Financial manager to accounting manager
A financial manager already meets 75% of what the accounting manager role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.6/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting manager is expected to do is already part of a financial manager’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 26 of its required skills as things a financial manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting entries
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse market financial trends
- check accounting records
- create a financial plan
What stands in the way is 7 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 44 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 manager 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 accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
All 44 carried skills, including the 26 the accounting manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 5 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 identify if a company is a going concern required
- still to learn ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information required
- optional, not held calculate tax optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- still to learn explain accounting records required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- optional, not held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn depreciation required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- still to learn follow the statutory obligations required
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties 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 44 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse market financial trends 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 financial analysis knowledge
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held monitor financial accounts skill
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held strive for company growth 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 public finance skill
- already held advise on tax planning skill
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held liaise with auditors skill
- already held liaise with financiers skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held liquidity management knowledge
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage the general ledger skill
- already held perform cost accounting activities skill
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held public finance knowledge
- already held statistics knowledge
11 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 attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held calculate tax optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation 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 perform account allocation optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
62 held skills the accounting manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on investment skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role analyse insurance risk skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role banking activities knowledge
- 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 business loans knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect financial data skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role debt collection techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role debt systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop company strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop financial products skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with company regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role ethics knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial markets knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial products knowledge
- not needed by the target role funding methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic planning skill
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with board members skill
22 further entries not listed here
3 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
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
Other moves recorded from financial manager
- budget manager 77% covered · adjacent
- financial controller 75% covered · adjacent
- accounting analyst 74% covered · adjacent
- investment fund management assistant 70% covered · moderate
- public finance accountant 69% covered · moderate
- investment manager 67% covered · moderate
- corporate treasurer 66% covered · moderate
- investor relations manager 66% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a financial manager become an accounting manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A financial manager already covers 75% of what an accounting manager is expected to do: 44 skills carry over, 26 of which the accounting manager role treats as required.
What skills does a financial manager need to become an accounting manager?
7 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from financial manager to accounting manager?
Its learning distance is 35.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.