Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior finance specialists and finance directors 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 finance specialist, becoming a finance director takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a finance director has an average salary of $118,518, which is higher than the $89,779 average annual salary of a senior finance specialist.
The top three skills for a senior finance specialist include financial statements, financial data and financial analysis. The most important skills for a finance director are CPA, financial analysis, and payroll.
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Director | |
| Yearly salary | $89,779 | $118,518 |
| Hourly rate | $43.16 | $56.98 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 71,214 | 90,012 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A finance specialist sells products and services at a financial institution. Finance specialists meet with customers to have a better understanding of their respective needs. The specialists offer insight into the trends in the financial market. They provide a suggestion on optimization strategies. It is expected of them to share their insight into the potential models in the business. The necessary skills for this job include strong communication, management experience, financial management, and analytical thinking.
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.
Senior finance specialists and finance directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Director | |
| Average salary | $89,779 | $118,518 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $146,000 | Between $76,000 And $183,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | ZS | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior finance specialist and a finance director in terms of educational background:
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior finance specialists' and finance directors' demographics:
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 7% | 11% |