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Regional controller vs senior finance manager

The differences between regional controllers and senior finance managers 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 senior finance manager. Additionally, a senior finance manager has an average salary of $133,358, 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 senior finance manager are hyperion, financial performance, and financial analysis.

Regional controller vs senior finance manager overview

Regional ControllerSenior Finance Manager
Yearly salary$102,904$133,358
Hourly rate$49.47$64.11
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs57,984139,639
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

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 senior finance manager do?

A senior finance manager is an individual who supervises financial department staff members as well as monitors the daily financial operations within a company. Senior finance managers must keep track of the financial status and performance of the company so that they can identify areas for potential improvement. They review financial data and prepare reports to be presented to the management to help them in their business decision making. Senior finance managers must also maintain policies within the company and should have a deep understanding of financial regulations and legislations.

Regional controller vs senior finance manager salary

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

Regional ControllerSenior Finance Manager
Average salary$102,904$133,358
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $153,000Between $95,000 And $185,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySharpRoku
Best paying industryManufacturingProfessional

Differences between regional controller and senior finance manager education

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

Regional ControllerSenior Finance Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Regional controller vs senior finance manager demographics

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

Regional ControllerSenior Finance Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 73.4% Female, 26.6%Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between regional controller and senior finance manager 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.
  • Show more

Senior finance manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage regional treasury functions including coordination with international HQ for daily cash balance requirements.
  • Manage staff of financial analysts who perform divisional and branch portfolio and profit/loss analysis.
  • Manage Oracle/Hyperion application upgrade used to support the close, consolidate and report process within Oracle/PeopleSoft ERP environment.
  • Manage financial reporting in support of CEO/CFO/President with oversight for data integrity and consistency of reporting across enterprise.
  • Manage eight team members' activities including daily transaction processing, monthly reconciliations and analysis, and financial statement preparation
  • Manage senior financial analysts responsible for evaluating the financial risks of a portfolio of large property and casualty insurance programs.
  • Show more

Regional controller vs senior finance manager skills

Common regional controller skills
  • Internal Controls, 7%
  • CPA, 6%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • GAAP, 5%
  • Internal Audit, 4%
  • Financial Reports, 4%
Common senior finance manager skills
  • Hyperion, 7%
  • Financial Performance, 5%
  • Financial Analysis, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%
  • SR, 4%
  • Financial Models, 4%

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