Table 1Transition record

budget analysttofinancial controller

A budget analyst already meets 34% of what the financial controller role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From budget analyst

34%

Overlap1

To financial controller

10 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

64.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 64.5

This move: 64.5 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the financial controller role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the budget analyst profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A financial controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a budget analyst background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held exert expenditure control management skills
already held explain accounting records management skills
already held inspect government expenditures information skills
already held support development of annual budget management skills
already held evaluate budgets management skills
already held financial department processes business, administration and law

All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the financial controller role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 information skills 4 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held ensure compliance with accounting conventions required
required, not held interpret financial statements required
required, not held prepare financial statements required
required, not held track key performance indicators required

optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
optional, not held check accounting records optional
optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
optional, not held prepare tax returns forms optional

02 business, administration and law 3 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held accounting department processes required
required, not held financial statements required
required, not held tax legislation required

optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional

03 management skills 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held create a financial plan required
required, not held enforce financial policies required

optional, not held manage profitability optional
optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional

04 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held follow the statutory obligations required

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 7 supplementary

optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held draft accounting procedures optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional

06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held statistics optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a financial controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
already held develop financial statistics reports skill
already held evaluate budgets skill
already held exert expenditure control skill
already held explain accounting records skill
already held financial department processes knowledge
already held synthesise financial information skill
already held inspect government expenditures skill
already held manage budgets skill
already held support development of annual budget skill

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
optional, not held check accounting records optional
optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
optional, not held draft accounting procedures optional
optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
optional, not held manage profitability optional
optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
optional, not held prepare tax returns forms optional
optional, not held statistics optional
optional, not held supervise accounting operations optional

13 held skills the financial controller role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on public finance skill
not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
not needed by the target role create annual marketing budget skill
not needed by the target role funding methods knowledge
not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
not needed by the target role public finance knowledge
not needed by the target role review investment portfolios skill
not needed by the target role revise drafts made by managers skill
not needed by the target role use office systems skill

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held accounting department processes required
required, not held financial statements required
required, not held tax legislation required
optional, not held financial forecasting optional
optional, not held insolvency law optional
optional, not held statistics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from budget analyst

Full index of moves from budget analyst

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.