How To Become A Regional Finance Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a regional finance manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Clemens Kownatzki PhD, MBA

The Regional Finance Manager oversees the financial operations of an organization's regional office and provides financial recommendations to the financial manager. He/She monitors expenditures and prepares accurate and timely reports of financial statements. The manager maintains inventories and controls over fixed assets. Also, he/she oversees internal and external audits for the regional offices. As a regional finance manager, you ensure all financial operations adhere to the company's policies, international standards, and local regulations. You devise cost forecasting and budget projection models that improve financial activities.

Employers require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in accounting, economics, finance, or a business-related field. You must have at least five years of experience in a relevant role. You must possess skills like communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, teamwork, and analytical skills. Some employers prefer applicants with a CPA license. Also, you must be competent in MS Office. A Regional Finance Manager makes an average salary of $112,827 annually.

What general advice would you give to a regional finance manager?

Clemens Kownatzki PhD, MBA

Associate Dean, Full-time & Part-time Programs, Assistant Professor of Finance, Website

To be successful today requires essentially the same basic skills and behaviors that made people successful in the past. It’s a lot about who you know, not what you know. Having some basic skills is a necessary condition but it’s not sufficient. You have to be a good communicator, have to be likeable and be a good team player. And to do those things, you need to be around people enough, develop the most important social skills and remember the important things you learned in kindergarten. Show up on time, do what you say and not say what you do and be nice to people. Essentially the golden rule: “Do unto others…” But there are also some important practical things you should do. Think about getting a CFA license or others like CAIA, CMA, CPA, FRM etc. These professional designations won’t hurt you, they can be a requirement in some jobs or at least a differentiator as you apply for jobs. You can also take the Securities Industry Examination as a precondition to getting the more recognized Series 7, 63, 65 etc. But also consider some very easy things like getting certified with the Bloomberg Market Concepts. If your business school has a Bloomberg terminal (we’re lucky because we have 4 terminals), it’s a self-paced exam that’s free on the Bloomberg terminal. Also think about joining some associations to help with getting to know people in positions. You have to network every day and keep on working that network constantly. Lastly, don’t be afraid to negotiate. Yes, it is a competitive industry and there’s always more than just a handful applying for a position but you should know your worth. While you’re networking and having conversations with executives through your network, find out what reasonable expectations should be for the work being delivered.

ScoreRegional Finance ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,910

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.5

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 9.76%

Black or African American 7.55%

Hispanic or Latino 14.46%

Unknown 4.10%

White 63.79%

Gender

female 29.99%

male 70.01%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a regional finance manager

Explore regional finance manager education requirements

Most common regional finance manager degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Master's

21.7 %

Associate

4.6 %

Start to develop specific regional finance manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Analysis	17.38%
Hyperion	3.82%
Close Process	3.74%
Payroll	3.59%
Financial Support	3.57%

Complete relevant regional finance manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New regional finance managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a regional finance manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real regional finance manager resumes.

Research regional finance manager duties and responsibilities

Manage and review the monthly financial reconciliations relate to various revenue sources for each health plans, budget, and forecasts.
Manage senior financial analysts responsible for evaluating the financial risks of a portfolio of large property and casualty insurance programs.
Plan and conduct balance sheet and control reviews to enforce SOX compliance and mentore controllers to drive optimal financial reporting.
Calculate and analyze ROI on capital investments, inclusive of potential new stores and markets.

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