Financial Manager Career

financial-manager-500Financial managers are responsible for maximizing growth and profit for an organization. They use data analysis and statistics to ensure that businesses are financially sound, and provide guidance to leaders on investment strategies for their business. Financial managers should have a keen understanding of business, economics, and statistics.

Although a large part of the job is creating financial reports, financial managers also need to have good interpersonal skills. They spend a significant amount of time advising senior management and working in teams with other financial managers to create strategies. They must be trusted by management staff and by their team members in order to work effectively.

Financial Manager Career Snapshot

Most financial managers work at least forty hours a week in an office environment. It is not at all uncommon for financial managers to work more than forty hours a week, and about 1 in 3 do work overtime.

Further details on a career as a financial manager are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):

$117,990

is the annual average salary for financial managers.

7%

increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.

50%

have a Bachelor’s degree while 17% have a High School Diploma.

Financial Manager Education

Most financial manager positions require at least a bachelor’s degree. About 17% of financial managers have only a high school diploma, while 14% have bachelor’s degrees. In addition, it is difficult to work as a financial manager directly after college; most financial managers have at least five years of business experience.

Financial Manager Job Duties

As a financial manager, you will spend a portion of each day examining new data about your company’s fiscal outlook, as well as important outside economic factors such as the stock market. You can expect to spend time working alone and on teams to create the best financial strategy for your organization, and you’ll also need to put effort into preparing presentations for other managers within the company.

Financial Manager Salaries

According to the BLS.gov, the median salary for financial managers in May 2015 was $117,990. The top 10% of earners brought in $187,200 or more, while the bottom 10% earned $63,020 or less. Financial managers in the scientific, professional, and technical services industries are typically the highest paid.

Financial Manager Job Outlook

In 2014, there were 555,900 financial manager positions in the US. That number is expected to grow by 7% through 2024, which is in line with average job growth.

Financial Manager Skills & Abilities

Financial Manager Skill Set:Required Abilities:Tools Used by Financial Managers:Typical Work Activities:
• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Monitoring
• Reading comprehension
• Speaking
• Oral expression
• Deductive reasoning
• Oral comprehension
• Problem sensitivity
• Speech clarity
• Desktop/notebook computers
• Scanners
• Accounting software
• Financial analysis software
• Enterprise resource planning software
• Working with computers
• Communicating with others
• Coaching others
• Guiding and directing others within the organization

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