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The differences between senior finance specialists and finance leaders 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 leader takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a finance leader has an average salary of $117,284, 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 leader are financial analysis, financial management, and business development.
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $89,779 | $117,284 |
| Hourly rate | $43.16 | $56.39 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 71,214 | 93,582 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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.
The duties of a finance leader depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around monitoring the sales and financial operations in a company, preparing financial reports and statements, finding new sales opportunities, identifying the market and client needs, and maintaining records of all financial transactions. There are also instances where a finance leader may set and allocate budgets, perform audits in costs and expenditures, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Senior finance specialists and finance leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Leader | |
| Average salary | $89,779 | $117,284 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $146,000 | Between $78,000 And $174,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Oregon |
| Best paying company | ZS | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior finance specialist and a finance leader in terms of educational background:
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior finance specialists' and finance leaders' demographics:
| Senior Finance Specialist | Finance Leader | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |