| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Finance and Accounts |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Chief Financial Officer |
| Direct reports | Accounts Manager, Costing Manager, Taxation Manager |
| Experience | 10+ years in accounting with 4 years in controllership |
Financial Controller job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Financial Controller
Department: Finance and Accounts
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Financial Controller owns controllership: accurate books, strong controls, statutory accounts and clean audits. They set accounting policy, run the close, safeguard company assets and make sure the numbers can be trusted. The role reports to the CFO or Finance Director and usually leads accounts, costing and tax managers. A good Controller keeps the books right and audit ready, closes gaps in controls before they hurt, and gives leadership financials that stand up to scrutiny.
Key responsibilities
- Own controllership and the accuracy of the books across the company.
- Run the monthly and year end close and deliver statutory financial statements.
- Set accounting policies under Ind AS and enforce them consistently.
- Design and monitor internal controls and the delegation of authority.
- Lead statutory, tax and internal audits and drive closure of findings.
- Review provisions, accruals, impairment and revenue recognition before every close.
- Safeguard assets through fixed asset control and physical verification.
- Oversee statutory and tax compliance handled by the managers below.
- Improve finance processes, systems and the control environment across all units.
- Build and appraise the accounts, costing and tax managers who report in.
Requirements
- Chartered Accountant (CA)
- Strong controllership and audit background
- Ind AS and internal controls expertise
- 10+ years in accounting with 4 years in controllership
KRAs and KPIs for a Financial Controller
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Books accuracy | No material misstatement found in review or audit during the year |
| Close timeliness | Statutory financials closed by the agreed working day each period |
| Control strength | No major control failure reported in internal or statutory audit |
| Audit outcome | Clean audit opinion with all findings closed before the next cycle |
| Compliance | All statutory and tax filings completed by due dates with no penalty |
| Policy consistency | Accounting policies applied uniformly across units with no exception uncleared |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: SAP FICO, Oracle Financials, Advanced Excel, Audit tools, Consolidation software.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: General Manager Finance, AVP Finance, Chief Financial Officer
Interview questions for a Financial Controller
- How do you make sure the financial statements are true and fair?
- How do you design a control to prevent duplicate or fraudulent payments?
- How do you decide a provision for a doubtful receivable or claim?
- How do you handle a disagreement with the statutory auditor on a treatment?
- How do you keep accounting policies consistent across units?
- How do you strengthen controls without slowing the business down?
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What does a Financial Controller do?
A Financial Controller owns controllership: accurate books, strong internal controls, statutory accounts and clean audits. They set accounting policy, run the close, safeguard assets and oversee tax and compliance. They report to the CFO or Finance Director and usually lead accounts, costing and tax managers, giving leadership numbers that can be trusted.
What is the difference between a Financial Controller and a CFO?
A CFO owns finance strategy, funding, investor relations and the future of the business. A Financial Controller owns the present accuracy and control of the books: reporting, policy, audits and compliance. The controller makes sure the numbers are right; the CFO decides what to do with them.
What qualifications does a Financial Controller need?
Most Financial Controller roles ask for a Chartered Accountant qualification with 10 or more years in accounting and several in controllership. Deep command of Ind AS, internal controls, statutory audit and financial reporting is essential. Experience across accounts, costing and tax oversight is a strong advantage.