What does a manager/finance accounting do?
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.
Manager/finance accounting responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real manager/finance accounting resumes:
- Manage all month-end close including properly accounting for revenue recognition, defer revenue, accruals and performing sub ledger reconciliations.
- Initiate ongoing departmental projects to automate daily tasks which include the calculations for income distributions and the daily income account reconciliation.
- Mentor accounting team to enhance their talents including use of ERP systems and software programs.
- Perform month end and year end close with prep for year-end audit with external CPA firm.
- Work with outside CPA for tax purposes, as well as established separate LLC for liability reasons.
- Analyze the business infrastructure needs with regards to the split of ITT, implement new ERP system.
- Project manager for implementation of SOX software application.
- Prepare GAAP and statutory audit financial statements and footnotes.
- Contribute significantly to Sarbanes-Oxley documentation, assisting with compliance.
- Recommend accounting policies, desk procedures and revised/edite SOX documents.
- Perform overall treasury functions, full-charge bookkeeping and preparation of monthly financial statements
- Transfer banking relationship to new bank that provide full treasury management system.
- Complete month-end closing including financial reporting to the corporate office using Hyperion software.
- Standardize monthly reporting from foreign operations using a Hyperion, resulting in timelier reporting.
- Key participant in the preparation and implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley documentation inclusive of interviewing and process mapping.
Manager/finance accounting skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Managers/Finance Accounting are proficient in Customer Service, CPA, and GAAP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Managers/Finance Accounting that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 17%
Provided customer service to contracting personnel from the private sector, military installations and other government offices.
- CPA, 15%
Prepared annual audit footnotes and disclosures; Coordinated Big CPA firms to conduct annual audits and business tax return preparation.
- GAAP, 5%
Prepare financial statements for individual business units and consolidated statements for entire company in accordance with GAAP.
- Reconciliations, 5%
Completed multiple account reconciliations and supervised all reconciliations of general ledger accounts and submission of tracking reports to the Parent company.
- Internal Controls, 3%
Worked closely with corporate audit manager to successfully implement corporate accounting practices and internal controls; provide recommendations for process improvements.
- Due Diligence, 3%
Determined opportunities for new products and acquisitions by performing due diligence and financial modeling in determining valuation and evaluate risk/benefits.
Most managers/finance accounting use their skills in "customer service," "cpa," and "gaap" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential manager/finance accounting responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a manager/finance accounting to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Managers/finance accounting often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "work closely with it and other departments to find errors and improve the integrity of the data in the erp. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling manager/finance accounting duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions." According to a manager/finance accounting resume, here's how managers/finance accounting can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "manage the sox compliance program, overseeing the design, communication, and implementation of internal controls over financial reporting. "
Detail oriented. managers/finance accounting are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to manager/finance accounting responsibilities, because "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." A manager/finance accounting resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "created detailed bonus calculations based on employee salary, market data and bonus plan information out of hr systems. "
Math skills. For certain manager/finance accounting responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of a manager/finance accounting rely on this skill, as "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what managers/finance accounting do: "provided leadership to result in the following cash/financial management statistics:. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in manager/finance accounting job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what managers/finance accounting do. Manager/finance accounting responsibilities rely on this skill because "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." You can also see how manager/finance accounting duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "focused on customer service and relationships to achieve organizational goals and objectives. "
The three companies that hire the most manager/finance accountings are:
- KPMG LLP180 managers/finance accounting jobs
- Ernst & Young111 managers/finance accounting jobs
- Robert Half85 managers/finance accounting jobs
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Compare different managers/finance accounting
Manager/finance accounting vs. Corporate controller
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, manager/finance accounting responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "hr," "shared services," and "hyperion." Meanwhile a typical corporate controller has skills in areas such as "payroll," "oversight," "tax compliance," and "risk management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Corporate controllers really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $141,530. Comparatively, managers/finance accounting tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $92,198.On average, corporate controllers reach similar levels of education than managers/finance accounting. Corporate controllers are 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Manager/finance accounting vs. Accounting manager/controller
An accounting manager/controller is responsible for spearheading and overseeing the daily operations in a company's accounting department. They monitor the company's budgets, including its costs and expenditures, and produce financial reports. It is also their duty to establish objectives and guidelines, manage accounting staff, monitor financial activities, review and assess financial statements, approve expenditures, and resolve issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as an accounting manager/controller, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that manager/finance accounting responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "due diligence," "hr," and "shared services." But an accounting manager/controller might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "payroll taxes," "journal entries," "oversight," and "a/p."
Accounting managers/controller earn a higher average salary than managers/finance accounting. But accounting managers/controller earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $89,839. Additionally, managers/finance accounting earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $92,198 annually.accounting managers/controller earn similar levels of education than managers/finance accounting in general. They're 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for manager/finance accountings in the next 3-5 years?
Thomas King
Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University
Manager/finance accounting vs. Cash manager
A cash manager is responsible for monitoring cash flow, analyzing financial transactions, and allocating adequate budget and resources for every department's operations. Cash managers conduct data and statistical analysis to determine the company's expenses and financial loss and strategize techniques in minimizing those risks. They also help senior management in identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase profits for the business. A cash manager handles billing disputes, resolves account discrepancies, and submits accurate financial reports.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from manager/finance accounting resumes include skills like "cpa," "due diligence," "shared services," and "hyperion," whereas a cash manager is more likely to list skills in "petty cash," "bank deposits," "payroll," and "wire transfers. "
Cash managers earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $101,436. Comparatively, managers/finance accounting have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $92,198.Most cash managers achieve a lower degree level compared to managers/finance accounting. For example, they're 7.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Manager/finance accounting vs. Finance leader
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.
Types of manager/finance accounting
Updated January 8, 2025
