Post job

Finance specialist vs finance manager

The differences between finance specialists and finance managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a finance manager has an average salary of $101,374, which is higher than the $61,666 average annual salary of a finance specialist.

The top three skills for a finance specialist include customer service, phone calls and cash handling. The most important skills for a finance manager are financial analysis, CPA, and customer service.

Finance specialist vs finance manager overview

Finance SpecialistFinance Manager
Yearly salary$61,666$101,374
Hourly rate$29.65$48.74
Growth rate10%17%
Number of jobs97,216125,345
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4346
Years of experience-8

What does a finance specialist do?

A financial or finance specialist is the person who sells products and services at financial institutions. Finance specialists are financial professionals who use knowledge of accounting, tax laws, and finance for financial assistance. They may assist clients with corporate or personal finances. The primary skills they must have include interpersonal skills, formal accounting, excellent communication skills, management experience, and financial reporting. They should be equipped with vital customer service and analytical skills.

What does a finance manager do?

A finance manager is responsible for monitoring the financial system of a company. Their tasks include handling their organization's financial status, generating cost estimates and budget goals, identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability, improving financial strategies, reducing costs, analyzing account statements, processing invoice as needed, analyzing market trends, searching potential partnerships, and presenting reports. A finance manager must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of the accounting and financial industry. They are responsible for providing the best recommendations for the organization's growth.

Finance specialist vs finance manager salary

Finance specialists and finance managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Finance SpecialistFinance Manager
Average salary$61,666$101,374
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $100,000Between $71,000 And $144,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCNew York, NY
Highest paying stateConnecticutNew York
Best paying companyGoogleBarclays
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between finance specialist and finance manager education

There are a few differences between a finance specialist and a finance manager in terms of educational background:

Finance SpecialistFinance Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Finance specialist vs finance manager demographics

Here are the differences between finance specialists' and finance managers' demographics:

Finance SpecialistFinance Manager
Average age4346
Gender ratioMale, 42.1% Female, 57.9%Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage4%11%

Differences between finance specialist and finance manager duties and responsibilities

Finance specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead lease of aircraft including analysis and coordination of treasury, legal, tax and insurance reviews.
  • Manage client relationship by presenting solutions for customers state and unstate needs while cross-selling company products.
  • Ensure the highest standards of SOX compliance by conducting internal audits and annual SOX testing with external auditors.
  • Compare the closed month and calendar month reports in Hyperion.
  • Prepare work papers for annual audit and tax filings and coordinate with external CPA.
  • Prepare and audit coworker contract development of insurance provider contracts, SOX testing and publishing system wide contract updates.
  • Show more

Finance manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage the preparation of monthly reporting packs and board presentations with robust variance analysis, commentaries and forward looking KPIs.
  • Manage a team of sales persons, business managers, sales manager, A/R, A/P, and general managers.
  • Lead successful sales team and provide direct oversight on overall dealership business profitability.
  • Manage accounts payable/receivable, deposits, payroll preparation, purchasing and inventory management, liaison to accountant.
  • Oversee financial analysis, financial audits, G/L, A/R, A/P and fixed-asset accounting in accordance with GAAP standards.
  • Execute simple SQL queries to validate data in tables.
  • Show more

Finance specialist vs finance manager skills

Common finance specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 23%
  • Phone Calls, 16%
  • Cash Handling, 10%
  • Customer Inquiries, 9%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Financial Reports, 6%
Common finance manager skills
  • Financial Analysis, 7%
  • CPA, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Hyperion, 4%
  • Financial Models, 4%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs