What You Need to Know About Controller Salaries and Jobs Erin Moore Sullivan

Controllers play an important role in many organizations and can also provide a lucrative career path for motivated individuals. Diversity exists within this field as well, which may encourage people of all backgrounds to consider how they might serve in one of these professions. As a general rule, urban areas pay higher salaries than suburban or rural areas. On average, plant controllers make $109,105 to $141,123 each year, with an average salary of $123,196. As a result, having a few can strengthen your position, increasing the odds you’ll land an interview and, potentially, the job.

Those managing all accounting operations, financial reporting, and strategy for major corporations can potentially earn $150,000 to $250,000 per year. Some may even surpass $300,000 annually for controller roles at the highest executive levels. However, it often takes decades of exemplary performance, leadership, and specialized expertise to attain salaries at the pinnacle of the profession. As a Chief Financial Officer you may be considering adding or expanding a controller role in your company. It’s important that you consider the needs of your organization and fit the role of controller to those needs. Maybe the executive team needs to take day-to-day operations off their plate.

Generally the role of Controller would fit as the head of an accounting or finance team, reporting to the executive team. In many companies the controller manages accountants and reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In many of the hot technology startups and other small or growing companies you may find that the Controller role is simply filled by a CFO or CEO. In a very large and/or corporate environment, a controller might function as a web with assistant controllers targeting specific subgroups of the financial load.

Crafting a Controller Job Description and Salary Insights

To be clear, the ranges given for broad regions (e.g., “West Coast”) are averages, and states like California offer salaries that exceed the regional average. As you can see, higher salaries are available in coastal regions, and the highest salaries are in the New England area. A comptroller fulfills many of the responsibilities of a CFO, though most comptrollers are found working for the government, nonprofits, or educational organizations. Together, those techniques will help you craft meaningful, engaging, story-driven answers.

Average Salary

• Having a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) or accounting is often preferred.
• Top priorities for a controller are people, reporting, and efficiency, as reported by Parker + Lynch.
• The FAA implemented new rules in 2024 to minimize controller fatigue by raising the minimum rest time between shifts from at least nine hours to at least 10 hours.
• Some may even surpass $300,000 annually for controller roles at the highest executive levels.

They oversee the work of accountants and other finance employees, and they commonly operate under the direction of the company’s chief financial officer. A controller manages teams of accountants and other finance professionals. Some work for financial firms, but many are employed by companies to keep the organization on solid financial ground.

Controllers can be asked to make budgets, review transactions, process tax returns, manage financial risk and process payroll, among other important duties. If you want to add some spice to your interview answers, wander on over to the company’s website. Review the organization’s mission and values statements, and look for details about recent achievements. It would be shocking to see a controller that doesn’t at least have medical and retirement plan access. Okay, let’s say you have those technical capabilities covered, putting you at the front of the pack.

Key Points

Additionally, receiving a ‘Best Place to Work’ award can lead to a 0.75% increase in a company’s stock price, illustrating the tangible benefits of fostering a positive workplace culture. Ultimately, a considerate strategy for job roles can result in a more engaged and satisfied workforce. Boutique Recruiting’s targeted recruitment services can assist in finding qualified candidates for these positions. As the role of controllers is pivotal in shaping an organization’s future, case studies highlight their contributions to cost analysis and efficiency.

Key Skills

They oversee all employees involved in the accounting process, including accounts receivable (AR), accounts payable (AP), payroll, inventory, and compliance. Even better for larger companies or corporations is some experience working with a team of accounting professionals and even having some managerial experience over a team or at least a section of a team. A small company controller may end their day by sitting down with executives or owners to give executives or owners a big-picture view of the company’s current financial situation. Owners or executives will use that information to make strategic operations decisions to help plan for the future. A financial controller working in a small company, (without a large team of financial professionals to manage), has a very similar day to that of an accountant – with some extra responsibility to boot. A controller, by definition, oversees an organization’s day-to-day financial operations and serves a crucial role in company reporting processes.

Soft skills are representations of how you navigate the working world. Usually, they define critical traits that are connected to success in the role. Plus, they may outline the kind of personality that can mesh with the company’s culture, something that is also crucial for success.

• Soft skills are representations of how you navigate the working world.
• Additionally, receiving a ‘Best Place to Work’ award can lead to a 0.75% increase in a company’s stock price, illustrating the tangible benefits of fostering a positive workplace culture.
• Factors that influence controller salaries in tech include company size, location, years of experience, and specific skills and certifications.
• At most companies, these duties are delegated to employees, such as an accounts payable manager, who reports to the controller, but the buck stops with the controller.
• “Everyone is actually able to see what is going on with any particular person’s work at the time, so it is one team, one fight,” he said.

Boutique Recruiting’s expertise in personalized talent acquisition ensures that your recruitment process is tailored to meet the unique needs of your firm. Great controllers organize accounting staff and what you need to know about controller salaries and jobs delegate assignments efficiently to further organizational goals. In small companies, great controllers manage all of a company’s financials and follow custom-designed policies and procedures for keeping accounting records and creating official statements. Controllers are in charge of all accounting and financial operations in a company. That includes minimizing risk by creating thorough quality control reports and budgets, producing accurate financial reporting of fiscal activity, and maintaining well-documented financial records. As controllers gain more hands-on experience and take on greater responsibilities, their salaries tend to increase steadily over time.

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These long-term incentives encourage controllers to drive growth and profitability to increase shareholder value. Take a demo with BILL to see how our integrated platform can provide your business with seamless AP, AR, and spend and expense management. The controller must stay apprised of all the local, state, and federal tax laws and business regulations, and they must ensure that the company operates within the proper parameters. “I do have some shifts I work from midnight to 8 a.m., as well as some scattered 12-8 shifts, so it rotates,” he said.