How much does a senior director of finance make?

The average senior director of finance salary in the United States is $137,505. Senior director of finance salaries typically range between $88,000 and $212,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for senior directors of finance is $66.11 per hour. Senior director of finance salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Senior directors of finance earn the highest average salary in California.

Senior director of finance salary

Q: What state pays Senior Directors Of Finance the most?

California pays Senior Directors Of Finance the most in the United States, with an average salary of $152,750 per year, or $73.44 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a senior director of finance?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a senior director of finance if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Nevada you should be paid close to $149,532 per year.

Q: How long does it take to become a senior director?

It takes 15 to 20 years to become a senior director. This includes the time it takes to earn a four-year bachelor's degree, as well as the many years of work experience needed to advance to a senior director position.

Q: How much does a finance managing director make?

A finance managing director makes $125,677 a year, on average. There is a considerable range in how much a finance director can make - starting from as little as $92,000 a year to as much as $363,000 a year. Factors such as location and industry impact how much a finance managing director can make.

Q: What is a director level salary?

Typically salaries for the director level of an organization range from $115,000 annually to over $300,000 a year. This wide range accounts for the range of director-level positions as well as company size and industry.

Quoted expert

Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.

Average senior director of finance salary

$137,505

$66.11 hourly rate

Entry-level senior director of finance salary

$88,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Senior Director of Finance Salaries

The average salary for a Senior Director of Finance in the United States is $137,505 per year, translating to approximately $66 per hour. This compensation reflects the significant responsibilities involved in managing financial strategies, compliance, and team leadership. Factors influencing salary include geographic location, industry sectors, and years of experience.

Highest Paying States

States such as California, New York, and Massachusetts tend to offer the highest salaries for Senior Directors of Finance. For instance, California's competitive finance market drives salaries up due to the high cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. Understanding these regional variations can help finance executives negotiate better compensation packages.

Industry Insights

Industries such as technology, healthcare, and finance typically provide higher salaries compared to others. For example, a Senior Director in the tech sector may earn significantly more than in non-profit organizations. By evaluating salary data across various industries, finance professionals can better align their career goals with lucrative opportunities.

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Senior director of finance salary by:

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Where can a Senior Director Of Finance earn more?

Compare salary by location

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Columbus, OH$157,976

Washington, DC$110,306

Compare salary by company

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Mayo Clinic$210,719

University of Maryland Medical System$160,312

Senior director of finance salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a senior director of finance typically falls between $137,505 and $271,723.

zippia

$137,505yearly

glassdoor[1]

$176,947yearly

comparably[2]

$271,723yearly

payscale[3]

$153,048yearly

Average senior director of finance salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior directors of finance are California, Nevada, and New Jersey. The lowest average senior director of finance salary states are Mississippi, Montana, and Oklahoma.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior directors of finance

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Jersey	$148,766	$71.52
2	California	$152,750	$73.44
3	New York	$138,218	$66.45
4	Texas	$141,232	$67.90
5	Nevada	$149,532	$71.89
6	Connecticut	$135,271	$65.03
7	Georgia	$134,448	$64.64
8	Washington	$130,060	$62.53
9	North Dakota	$127,074	$61.09
10	Ohio	$132,488	$63.70
11	Utah	$121,281	$58.31
12	Vermont	$127,922	$61.50
13	Wisconsin	$120,114	$57.75
14	Arizona	$126,096	$60.62
15	Tennessee	$121,601	$58.46
16	Maine	$125,203	$60.19
17	Illinois	$121,261	$58.30
18	Maryland	$130,939	$62.95
19	Alabama	$115,154	$55.36
20	Michigan	$119,065	$57.24
21	Colorado	$123,915	$59.57
22	Alaska	$127,187	$61.15
23	South Carolina	$121,926	$58.62
24	North Carolina	$118,417	$56.93
25	Minnesota	$119,280	$57.35
26	New Hampshire	$121,060	$58.20
27	Rhode Island	$116,409	$55.97
28	Indiana	$118,124	$56.79
29	Louisiana	$111,132	$53.43
30	Massachusetts	$114,950	$55.26
31	Oregon	$116,808	$56.16
32	New Mexico	$118,450	$56.95
33	Delaware	$113,279	$54.46
34	Iowa	$106,169	$51.04
35	District of Columbia	$110,162	$52.96
36	Pennsylvania	$111,076	$53.40
37	Wyoming	$106,960	$51.42
38	Idaho	$114,608	$55.10
39	Arkansas	$101,445	$48.77
40	Mississippi	$103,092	$49.56
41	Virginia	$109,419	$52.61
42	Hawaii	$108,875	$52.34
43	Florida	$109,410	$52.60
44	Missouri	$110,099	$52.93
45	Kansas	$111,083	$53.41
46	Oklahoma	$101,974	$49.03
47	West Virginia	$108,032	$51.94
48	Kentucky	$105,017	$50.49
49	Nebraska	$100,134	$48.14
50	South Dakota	$100,014	$48.08
51	Montana	$102,116	$49.09

Top senior director of finance jobs near you

Highest paying cities for senior directors of finance

The highest-paying cities for senior directors of finance are Foster City, CA, Mahwah, NJ, and Las Vegas, NV.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Foster City, CA	$157,976	$75.95
2	Mahwah, NJ	$152,075	$73.11
3	Las Vegas, NV	$150,920	$72.56
4	Austin, TX	$145,077	$69.75
5	New York, NY	$139,609	$67.12
6	Stamford, CT	$135,943	$65.36
7	Atlanta, GA	$135,252	$65.03
8	Cleveland, OH	$134,931	$64.87
9	Baltimore, MD	$131,999	$63.46
10	Seattle, WA	$131,379	$63.16
11	Phoenix, AZ	$126,586	$60.86
12	Denver, CO	$123,919	$59.58
13	Chicago, IL	$121,921	$58.62
14	Salt Lake City, UT	$120,762	$58.06
15	Minneapolis, MN	$119,301	$57.36
16	Charlotte, NC	$117,812	$56.64
17	Portland, OR	$116,419	$55.97
18	Boston, MA	$115,392	$55.48
19	Philadelphia, PA	$111,415	$53.56
20	Washington, DC	$110,306	$53.03

Senior director of finance salary details

A senior director of finance's salary ranges from $88,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $212,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior director of finance salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior director of finance's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$212,000	$17,667	$102
75th Percentile	$173,000	$14,417	$83
Average	$137,505	$11,459	$66
25th Percentile	$109,000	$9,083	$52
10th Percentile	$88,000	$7,333	$42

Highest paying senior director of finance jobs

The highest paying types of senior directors of finance are controller, vice president, corporate director, and senior director.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Controller, Vice President	$161,965	$13,497	$77.87	67,401
Finance Vice President	$147,603	$12,300	$70.96	111,219
Finance Controller	$105,869	$8,822	$50.90	97,342
Finance Manager	$101,374	$8,448	$48.74	125,345
Finance Leader	$117,284	$9,774	$56.39	93,582
Chief Finance Officer	$143,947	$11,996	$69.21	145,184

How would you rate the starting salaries for Senior directors of finance, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.

Professor, William Paterson University of New Jersey

The latest data from the website Payscale.com indicates that graduates with finance majors generally have a higher starting salary than the average college graduate salary. There are many career advancement opportunities in finance, either on Wall Street or within finance and treasury departments at corporates.

Top companies hiring senior directors of finance now:

Which companies pay senior directors of finance the most?

Senior director of finance salaries at Mayo Clinic and Palo Alto Networks are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior director of finance salary at companies like Capgemini and Edwards Lifesciences are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Mayo Clinic	$210,719	$101.31
2	Palo Alto Networks	$188,789	$90.76
3	Capgemini	$183,816	$88.37
4	Edwards Lifesciences	$183,020	$87.99
5	NanoString Technologies	$180,405	$86.73
6	Zendrive	$178,414	$85.78
7	Xilinx	$177,191	$85.19
8	Zoox	$174,039	$83.67
9	APCO Worldwide	$172,727	$83.04
10	Novavax	$168,740	$81.13
11	Lowell General Hospital	$166,865	$80.22
12	Nike	$166,106	$79.86
13	Workday	$165,275	$79.46
14	PepsiCo	$165,076	$79.36
15	Stryker	$163,240	$78.48
16	Grainger	$162,971	$78.35
17	Procore Technologies	$161,399	$77.60
18	Flow Automotive	$161,171	$77.49
19	LivCor	$160,550	$77.19
20	University of Maryland Medical System	$160,312	$77.07

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$145,000$141,800$138,600$135,400$132,200$129,000

MaleFemale

Senior Director Of Finance salary by industry

The average senior director of finance salary varies across industries:

The average senior director of finance salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $143,095, the highest of any industry.
The average senior director of finance salary in the finance industry is $142,273.
Senior directors of finance in the finance industry earn an average salary of $125,967, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior directors of finance

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Pharmaceutical	$143,095	$68.80
2	Media	$142,273	$68.40
3	Technology	$137,911	$66.30
4	Retail	$137,526	$66.12
5	Health Care	$133,537	$64.20
6	Real Estate	$131,337	$63.14
7	Hospitality	$130,877	$62.92
8	Finance	$125,967	$60.56

High paying senior director of finance jobs

Senior director of finance salary trends

The average senior director of finance salary has risen by $27,690 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior director of finance earned $109,815 annually, but today, they earn $137,505 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior directors of finance over the last decade.

Compare senior director of finance salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior director of finance salary over time

Compare senior director of finance salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior director of finance salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$138,000	$66.11	+3.2%
2024	$133,000	$63.99	+1.5%
2023	$131,000	$63.06	+2.3%
2022	$128,000	$61.62	+2.7%
2021	$125,000	$59.98	+3.1%

Recently added senior director of finance salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Bloomenergy	Senior Director, Legal Commercial Development and Project Finance	San Jose, CA	06/30/2025	$228,000
Cushman & Wakefield Inc.	Senior Director-Valuation for Financial and Tax Reporting	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$150,000
The University of Chicago	Senior Associate Director, Finance for International Programs	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$85,000
Spin Master	Senior Director, Finance & Controller, M&D	Wilton, CT	06/30/2025	$180,000
The National Park Foundation	Senior Director of Financial Planning	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$140,000
Captivateiq	Senior Director, Finance	Menlo Park, CA	06/29/2025	$212,000
Gong	SR. Director, GTM Finance	Austin, TX	06/29/2025	$181,800
Teads	Senior Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)	New York, NY	06/28/2025	$150,000
NADQ Nasdaq	SR. Director, Financial Planning & Analysis	New York, NY	06/28/2025	$133,200
Insulet Corporation	SR Director, Finance, Order To Cash Process Owner	Acton, MA	06/27/2025	$186,975