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Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer Job Description

CFOs must have strong analytical, strategic-planning, operational and communication skills, including an ability to work well with the CEO, board members and other senior executives. CFOs typically have at least 10 years of experience in accounting or finance, including a minimum of five years in a management role. Many companies prefer candidates who possess advanced credentials such as an MBA, CPA, CGMA or CMA. Professionals should possess knowledge of all aspects of GAAP. Public companies also require experience with SEC reporting. Public accounting experience is highly valued. Candidates for CFO should have held positions of increasing responsibility within accounting and finance, such as director of finance, director of accounting or controller.

Typical chief financial officer duties:

Providing strategic management of the accounting and finance functionsDirecting accounting policies, procedures and internal controlsRecommending improvements to ensure the integrity of a company’s financial informationManaging or overseeing the relationship with independent auditorsCollaborating with chief information officers on technology decisionsOverseeing financial systems implementations and upgradesManaging relationships with investors and investment institutionsIdentifying and managing business risks and insurance requirementsHiring, training and retaining accounting and finance staff

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Salary for Chief Financial Officer
195500 - 321750
Low
195500
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
269750
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
321750
The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.
Projected salaries for related positions Job title Low Mid High Corporate Controller 152000 185000 213250 Divisional Controller 118750 161750 176250 Assistant Controller 94000 122500 142000 Plant Controller 111000 125000 136000 Director of Financial Reporting 129000 160750 184750 Senior Financial Reporting Accountant 90750 100750 111750 Financial Reporting Manager 111250 135500 159250 Financial Reporting Accountant 74250 85250 99250 Director of Accounting 126500 165000 183250 Cost Accounting Manager 98250 114750 127750 Senior Cost Accountant 83500 96250 106500 Cost Accountant 71750 79000 93000 Accounting Manager 96750 113000 127500 Senior Accountant 80000 94750 109000 Staff Accountant 61000 73750 87750 Entry-Level Staff Accountant 54750 62000 69000 Senior Accountant – Financial Services 85000 102750 114250 Accountant – Financial Services 72500 89250 103250 Entry-Level Accountant – Financial Services 61000 75000 87250 Forensic Accountant 86750 109750 123750 Property Accountant 70250 80500 94250 Procurement Manager 84000 114750 129250 Procurement Specialist 47750 61000 74500 Accounting Specialist 45000 50500 54750

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Our starting salary projections come from a rigorous, multistep process so that our numbers accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Starting compensation—pay for someone new to a role—can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our salary data in three levels: low, mid and high.