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The differences between unit controllers and finance managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a unit controller and a finance manager. Additionally, a unit controller has an average salary of $104,008, which is higher than the $101,374 average annual salary of a finance manager.
The top three skills for a unit controller include financial analysis, payroll and financial reports. The most important skills for a finance manager are financial analysis, CPA, and customer service.
| Unit Controller | Finance Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $104,008 | $101,374 |
| Hourly rate | $50.00 | $48.74 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 55,537 | 125,345 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
The duties of a unit controller depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a corporate setting, their responsibilities typically revolve around performing administrative tasks such as planning and producing business plans, coordinating with different departments or officials to gather data, overseeing sales and expenditures, preparing and processing documentation, managing the schedules and budgets, and devising strategies to identify new business opportunities. They may also present progress reports and sales forecasts to senior managers or executives. Furthermore, as a unit controller, it is essential to lead and encourage the workers to reach goals.
A finance manager is responsible for monitoring the financial system of a company. Their tasks include handling their organization's financial status, generating cost estimates and budget goals, identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability, improving financial strategies, reducing costs, analyzing account statements, processing invoice as needed, analyzing market trends, searching potential partnerships, and presenting reports. A finance manager must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of the accounting and financial industry. They are responsible for providing the best recommendations for the organization's growth.
Unit controllers and finance managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Controller | Finance Manager | |
| Average salary | $104,008 | $101,374 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $153,000 | Between $71,000 And $144,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Wacker Chemie | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a unit controller and a finance manager in terms of educational background:
| Unit Controller | Finance Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between unit controllers' and finance managers' demographics:
| Unit Controller | Finance Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 10.0% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |