Regional controller vs finance director

The differences between regional controllers and finance directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a regional controller and a finance director. Additionally, a finance director has an average salary of $118,518, which is higher than the $102,904 average annual salary of a regional controller.

The top three skills for a regional controller include internal controls, CPA and payroll. The most important skills for a finance director are CPA, financial analysis, and payroll.

Regional controller vs finance director overview

	Regional Controller	Finance Director
Yearly salary	$102,904	$118,518
Hourly rate	$49.47	$56.98
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	57,984	90,012
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a regional controller do?

It is the responsibility of a regional controller to manage the financial reports and finances of the company in a specific geographic location. The regional controllers prepare and coordinate financial reports to ensure compliance with corporate policy and government regulations. They oversee the accounting activities of the corporation. It is their job to coordinate and prepare both external and internal financial statements. They also need to develop skills and knowledge in internal controls, financial management, accounting, payroll, and financial performance.

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.

Regional controller vs finance director salary

Regional controllers and finance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Regional Controller	Finance Director
Average salary	$102,904	$118,518
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $153,000	Between $76,000 And $183,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Sharp	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between regional controller and finance director education

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

	Regional Controller	Finance Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Regional controller vs finance director demographics

Here are the differences between regional controllers' and finance directors' demographics:

	Regional Controller	Finance Director
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between regional controller and finance director duties and responsibilities

Regional controller example responsibilities.

Manage daily accounting, treasury, and investment functions.
Lead effort to document all significant processes to gain compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley guidelines including reconciliation criteria and coding guidelines.
Manage implementation and ongoing compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley financial accountability reporting, liaising with counterparts to ensure uniform application of standards.
Administer general ledger activity, including reconciliations, journal entries, and financial closing.
Prepare and process journal entries, including accounts receivable, inventory, prepay expenses and accruals.
Make all adjusting and closing journal entries, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, including accruals and inventory.

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.

Regional controller vs finance director skills

Common regional controller skills

Internal Controls, 7%
CPA, 6%
Payroll, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Internal Audit, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

Common finance director skills

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

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Regional Controller
Regional Controller vs Finance Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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