Finance director, VP, controller and CFO salary
What remote US finance director, VP, controller and CFO roles pay at each experience level, and where the next step up sits. All roles
Pay by experience level
Median posted pay by the experience each posting asks for. The role family is the base title plus the steps on the ladder below, 186 postings.
How pay is spread across postings
Each outline is one experience band. Taller means more postings at that pay. Dashed lines mark each band median.
Half of 5 to 10 year postings pay between $113,000 and $171,000, with a median of $140,000. The medians are $140,000 for 5 to 10 years and $193,000 for 10+ years.
2 to 5 years has 8 postings, not enough postings yet.
What each step up the ladder pays
Each bar runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile within one experience band, so it holds the middle half of postings. The dot is the median. A step needs 30 postings in a band before we draw it.
Among 10+ year postings, the median moves from $175,000 for Controller to $187,000 for Finance director, a difference of $12,000.
| Step | 2 to 5 years | 5 to 10 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | not enough postings yetn 5 | $125,000middle half $98,800 to $155,000, n 33 | $175,000middle half $139,428 to $186,250, n 35 |
| Finance director | not enough postings yetn 2 | not enough postings yetn 25 | $186,500middle half $152,500 to $210,925, n 52 |
| VP of finance | not enough postings yetn 1 | not enough postings yetn 4 | not enough postings yetn 20 |
| CFO | not enough postings yetn 0 | not enough postings yetn 0 | not enough postings yetn 12 |
How pay changes with job title
Each outline is one step of the ladder, and each posting counts once, in the highest step its title matches. A step needs 30 postings in the view to be drawn. Dashed lines mark medians.
For postings asking for 5 or more years, the median is $140,000 for Controller and $180,000 for Finance director. Postings asking for 2 to 5 years are shown in the charts above.
| Step, 5 or more years | Median | n |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | $140,000 | 65 |
| Finance director | $180,000 | 77 |
Left out with fewer than 30 postings in this view, VP of finance (n 24), CFO (n 12). This view combines the 5 to 10 and 10+ bands, which come from the same continuous pulls. The 2 to 5 band is never combined with them.
Where this role leads
Two kinds of next move. Steps up the ladder compare the same experience band at both ends. Nearby roles compare whole role families.
These roles list similar skills, so they are common moves. Each figure is the other role median minus this one, in the same experience band, and each role mixes every step of its ladder. It is not the raise a move would bring.
The skill groups this role asks for
Skills that tend to be listed together are grouped. The bar shows the share of this role's postings that list at least two skills from a group. Postings with no skills listed are left out.
Accounting and financial reporting appears in 80% of the 186 postings that list skills, followed by management and process at 18%.
Accounting and financial reporting
80% of postings, n 149- financial reporting
- budgeting
- internal controls
- gaap
- accounting
- revenue recognition
Not enough postings on both sides, within one ladder step, to compare pay.
Management and process
18% of postings, n 34- process improvement
- compliance
- executive communication
- strategic leadership
- performance management
- vendor management
Not enough postings on both sides, within one ladder step, to compare pay.
Financial analysis and risk
18% of postings, n 34- financial modeling
- financial planning
- financial analysis
Not enough postings on both sides, within one ladder step, to compare pay.
Pay comparisons show association and not cause. Postings that ask for a skill group may differ in employer, industry or the work itself, and listing a skill does not guarantee the raise. A comparison appears only for 5 to 10 years of experience, within one ladder step, with at least 30 postings with and without the group.
Top hiring employers
- Compass3
- HavocAI2
- Harris Computer2
- Vessel Advisors2
- KACHADORIAN CONSULTING LLC2
- Aduro Advisors2
- ClearGov2
- Enhanced US LLC2
How wide posted pay ranges are
Median gap between the top and bottom of the range, within each experience band. Postings with a single figure are left out.
A typical 5 to 10 year posting's range spans $25,000 from bottom to top, so the top is about 1.20 times the bottom.
| Experience | Median range width | Top as a multiple of bottom | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 10 years | $25,000 | 1.20 | 56 |
| 10+ years | $38,000 | 1.21 | 114 |
2 to 5 years, not enough postings yet.
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