All government agencies and private organizations have senior finance jobs, such as finance manager or finance director. People in senior finance manager jobshave to deal primarily with the four As:
- Anticipation of funds (or capitalization)
- Acquisition of funds (or fund raising)
- Allocation of funds (or making investment decision)
- Assessment of funds (or evaluating financial activities)
Senior Finance Jobs: Some Examples
The responsibilities vary with senior finance jobs:
Finance Director: A finance director is responsible for:
- Planning, directing and controlling financial, human resources and administrative functions.
- Developing strategy and implementing strategic change.
- Coordinating business critical programs.
- Substantial amount of stakeholder relation activity as well as reporting and offering insight.
- Preparing detailed reports on financial, human resources and administrative matters.
- Managing accounting and financial systems and maintaining full and accurate accounting records.
Chief Finance Officer (CFO): A CFO supervises the finance unit and offers both operational and programmatic support to the organization. The CFO also acts as the chief financial spokesperson for the organization. The responsibilities of a CFO include:
- Overseeing the company’s accounting practices, such as accounting for departments, preparing budgets, financial reports and tax and audit functions.
- Directing the financial strategy, planning and forecasting and conferring with the president, VP of sales and department heads.
- Supervising investment and raising funds for business.
- Analyzing and reporting trends, opportunities for expansion and projection of company growth.
Finance Administrator: In this position, you need to plan, organize and direct financial affairs. Responsibilities of a finance administrator include:
- Preparation of the department’s annual budget.
- Monitoring the budget to ensure that provisions are being conformed to.
- Establishing/maintaining appropriate accounting procedures that comply with the federal and state rules and regulations.
- Preparing reports for various entities.
- Overseeing the funds that are received and the investment of this fund.
- Exercising budgetary control including payrolls and purchasing supplies and equipment.
Finance Manager: A finance manager establishes and maintains financial and management procedures. The responsibilities of a finance manager include:
- Staff management. A finance manager ensures that each service location is adequately managed, staffed and resourced.
- Financial management. In this duty, s/he maintains financial control and ensures proper administration and monitoring of all finances, including credit control. The finance manager also advises on the proper allocation of resources.
- Public relations and social policy.
- Planning and development. Finance managers are responsible for the overall management and delivery of a business plan.