Senior corporate accountant vs corporate controller

The differences between senior corporate accountants and corporate controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior corporate accountant, becoming a corporate controller takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a corporate controller has an average salary of $144,304, which is higher than the $73,008 average annual salary of a senior corporate accountant.

The top three skills for a senior corporate accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and SOX. The most important skills for a corporate controller are payroll, CPA, and GAAP.

Senior corporate accountant vs corporate controller overview

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Corporate Controller
Yearly salary	$73,008	$144,304
Hourly rate	$35.10	$69.38
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	57,895	57,715
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	4	8

What does a senior corporate accountant do?

A senior corporate accountant is responsible for reviewing financial transactions and account statements of an organization, reconciling accounts receivable, managing accounts payable, and resolving bank discrepancies. Senior corporate accountants handle clients' outstanding payments, allocate budget to the department heads, and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and minimize financial loss. They write accurate financial reports to discuss with the senior management, respond to the team's inquiries and concerns, and strategize to improve financial processes.

What does a corporate controller do?

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.

Senior corporate accountant vs corporate controller salary

Senior corporate accountants and corporate controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Corporate Controller
Average salary	$73,008	$144,304
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $92,000	Between $99,000 And $209,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Amazon	SideCars
Best paying industry	Construction	Manufacturing

Differences between senior corporate accountant and corporate controller education

There are a few differences between a senior corporate accountant and a corporate controller in terms of educational background:

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Corporate Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior corporate accountant vs corporate controller demographics

Here are the differences between senior corporate accountants' and corporate controllers' demographics:

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Corporate Controller
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	11%

Differences between senior corporate accountant and corporate controller duties and responsibilities

Senior corporate accountant example responsibilities.

Manage CAPEX and Hyperion reporting.
Manage Sarbanes-Oxley documentation and perform the related testing in accordance with policy.
Manage all treasury activity for corporate entities including daily cash management, monthly earn fee calculations, and property relate reimbursements.
Prepare documentation in support of financial statements for SOX regulations, internal and external auditors.
Initiate financial analysis, budgeting, management planning, capital expenditure monitoring, and revenue recognition according to GAAP.
Research and implement functionality within ERP system.

Corporate controller example responsibilities.

Manage general accounting staff (A/P, A/R, & G/L), financial planning, reporting and analysis functions.
Direct and manage all aspects of the external audit, including implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Lead implementation of SyteLine ERP solution to replace outdate manufacturing software and streamline manufacturing and transaction processes.
Develop long-term financial/ operational strategy for high-tech company as well as managed accounting, finance, and treasury operations.
Facilitate maintenance of treasury and risk management activity serving as primary point of contact for all financially relate matters.
Implement procedures for standard journal entries, monthly reconciliations, account analysis and documentation to support the monthly reporting requirements.

Senior corporate accountant vs corporate controller skills

Common senior corporate accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
GAAP, 9%
SOX, 5%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%
Strong Analytical, 4%

Common corporate controller skills

Payroll, 7%
CPA, 6%
GAAP, 6%
Internal Controls, 6%
External Auditors, 5%
General Ledger, 3%

Senior Corporate Accountant vs. similar jobs

Senior Corporate Accountant related careers

Senior Corporate Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Senior Corporate Accountant
Senior Corporate Accountant vs Corporate Controller

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs