What Is a Controller?
A controller is an individual who has accountability for all accounting-related movements, along side high-level accounting, managerial accounting, and finance movements, within a company. The duties of a controller include helping with the preparation of the running budgets, overseeing financial reporting and showing essential duties with regards to payroll.
All over the entire duties, a controller frequently works most with the collection, analysis, and consolidation of financial knowledge. Even supposing the controller does now not at all times care for the annual price range, the controller position monitors variances, summarizes inclinations and investigates price range deficiencies. The controller would perhaps tales subject material budgeting variances or expenditure variances to better keep watch over.
Key Takeaways
- A controller acts as an overseer of a company’s financial neatly being thru taking ownership of the financial reporting process.
- A controller oversees interior regulate implementation, assists with price range preparation, promises reporting compliance, and manages the transaction reporting process.
- Controllers frequently have no less than a decade of connected artwork revel in and some extent, despite the fact that many firms now seek candidates with a CPA license.
- Controllers vary from CFOs and VPs of Finance, as controllers are normally additional involved throughout the day-to-day transactional aspects of overseeing a company’s potency.
- In line with Glassdoor, controllers made an average of $156,000 in step with year at the end of 2021.
Understanding Financial Controllers
Controller functions vary right through firms owing to the size and complexity of the industry and the {{industry}}. Smaller firms name for additonal versatility of the controller, while better firms are in a position to disperse the following procedure duties right through other employees along side the executive financial officer and treasurer.
Financial controllers are frequently the highest financial position in control of overseeing that historic, precise financial transactions are being reported as it should be. This will likely most probably range right through all price range departments along side accounts payable, purchasing, provider keep watch over, treasury, financial reporting, and monetary planning.
The controller of an organization would perhaps partake throughout the recruiting, selection and training of staff for the reason that controller frequently has quite a lot of finance or accounting managers reporting directly to them. The positioning requires appraising procedure results, major employees and showing disciplinary actions as essential.
Roles of Financial Controllers
A joint publication throughout the Institute of Regulate Accountants and Deloitte Development LLC outlined the 4 primary roles a controller takes. The ones 4 roles include:
- Steward. Controllers are financial stewards thru managing chance and keeping up property. This accommodates ensuring that interior controls have been implemented and that interior processes are being followed. The controller frequently plays a component in external audit functions thru collaborating with external auditors to ensure financial reporting compliance.
- Operator. Controllers are financial operators thru overseeing the day-to-day financial operations from a very over the top level. This accommodates ensuring provider set-up, invoice processing, rate remittance, accounting tool record-keeping, and purchasing functions are all showing as expected.
- Strategist. Controllers are financial strategists thru guiding the appropriate process the company. For example, a controller is frequently concerned with accounting tool implementation techniques if the must be financial reporting feedback on the modules sought after, customizations requested, or shortfalls of what is being introduced.
- Catalyst. Controllers are financial catalysts thru putting in place processes, then ensuring the new plans are being finished. This accommodates ensuring that external reporting or filing cut-off dates are met and that particular changes imposed thru external regulatory companies have been followed. For example, this may increasingly increasingly more related to tax observation distributions or audited external financial statements.
In terms of procedure possible choices, the Bureau of Exhausting paintings Statistics (BLS) tasks a 10-year growth outlook from 2021-2031 for financial managers (controllers) of 17%, which is “so much sooner than average.”
Duties of Financial Controllers
The serve as of the controller may also be different right through every company. For a lot of, the controller will take on no less than one of the vital following tasks:
- Arrange cash drift. This accommodates forecasting cash drift needs, planning for foreign exchange needs prematurely, and alerting greater keep watch over for cash drift deficiencies.
- Act as audit liaison. This accommodates meeting with external audit staff, being receptive to audit findings, implementing reporting changes, and talking to better keep watch over or the board of directors the result of the audit.
- Monitor interior controls. This accommodates gathering feedback from audit body of workers, operating with managers on designing proper regulate functions, and gathering knowledge on the effectiveness of the interior regulate.
- Approve invoices. This accommodates having the following buck approval threshold to act as a regulate for enormous purchases.
- Assist in price range preparation. This accommodates feeding people around the company knowledge and information on historic spending right through quite a lot of customary ledger coding.
- Cut back financial chance. This accommodates being aware of provide processes, understanding company weaknesses, horny employees with training, and openly talking areas of other to better safeguard property.
- Make sure that financial compliance. This accommodates understanding external reporting prerequisites, ensuring proper resources are to be had to meet those prerequisites and overseeing the full product being delivered to external occasions.
- Compile financial reporting. This accommodates being aware of recent changes to financial reporting practices, overseeing a staff that directly contributes to the financial observation preparation process, and now and again certifying that the financial statements have been appropriately in a position to the most efficient of their knowledge.
- Identify worth monetary financial savings. This accommodates understanding where operational efficiencies lie, how staff will also be easiest implemented, what reporting functions are being duplicated, and what resources the finance department actually needs.
- Mentor financial staff. This accommodates being a pacesetter to the controller’s direct tales thru involving them in higher-level discussions.
In line with Glassdoor, a controller makes a median of more or less $156,000 in step with year. This accommodates $111,000 in step with year of base pay and just about $45,000 in additional forms of repayment.
Skillset of Financial Controllers
To become a financial controller, finance professionals must frequently have completed skill in 3 aspects of their profession: training, revel in, and licensure.
Regarding training, becoming a financial controller just about at all times calls for at least a bachelor’s point in accounting, finance, industry control, or a an similar field. In most scenarios, a grab’s point is preferred, with many firms now making a grab’s point a requirement.
Even if there is no industry-wide requirement on the amount of work revel in a controller must have, most financial professionals must obtain no less than 5 to ten years {{of professional}} revel in to be considered for a controller serve as. Yet again, a controller at a smaller company will have so much smaller prerequisites than a large public corporate that can seek 20+ years of revel in in a attached, connected {{industry}}. Companies would perhaps require {{that a}} controller candidate have public accounting revel in.
Ultimate, it’s not an {{industry}} requirement to procure a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Regulate Accountant (CMA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or every other type of licensure. For a lot of, the ones licensures will be in agreement and is also a preferred requirement for the serve as. For better public firms, controllers will frequently be required to have no less than a CPA license.
Occupation Path of Controllers
As every company will require different {{qualifications}}, there is no single profession path to becoming a controller. Alternatively, many controllers get their get began thru operating throughout the accounting field, frequently in public accounting. For finance professionals most enthusiastic about attaining controller roles, they must frequently seek out Massive 4 positions and earn escalating duties over various years.
After moving to the corporate or private sector, a controller would perhaps continue to increase skills as an accountant booking transactions or manager overseeing the operations of a chosen finance department. This accommodates rising gaps related to receivables reporting, payroll, quarterly financial reporting, or interior controls.
Ultimate, controllers frequently transition into the serve as of assistant controller prior to creating the leap to a whole controller serve as. An assistant controller is only a additional junior position that may perform loads of the similar tasks as a controller. Alternatively, the junior controller would possibly not take whole ownership of accountability for effects as this may increasingly increasingly more transition to a controller. Moreover, a company would perhaps employ a junior status to candidates that are meant to first show skill throughout the serve as previous to getting promoted.
Accounting vs. Controlling
A controller is engrained in a company’s financial accounting process. Alternatively, the controller would possibly not do direct accounting themselves, and there is a difference between accounting and controlling. In financial keep watch over, controlling is the act of constructing certain knowledge is recorded appropriately and on time. It is a broader function of accounting, for the reason that controlling function would perhaps move in the back of recording transactions.
For example, a controller would perhaps oversee the accounts payable department in control of 1099 reporting. Even if this process is unrelated to interior accounting transactions, the controller is also a stakeholder throughout the process and offers feedback on process building implementations. Whilst an accounts payable clerk is in control of the accounting of liabilities tied to invoices, a controller is also additional excited about the overall proper and timeliness all over which invoices are being processes and expenses remit.
For better firms, controllers document up to a CFO or other executive. The controller is normally not part of the manager control body of workers.
Controller vs. Other Financial Roles
Depending on the size and organizational construction of a company, the controller would perhaps grab a few identify or be in control of a few aspects of finance. Most often, in particular for better firms, there are diversifications between controllers and other high-ranking financial positions.
Controller vs. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Even supposing every the controller and CFO of a company are leaders in finance, they are frequently two separate positions in control of different tasks. A controller is a lot more prone to be entangled normally ledgers, trial balances, and monetary tales being delivered to additional senior keep watch over. Within the period in-between, a CFO uses the ones tales to be aware of additional broad, big-picture company positioning.
Most often, CFOs frequently take a greater presence in external-facing tasks along side mergers, acquisitions, or involvement with consumers. Within the period in-between, financial controllers private additional of the interior reporting process along side implementing interior controls, managing the month-end close time table, and ensuring financial accuracy.
Controller vs. Vice President of Finance
In loads of scenarios, a company’s vice chairman of finance mimics the usual serve as of CFO. A vice chairman is frequently tasked with the highest-level of financial and accounting oversight, while a controller’s serve as is additional limited to the financial preparation and keep watch over of the financial reporting process. For companies with every a controller and vice chairman of finance, the controller would possibly document directly to the vice chairman.
Controller vs. FP&A Director
Financial controllers are in control of the former; they review historic transactions and ensure reporting is done appropriately. The ones tales would perhaps then be delivered to a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) leader. This FP&A director is decided via their body of workers to build budgets, forecasts, and long-term plans in line with the future of the company.
A controller’s serve as is intently (if not only) rooted in dealing with precise transactions. Overseeing every source of revenue and expense reporting, a controller frequently does not deal in concept. Within the period in-between, an FP&A director leverages historic knowledge to plan long term plans that may or would possibly not materialize. The ones plans would perhaps rotate on a quarterly basis if the company decides to reforecast any projections.
Controller vs. Comptroller
A variation of the controller position is referred to as a comptroller. A comptroller is typically a additional senior position that is additional most often found in govt or nonprofit organizations. A controller and comptroller simply have an similar roles in different industries.
Who Critiques to the Controller?
A controller frequently oversees the dep. leads within finance for each and every respective department tied to financial reporting. This will likely most probably include the accounts payable lead, procurement lead, purchasing lead, financial reporting manager, or payroll manager.
Is a Controller the Equivalent As CFO or VP of Finance?
A controller is not the equivalent as a CFO or VP of Finance. A CFO or VP of Finance are frequently higher-level positions which may well be on the executive body of workers. Within the period in-between, a controller is normally a lower-level position that is a lot much less concerned with strategic planning or external affairs and maximum recurrently concerned with interior reporting.
What {{Qualifications}} Does a Controller Need?
A controller must frequently have spherical no less than 10 years {{of professional}} revel in, despite the fact that better public firms will frequently require additional. Even if an accounting or finance license is not at all times required, a controller would perhaps need to carry a CPA license. A controller normally will have to have a minimal of a few type of better training as neatly.
Why Is a Controller Important?
A controller is essential to finance as they regulate the risk and reporting aspect of the company. A controller is the aim explicit particular person for making sure the financial reporting is done appropriately. They are moreover the person to grab why inaccuracies would perhaps exist, what changes must be put in place, and the best way those changes will have an effect on long term tales.
The Bottom Line
A financial controller is a higher-level finance position that takes the obligation over the financial reporting process. No longer quite an executive-level position at most firms, a controller oversees loads of the processes that come together to send financial statements. A controller moreover works with the outside audit body of workers, assists interior managers will price range preparation, and identifies areas of other to mitigate chance and employ worth monetary financial savings.
