Financial controller to accounting manager
A financial controller already meets 48% of what the accounting manager role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
61/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting manager is expected to do is already part of a financial controller’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the accounting manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accounting manager role treats 17 of its required skills as things a financial controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- analyse financial performance of a company
- check accounting records
- create a financial plan
- draft accounting procedures
- enforce financial policies
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An accounting manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a financial controller background worth leading with.
- already held liaise with auditors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draft accounting procedures communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise accounting operations management skills
- already held manage the general ledger information skills
- already held explain accounting records management skills
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
All 28 carried skills, including the 17 the accounting manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 34 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn accounting entries required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- still to learn identify if a company is a going concern required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held calculate tax optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- still to learn manage accounts required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- still to learn fraud detection required
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accounting manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 depreciation study this
- 03 identify if a company is a going concern practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 28 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held check accounting records skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held draft accounting procedures skill
- already held enforce financial policies skill
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- already held evaluate budgets skill
- already held explain accounting records skill
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held supervise accounting operations skill
- already held support development of annual budget skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held advise on tax planning skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held liaise with auditors skill
- already held liaise with financiers skill
- already held manage the general ledger skill
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held statistics knowledge
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held calculate tax optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
9 held skills the accounting manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role develop financial statistics reports skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect government expenditures skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
- not needed by the target role synthesise financial information skill
- not needed by the target role track key performance indicators skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn accounting entries required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn fraud detection required
- still to learn international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
Other moves recorded from financial controller
Common questions about this move
Can a financial controller become an accounting manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A financial controller already covers 48% of what an accounting manager is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 17 of which the accounting manager role treats as required.
What skills does a financial controller need to become an accounting manager?
16 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from financial controller to accounting manager?
Its learning distance is 61 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.