What is a finance leader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Brian Meehan

A finance leader oversees financial operations within an organization. They provide strategic financial guidance and work to meet financial goals. Finance leaders analyze data, develop budgets, and recommend improvement. They work with other departments to ensure that financial decisions align with overall business objectives. Finance leaders also manage risk and compliance to adhere to relevant laws and regulations. Overall, finance leaders can impact the success of an organization by providing financial leadership and guidance.

What general advice would you give to a Finance Leader?

Brian Meehan

Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College

My advice would be to apply broadly for jobs and take advantage of the robust set of career opportunities a degree in economics provides. It also gives you a better gauge of the opportunity cost (next best alternative) of accepting a job. Try to determine what that best alternative is. Additional training can also be a good option. Those individuals interested in graduate schools, professional schools, law schools, MBAs, etc. should look into these opportunities. Improving your human capital stock (via training and education), while weathering a recession, and then capitalizing on a healthier job market at the end of this training, is a pretty good route (assuming the recession is short).

ScoreFinance LeaderUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $117,284

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.5

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 10.02%

Black or African American 7.46%

Hispanic or Latino 14.25%

Unknown 4.10%

White 63.84%

Gender

female 40.02%

male 59.98%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.3

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Finance Leader?

Pros

Opportunity to work with and learn from top executives
Possibility for career advancement within the finance industry
Exposure to various industries and sectors
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and financial tools
Possibility for travel and international business experience

Cons

Limited work-life balance, especially during peak periods or when working with international clients
Risk of being held accountable for financial mistakes or fraud within the company
Potential for conflicts with other departments or executives
Responsibility for making tough financial decisions that could affect employees or stakeholders negatively
Potential for burnout due to high demands and workload

Key steps to become a finance leader

Explore finance leader education requirements

Most common finance leader degrees

Bachelor's

68.9 %

Master's

22.3 %

Associate

5.1 %

Start to develop specific finance leader skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Analysis	7.95%
Financial Management	5.39%
Business Development	5.08%
Financial Performance	4.26%
Strong Analytical	3.96%

Complete relevant finance leader training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New finance leaders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a finance leader based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real finance leader resumes.

Research finance leader duties and responsibilities

Manage and coordinate annual GAAP audit of corporation financial statements.
Manage impairment and trouble debt restructures identification & measurement process in compliance with regulatory and GAAP guidance.
Participate in Lawson ERP implementation and training resources for corporate and site finance group.
Create superior back office business processes in conjunction with JD Edwards ERP implementation team.

Get finance leader experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a finance leader. The most common roles before becoming a finance leader include senior finance analyst, finance analyst team lead and finance manager.

Prepare your finance leader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your finance leader resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a finance leader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Finance Leader Resume templates

Build a professional Finance Leader resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Finance Leader resume.

Apply for finance leader jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a finance leader job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do finance leaders rate their job?

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Finance Leader reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

I do not work as a finance Vice President but I would like to become one.

Cons

I don’t know because I have not worked as one.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019