporate controller

The differences between directors of administration & finance and corporate controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a director of administration & finance and a corporate controller. Additionally, a corporate controller has an average salary of $144,304, which is higher than the $109,366 average annual salary of a director of administration & finance.

The top three skills for a director of administration & finance include payroll, oversight and financial management. The most important skills for a corporate controller are payroll, CPA, and GAAP.

Director of administration & finance vs corporate controller overview

	Director Of Administration & Finance	Corporate Controller
Yearly salary	$109,366	$144,304
Hourly rate	$52.58	$69.38
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	80,486	57,715
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a director of administration & finance do?

A director of administration & finance oversees and directs an organization's administration and finance department, ensuring operations run smoothly and efficiently according to company standards and regulations. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, lead the research and development efforts, establish procedures, manage the budgets and costs, review and evaluate financial reports, and implement the organizations' policies and standards. Moreover, a director of administration & finance leads staff and supervises all operations, solving issues and concerns if any would arise.

What does a corporate controller do?

A corporate controller is an individual who is responsible for supervising the overall daily accounting operations of an organization. Integral to the financial health of the organization, corporate controllers are required to help the organization with strategic financial decisions through forecasting reports and financial statements. They oversee maintaining accounting records by keeping and storing them in an operable system. Corporate controllers are also required to manage the accounting operations of the organization's subsidiaries.

Director of administration & finance vs corporate controller salary

Directors of administration & finance and corporate controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Administration & Finance	Corporate Controller
Average salary	$109,366	$144,304
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $161,000	Between $99,000 And $209,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	UCI Health	SideCars
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between director of administration & finance and corporate controller education

There are a few differences between a director of administration & finance and a corporate controller in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Administration & Finance	Corporate Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Director of administration & finance vs corporate controller demographics

Here are the differences between directors of administration & finance' and corporate controllers' demographics:

	Director Of Administration & Finance	Corporate Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between director of administration & finance and corporate controller duties and responsibilities

Director of administration & finance example responsibilities.

Manage payroll and HRIS system administration utilizing ADP and PeopleSoft applications and provide HRIS reports to employees and senior management team.
Lead the consolidation of financial and operational systems for non-acute services including rehabilitation and psychiatry services.
Provide organizational cash flow oversight as well as, update and implement inter-departmental policies.
Install ADP computerize payroll reporting with electronic tax deposits and federal/state reporting resulting in payroll processing cost savings.
Oversee the coordination of employee benefits and office administrative contacts and functions including direct monitoring of payroll processing.
Coordinate administrative operations including general oversight of office, computer and other equipment maintenance, and purchasing and vendor contact.

Corporate controller example responsibilities.

Manage general accounting staff (A/P, A/R, & G/L), financial planning, reporting and analysis functions.
Direct and manage all aspects of the external audit, including implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Lead implementation of SyteLine ERP solution to replace outdate manufacturing software and streamline manufacturing and transaction processes.
Develop long-term financial/ operational strategy for high-tech company as well as managed accounting, finance, and treasury operations.
Facilitate maintenance of treasury and risk management activity serving as primary point of contact for all financially relate matters.
Implement procedures for standard journal entries, monthly reconciliations, account analysis and documentation to support the monthly reporting requirements.

Director of administration & finance vs corporate controller skills

Common director of administration & finance skills

Payroll, 12%
Oversight, 9%
Financial Management, 6%
Administrative Functions, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%
Risk Management, 3%

Common corporate controller skills

Payroll, 7%
CPA, 6%
GAAP, 6%
Internal Controls, 6%
External Auditors, 5%
General Ledger, 3%

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Director Of Administration & Finance
Director Of Administration & Finance vs Corporate Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

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