Which finance job titles work best?
I asked my team to help me analyze finance titles that both employers and candidates say are the most important. This Finance job title article is the latest chapter inOngig’s Job Titles: The Definitive Guide.
We provide some best practices on finance job titles such as
- Finance Job Titles Hierarchy — The standard for finance department positions
- Most Searched-For Finance Titles — A pie chart of the top 20 finance position titles candidates search for on Google.
- Finance Job Titles and Descriptions — A list of the top 20 finance titles and descriptions that employers request.
Notes: The finance titles hierarchy at many employers includes both Finance and Accounting together as one department (or Accounting reports into Finance). This finance job titles list includes Finance positions only. Check outThe Top 20 Accounting Job Titlesfor similar data on accounting titles only. Also, this article focuses on U.S.-oriented top finance jobs. Titles for finance outside the U.S. may differ.
Finance Job Titles Hierarchy
The leader of most finance teams is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and they report to the CEO. At smaller companies the top finance position might instead be the Vice President of Finance or Treasurer.
“Treasurer” is also an official role in the articles of incorporation at most companies where the company is required to list the top few officers (e.g. President (aka CEO), Treasurer and Secretary).
ENTRY LEVEL FINANCE JOB TITLES
Below are the most popular entry-level finance job titles ranked by both candidate and employer searches on Google (source;ahrefsand Google Keyword Planner).
| Finance Titles | Candidate Searches/Month | Employer Searches/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll Clerk | 400 | 600 |
| Junior Financial Analyst | 200 | 100 |
| Payroll Assistant | 100 | 200 |
| Finance Clerk | 50 | 90 |
| Financial Advisor Assistant | 40 | 50 |
| Purchasing Clerk | 40 | 250 |
| Finance Intern | 40 | 150 |
Top Finance Job Titles (Candidates)
Below is a pie chart of the top 20 finance titles candidates search for on Google (source:ahrefsand Google Keyword Planner).
Top Finance Job Titles (Employers)
Here is a list of the top 20 finance job titles and descriptions that employers search for via Google. These different finance titles are ranked in descending order (source: Google search terms such as “[Job Title] Job Descriptions”). I’ve included synonyms for the positions where relevant.
Financial Analyst
A Financial Analyst, also known as a Finance Analyst, is responsible for gathering information and data for their organization. A Financial Analyst is tasked with organizing and using the data collected to assist a business with creating financial projections, comparing stock prices, researching the industry, and making projections. A Financial Analyst may also be tasked with building financial models and making recommendations to cut costs or grow revenue.
# of Google Searches per Month: 3,700; Finance Analyst: 200; Junior Financial Analyst: 100
CFO
A CFO, commonly known as a Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for working directly with both senior executives and junior financial analysts of a company. A CFO is a leader whose duties include:
- Direction and management of the finance team
- Control of financial forecasting and report preparations
- Advising on long-term fiscal planning for the business
- Relationship management and development both internally and externally
- Review of organization-wide procedures with senior management
# of Google Searches per Month: 3,100; Chief Financial Officer: 1,100
Financial Advisor
A Financial Advisor is responsible for providing guidance and financial advice for their clients related to their personal finances. A Financial Advisor may specialize in various types of financial services, such as financial planning or asset management. The duties of a Financial Advisor include tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, budget planning, philanthropic planning, investment management, and insurance planning.
# of Google Searches per Month: 1,400
Finance Manager
A Finance Manager, also known as a Financial Manager, is responsible for managing and organizing the financial portfolio of an individual client or organization. A Finance Manager is tasked with overseeing cash management and investment planning. The duties of a Finance Manager also include:
- Preparing financial reports
- Managing cash assets and investments
- Overseeing credits and collections
# of Google Searches per Month: 1,100; Financial Manager: 800; Finance Officer: 150
Treasurer
A Treasure is responsible forcash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. A Treasurer, usually reporting to the CFO, assists senior management with investment decisions. The duties of a Treasurer may include financial benchmarking, overseeing day-to-day cash management, and preparing financial forecasts based on past financial reports. The “Treasurer” is also an official role in the articles of incorporation at many companies where there are often 3 officers named (e.g. President, Treasurer and Secretary).
# of Google Searches per Month: 900
Credit Analyst
A Credit Analyst is responsible for analyzing financial information and credit data for individuals or companies that are applying for loans. A Credit Analyst is responsible for determining the financial risks to the bank or other lending institutions and recommending if the loan or line of credit being applied for should be granted. Another task of the Credit Analyst is to prepare credit reports based on their findings after analyzing the creditworthiness of an organization or person.
# of Google Searches per Month: 800
Director of Finance
A Director of Finance, or Finance Director, is a senior executive who is responsible for the financial health of a company. The duties of a Director of Finance are to manage the financial and accounting control functions of an organization. A Director of Finance is also responsible for establishing financial strategies to ensure the long-term growth and profitability of a company.
# of Google Searches per Month: 500; Finance Director: 300
Payroll Manager
A Payroll Manager is responsible for the compensation and payroll activities within an organization. A Payroll Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily duties of the payroll department employees and handles the tracking, calculations, and pay distribution to company employees. Other responsibilities of a Payroll Manager include:
- Calculating payroll taxes
- Resolving payroll discrepancies
- Distributing employee forms for tax preparation
- Record keeping for employee files
# of Google Searches per Month: 500
Economist
An Economist is a trained financial decision-maker. The daily duties of an Economist are to research economic data, forecast market trends, collect and analyze data, present reports from financial research, and advising on economic topics for individuals, governments, or organizations. An Economist is also responsible for recommending solutions to economic issues.
