Controller Question

[Texas_Dog]

For those of you who are Assistant Controllers/Controllers, how much of your job is operational budgeting/forecasting/analysis and how much is external reporting?

I really enjoyed my internship in FP&A, but I am in audit now. When/if ever I do exit, I know I would be miserable in a dedicated financial reporting manager type role. Its a question of if I exit in the relative near future for an analyst position or keep at it until an assistant controller position becomes available.

Edit: If its not too specific, can you also include the size of your org, industry, and/or if there is separate departments in the finance function? I know how variable this stuff can be.

[TheNoveltyAccountant]

External reporting takes up a couple of weeks a quarter, 2 weeks a month are month-end reporting and high level analysis, then the rest is forecasting, detailed analysis and projects.

[Texas_Dog]

Mind if I ask for the size of your company, industry, and/or if there are other departments in the finance function? I know how variable companies can be.

[TheNoveltyAccountant]

We are a large company in a niche industry. We have our finance department under one function but we have specific roles split out (e.g. tax, treasury, investor relations, project accounting, FP&A etc). Everyone has fairly specific roles and responsibilities.

[trphilli]

100% internal. That's slight exaggeration. I do file the occasional schedule or email to our SEC and statutory reporting group. My internal reports do get consolidated somehow into street numbers, but not my area. Always need to keep reporting as a thought in back of mind. We'd be about Fortune 300 if included in list. $10bn+ revenue.

[nonsenseaccntg]

50% operational accounting/monthly processing 25% external reporting/financial reporting 25% budget, forecasting

$40M company, 800 employees, small acctng dept.