What does a finance leader do?
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.
Finance leader responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real finance leader resumes:
- Manage and coordinate annual GAAP audit of corporation financial statements.
- Manage impairment and trouble debt restructures identification & measurement process in compliance with regulatory and GAAP guidance.
- Participate in Lawson ERP implementation and training resources for corporate and site finance group.
- Create superior back office business processes in conjunction with JD Edwards ERP implementation team.
- Recruit by the CFO to support the growth and development of the Americas business.
- Review, interpret, and approve budgets for all trade promotion events in the Americas.
- Interface with corporate headquarters in Sweden to submit Hyperion reporting.
- Design accounting processes to capture internal payroll and travel-relate project costs.
- Create and test payroll processing and disaster recovery documentation and backup processes.
- Complete all testing processes, develop and deliver training to end users in Hyperion functionality.
- Develop treasury data strategy standards, and NII modeling back-testing initiative to ensure model accuracy.
- Provide oversight of the international offices' accounting and perform consolidated reports for the shareholders.
- Establish start-up financial infrastructure and provide financial oversight for organizations establish on behalf of clients.
- Generate strong returns by instituting better treasury procedures, improving investor relations and employing financial discipline.
- Instill positive cash flow behavior across the company through education which help restore financial flexibility after a leverage acquisition.
Finance leader skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Finance Leaders are proficient in Financial Analysis, Financial Management, and Business Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Finance Leaders that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Financial Analysis, 8%
Teamed directly with nine project departments in obtaining all information for proper budgeting, forecasting and actual financial analysis.
- Financial Management, 5%
Provided P2S and PE operational and financial management with various reports necessary to make viable decisions and properly manage operations.
- Business Development, 5%
Support business development initiatives by analyzing impact of product expansions, strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
- Financial Performance, 4%
Managed branch overall balanced financial performance with an emphasis on retail lending, deposit acquisition and non- interest income generation.
- Strong Analytical, 4%
Secured credit applications, and used strong analytical skills to evaluate credit and educate the consumer regarding purchase requirements.
- HR, 4%
Evaluated SAP HR system configuration and made adjustments to increase payroll efficiency and accuracy for financial reporting.
"financial analysis," "financial management," and "business development" are among the most common skills that finance leaders use at work. You can find even more finance leader responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. One of the key soft skills for a finance leader to have is organizational skills. You can see how this relates to what finance leaders do because "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." Additionally, a finance leader resume shows how finance leaders use organizational skills: "maximized accounting accuracy and organizational compliance by leading and delivering ongoing support to 13-person financial management team. "
Analytical skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling finance leader duties is analytical skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." According to a finance leader resume, here's how finance leaders can utilize analytical skills in their job responsibilities: "provided financial leadership and analysis for $2 b water services and products business. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of finance leaders is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday finance leader duties, as "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "utilize monthly forecasts, reporting and analysis as communication vehicles to consult with upper management on state of the business operations. "
Detail oriented. finance leader responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "in preparing and analyzing reports, such as balance sheets and income statements, financial managers must be precise and attentive to their work in order to avoid errors." This resume example shows what finance leaders do with detail oriented on a typical day: "provided various detailed and complex financial analysis. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for finance leader responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of finance leaders all the time, as "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." An excerpt from a real finance leader resume shows how this skill is central to what a finance leader does: "developed, organized, and monitored quantitative and qualitative financial analysis to support enhancement methods. "
The three companies that hire the most finance leaders are:
- Deloitte101 finance leaders jobs
- U.S. Bank59 finance leaders jobs
- Humana47 finance leaders jobs
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Compare different finance leaders
Finance leader vs. Director of operations and finance
A director of operations and finance is in charge of overseeing and spearheading business and financial operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the best practices to optimize operations, coordinating with different departments to gather data, conducting research and analysis to identify new business and investment opportunities, and monitoring the progress of various projects and programs. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between finance leaders and director of operations and finance. For instance, finance leader responsibilities require skills such as "strong analytical," "hr," "business process," and "indirect tax." Whereas a director of operations and finance is skilled in "oversight," "human resources," "cpa," and "project management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Directors of operations and finance really shine in the automotive industry with an average salary of $126,734. Comparatively, finance leaders tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $120,889.directors of operations and finance tend to reach similar levels of education than finance leaders. In fact, directors of operations and finance are 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Finance leader vs. Assistant director of finance
An assistant director of finance is responsible for overseeing the financial activities of a company, ensuring accuracy and smooth workflow. They are also in charge of implementing company policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed while coordinating with the director. Moreover, an assistant director of finance may perform audits and risk assessments, allocate budgets and schedules, coordinate with different departments to gather necessary data, and create new strategies to optimize the workflow and the performance of the workforce.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that finance leader responsibilities requires skills like "business development," "financial performance," "strong analytical," and "cost savings." But an assistant director of finance might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "cash control," "financial aid programs," and "balance sheet accounts."
Assistant directors of finance may earn a lower salary than finance leaders, but assistant directors of finance earn the most pay in the utilities industry with an average salary of $103,042. On the other hand, finance leaders receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $120,889.assistant directors of finance earn similar levels of education than finance leaders in general. They're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for finance leaders in the next 3-5 years?
Brian Meehan
Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College
Finance leader vs. Manager finance planning and analysis
A manager finance planning and analysis oversees the daily operations of a company's financial planning department. They typically have administrative duties such as setting goals and guidelines, establishing timelines and budgets, delegating tasks among teams and staff, and reviewing financial reports regularly. They also perform research and assessments, gather and analyze financial data from different departments, coordinate staff, and solve issues and concerns when any arise. Additionally, as a manager, they must lead and empower staff to reach goals while implementing company policies and regulations.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from finance leader resumes include skills like "strong analytical," "hr," "business process," and "indirect tax," whereas a manager finance planning and analysis is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "visualization," "human resources," and "excellent interpersonal. "
Managers finance planning and analysis make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $109,735. On the other hand, finance leaders are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $120,889.Most managers finance planning and analysis achieve a similar degree level compared to finance leaders. For example, they're 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Finance leader vs. Manager/finance accounting
A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations. A manager of finance accounting must also maintain accurate financial records, identify any errors or inconsistencies, and perform support tasks for staff when necessary. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between finance leaders and managers/finance accounting, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a finance leader might have more use for skills like "cost savings," "business process," "indirect tax," and "balance sheet." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of managers/finance accounting require skills like "customer service," "cpa," "payroll processing," and "close process. "
In general, managers/finance accounting earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $92,198. The highest-paying industry for a finance leader is the finance industry.In general, managers/finance accounting hold similar degree levels compared to finance leaders. Managers/finance accounting are 3.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of finance leader
Updated January 8, 2025