# of Google Searches per Month: 450
Purchasing Manager
A Purchasing Manager is responsible for managing the purchases needed for an organization. Tasks includesupplier evaluations, interviewing vendors, and visiting supplier plants or distribution centers. A Procurement Manager is tasked with keeping the organization up to date on market trends and the latest products by attending trade shows and conferences.
# of Google Searches per Month: 450; Procurement Manager: 350
Budget Analyst
A Budget Analyst is responsible for helping organizations of all sizes to maintain a balanced budget. A Budget Analyst is tasked with working directly with senior management to assess budget needs and make decisions for one-time expenditures or select purchases. Depending on the size of the company, it may also be the duty of a Budget Analyst to run regular financial reports to share with the upper-level management in an organization.
# of Google Searches per Month: 400
Senior Finance Analyst
A Senior Finance Analyst commonly called a Senior Financial Analyst is responsible for developing and maintaining a network of industry-related contacts to help develop investment opinions for an organization or individual. A Senior Finance Analyst is tasked with monitoring market-related events that may affect an organization’s investment portfolio. Another task of a Senior Finance Analyst is to research and pitch new investment opportunities to the senior management of an organization.
# of Google Searches per Month: 300; Senior Financial Analyst: 250
Purchasing Clerk
A Purchasing Clerk works directly with the Purchasing Manager and is responsible for purchasing products, supplies, and raw materials for an organization. A Purchasing Clerk may also be responsible for negotiating with vendors and suppliers. Other duties of a Purchasing Clerk are:
- Scheduling deliveries for supplies and equipment
- Tracking company inventory
- Keeping records and reports of supply costs
# of Google Searches per Month: 250; Purchasing Assistant: 250
Procurement Analyst
A Procurement Analyst is an experienced employee who works directly with a Procurement Manager to compare products and services from suppliers and research, which are most compatible with the organization. A Procurement Analyst is responsible for monitoring inventory levels of existing stock and keeping track of changes that may affect the supply and demand for materials necessary to an organization’s operations.
# of Google Searches per Month: 250
VP Finance
A VP Finance is also known as VP of Finance or Vice President of Finance and is responsible for having a hands-on role in the finance department of an organization. Depending on the size of the organization, the duties of a VP Finance include:
- Creating financial plans with senior management
- Directing financial strategies and budget management
- Directing accounts receivable, payable, and payroll staff
- Overseeing financial planning and matters in an organization
# of Google Searches per Month: 200; VP of Finance: 150; Vice President of Finance; 100
Finance Assistant
A Finance Assistant, or Finance Clerk, is responsible for supporting the senior management and financial team within an organization. Daily tasks of a Finance Clerk include:
- Maintaining and updating financial records
- Tracking and documenting raw financial data
- Calculating bills and other transactions
- Answering basic financial questions from clients
# of Google Searches per Month: 150; Finance Clerk: 90
Finance Intern
A Finance Intern is responsible for shadowing upper-level management in the financial department to gain industry knowledge. The duties of a Finance Intern may include administrative tasks such as data entry, record keeping, data maintenance, and assisting with financial audits. A Finance Intern is also tasked with sitting in on meetings to take notes about client-related financial matters.
# of Google Searches per Month: 150
Personal Finance Advisor
A Personal Finance Advisor is responsible for researching the needs of their clients and recommending financial plans or investments that could be profitable for them. A Personal Finance Advisor is tasked with helping clients plan their financial short-term and long-term goals. A Personal Finance Advisor invests money from individuals based on research and the clients’ decisions; they may also provide tax advice.
# of Google Searches per Month: 150
Financial Aid Advisor
A Financial Aid Advisor is also known as a financial aid counselor and assists parents and students in identifying financial resources available to them through the government or private resources. A Financial Aid Advisor is also responsible for outlining financial aid plans, assisting with form completion, and informing students about loan repayment procedures.
# of Google Searches per Month: 100
Some Funny Finance Job Titles
There are plenty of fun/creative job titles used in finance.
- Certified Party Antidote (CPA)
- Director of Beancounting(Accountant)
- Master of Coin(CFO) — Zack Kirkhorn holds this and the CFO title at Tesla
- Money Maestro(Accounting Manager)…Delivering Happiness uses this
- President of Revenue(CFO)…Adam Bain, Twitter CFO
If you like creative titles, check out 100+ Funny Job Titles.
A special thanks to the many experts on finance job titles whose research I cited for this article. They are:
- CFO job description guide by Robert Half
- What Exactly Is a Financial Advisor? by Ben Geier
- What Is the Meaning of Finance Manager? by Vera Leigh
- What does a treasurer do? by CareerExplorer
- What Is a Finance Director? by Ian Linton
- Developing a Payroll Manager Duties Description to Attract Top Talentby John Duval
- Purchasing / Procurement Manager Responsibilitiesby AIMS
- A Day In the Life of a Financial Analystby Martha Shelton
- Professional Financial Clerk Job Description Templateby Might Recruiter
- Credit Analyst Job Description and Salary by Financial Planner World
- The Job Description of a Purchasing ClerkbyElvis Michael
- What is an Economist? by Heather Marr
- What Is a Budget Analyst? by Ashley Brooks
- Should you go CFO or VP of Finance? by Emily Leinbach
- What Personal Financial Advisors Do? by US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Why I wrote this?
My team at Ongig is on a mission to transform job descriptions. A key to any job description/job posting is the job title. If you’d like more data/input on job titles, check outJob Titles: The Definitive Guide:Best practices on job titles including lists of titles by hierarchy and departments.The logic/data about job titles is built intoOngig’s job description software.
by Rob Kelly in Job Titles
