Finance director vs business director

The differences between finance directors and business directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a finance director, becoming a business director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a business director has an average salary of $124,563, which is higher than the $118,518 average annual salary of a finance director.

The top three skills for a finance director include CPA, financial analysis and payroll. The most important skills for a business director are project management, healthcare, and sigma.

Finance director vs business director overview

	Finance Director	Business Director
Yearly salary	$118,518	$124,563
Hourly rate	$56.98	$59.89
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	90,012	137,880
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	8	6

What does a finance director do?

A finance director's role is to oversee all financial activities and aspects of a company or organization. One of their duties is to gather necessary financial data and cultivate reports on essential matters such as revenue and budget, provide risk assessments and estimates, implement vital policies, and allocate funds within the company. Furthermore, a finance director must also devise strategies and recommend innovative methods for financial gains, while in adherence to the organization's policies and regulations.

What does a business director do?

Business directors are responsible for overseeing the development of an organization's business goals and objectives. They typically work to increase business revenue, identify and develop business opportunities, and expand the company's presence and its brands. Other duties and responsibilities may include establishing effective company policies, goals, and sales targets, overseeing financial and budgetary activities, and identifying ways to minimize cost and boost financial performance. Business directors are also expected to negotiate contracts with clients and suppliers and propose and develop new partnerships.

Finance director vs business director salary

Finance directors and business directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Finance Director	Business Director
Average salary	$118,518	$124,563
Salary range	Between $76,000 And $183,000	Between $86,000 And $178,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Meta	Ep Energy
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between finance director and business director education

There are a few differences between a finance director and a business director in terms of educational background:

	Finance Director	Business Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Finance director vs business director demographics

Here are the differences between finance directors' and business directors' demographics:

	Finance Director	Business Director
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%	Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 9.4% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between finance director and business director duties and responsibilities

Finance director example responsibilities.

Manage treasury functions considering the inflationary situation and changes in economic patterns to minimize any negative impact they may involve.
Improve internal controls and operating efficiency by training accountants and converting general ledger reconciliations to GAAP formats.
Prepare financial data and footnotes for independent CPA annual audit financial statements.
Develop financial models in Hyperion to aggregate sales data and allocate expenses for profitability analysis.
Complete Sarbanes-Oxley procedural requirements for entire incentive development, administration and reporting process.
Develop an electronic billing capacity and are the first Montana health care provider to bill Medicaid electronically.

Business director example responsibilities.

Plan and project manage the migration, testing and deployment of a new ERP system.
Develop various tools and processes to identify operational risk, effectively manage KPI's and monitor vendor relationships.
Manage cost-centers and leverage unique Indian production and post- production capabilities and position the company as a prefer production partner.
Lead ERP selection process and implementation project.
Enter claims into Medicare system; bill Medicaid and long-term care policies.
Provide direct operational oversight and supervision for assign dining facility.

Finance director vs business director skills

Common finance director skills

CPA, 7%
Financial Analysis, 6%
Payroll, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Oversight, 4%
Financial Management, 4%

Common business director skills

Project Management, 10%
Healthcare, 8%
Sigma, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Business Development, 5%

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Finance Director
Finance Director vs Business Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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