How many jobs are available in finance?

Are you thinking about pursuing a career in finance? Or perhaps you already have your foot in the door and you’re ready to take the next step in your finance career?

Whatever the case may be, there are many jobs available in finance. The financial industry is bursting with career opportunities for rookies and experts alike.

But with so many options to choose from, it's difficult to know which is the right finance career path for you. That's why we’ve curated a list of some of the most sought-after roles in finance.

So, just how many jobs are available in finance?

The answer is a lot.

Here’s a simplified overview of some of the most popular career paths in finance, including:

1. Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a senior executive position. The CFO oversees and manages a company’s financial actions. This includes handling everything from cash flow to financial planning and taxation issues.

The CFO analyzes the company’s financial health and proposes solutions to overcome rising issues.

Daily responsibilities include but aren’t limited to:

Building financial models.
Preparing and analyzing financial statements.
Reconciling income and expenses.
Managing the accounting and finance divisions.
Ensuring financial reports are accurate.
Providing insights and recommendations to guide business decisions.
Establishing and maintaining relationships with investors, stakeholders, and external partners.
Monitoring cash flow and overseeing departments related to pricing, investments, accounts payable and receivable, etc.

2. Financial Controller

The main role of a Financial Controller is to supervise activities related to accounting within the company. For example, overseeing the preparation of budgets and making sure that ledgers are accurately showcasing how much cash is coming in and out of the company.

Typical responsibilities for Financial Controllers vary from company to company, but may include:

Overseeing accounting and all financial control activities.
Setting up bank accounts.
Managing external tax accountants if applicable.
Ensuring payment is received from debtors and customers, etc.
Ensuring the company meets all tax, permit, and licensing requirements.
Supplying accurate financial information to executives to help guide effective financial strategizing.
Analyzing deficiencies and summarizing budget trends.

3. Financial Analyst

Tracking a company’s financial performance to decide whether they’re suitable for investment is the main responsibility of a Financial Analyst. But their workload doesn’t end there. Financial Analysts are responsible for a long list of tasks, such as:

Reviewing company accounts.
Financial forecasting, reporting, and tracking key metrics.
Creating financial models to help support business decisions.
Analyzing financial reports and data.
Interpreting data (yield, risk, stability, price, etc.) that contribute to a company’s viability.
Collaborating with other teams such as the accounting team to ensure accurate reports.
Evaluating the financial performance of the company and overseeing financial functions (tax, budgeting, planning, cost control, auditing, etc.).

4. Financial Advisor

With their acute organizational skills, Financial Advisors help companies manage money. Again, the role varies depending on the size of the company. However, a few of the common responsibilities of a Financial Advisor include:

Helping board members (such as the CEO) make informed decisions.
Researching financial products and presenting all the relevant information to help the company choose which products to invest in.
Assisting the company when it comes to building credibility and customer loyalty.
Completing risk analyses and researching the marketplace.
Building effective financial strategies.
Responding to the changing needs of the business.
Communicating with product suppliers for better rates.
Working closely with members of the head office, financial service providers, solicitors, valuers, and so on.

5. Chief Accountant/Accounting Manager

Chief Accountants have a wide range of responsibilities and oversee accounting operations. Making sure that financial transactions are reported and recorded properly (and on time) is an important part of the role.

A Chief Accountant’s job role involves:

Performing financial analysis and month-end accounting activities.
Creating financial reports and statements and reviewing both for any errors.
Managing accounting procedures for compliance.
Monitoring cash flow to make sure debts are paid.
Building working relationships with regulators, external auditors, etc.
Conducting internal audits to assess the company’s financial management system.
Reporting to management as and when needed.

6. Treasury Manager

This role involves overseeing a company’s cash flow, revenue, and other areas of finance. They usually report to senior staff such as the CFO. The Treasury Manager is often part of a larger finance team depending on the size of the organization.

But what are some of the main responsibilities of a Treasury Manager?

Here are just a few:

Managing cash flow, liquidity management, and banking relationships.
Assessing the company’s need for funding.
Helping to minimize financial risk.
Taking control of treasury operations and controls.
Managing foreign currency exposure and currency payments, etc.
Debt facilities and daily cash management.
Developing risk mitigation strategies and interest rate management.
Reporting treasury updates and activities to senior management.

7. Budget Analyst

A Budget Analyst evaluates the company’s budget and determines the most efficient ways to allocate resources (project funds).

Some of the main responsibilities of this role include:

Reviewing budget proposals and assessing funding requests.
Performing cost-benefit analyses.
Deciding whether to approve or reject funding requests and submitting budgeting recommendations.
Developing a budget and a final budgetary agreement.
Forecasting the financial needs of the business.
Monitoring spending.

8. Finance Business Partner

The role of Finance Business Partners is to help the business make strategic decisions to help secure its financial future. Finance Business Partners are also accountants that have stepped into the role of trusted advisors within the business.

Here are a few of the key responsibilities of a Finance Business Partner:

Analyzing financial reports and helping management make strategic business decisions.
Monitoring business performance and helping to build key partnerships.
Gaining investment and updating shareholders.
Identifying and mitigating business risks.
Providing real-time support and analysis.

9. Finance Manager

The Finance Manager plays a vital role in the success of the business, providing financial guidance and support when needed.

Main responsibilities:

Reporting, budgeting, and forecasting processes.
Monitoring cash flow, analyzing targets, and predicting trends.
Back-office duties such as accounts payable, payroll, and collection.
Providing data and insights that reflect the overall financial health of the company.
Liaising with department heads and accountant teams.
Ensuring the business meets statutory and compliance requirements.
Building strategic business plans to help influence business performance.

10. Director of Finance/ Finance Director

A Director of Finance has a huge role to play when it comes to any finance-related business decisions. They are responsible for ensuring the stability of a company’s finances and have a lot of important tasks to carry out, such as:

Assessing financial markets and trends.
Analyzing the company’s financial performance and risks.
Financial planning and monitoring cash flow.
Identifying solutions and providing insights to help drive business decisions, such as budget allocation and future investments.
Preparing accounts and creating financial models as needed.
Collaborating with other departments within the company.

11. Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Manager

FP&A Managers oversee business forecasting and are able to predict possible future outcomes by reviewing past company performance while keeping a close eye on economic and business trends.

The FP&A Manager’s general responsibilities include the following:

Assessing a company’s financial health.
Providing commercial financial analysis on key KPIs.
Preparing internal reports to support leadership’s decision-making.
Identifying when and how the company can optimize assets, investments, and progression opportunities.
Working with other departments to prepare accurate budgets.
Building and maintaining financial models and forecasts.
Analyzing historical data, performing variance analysis, and paving the way forward.

12. Chief Investment Officer (CIO)

The responsibility of developing and communicating a company’s investment strategy lies with the Chief Investment Officer. They usually oversee and manage the company’s investments and have further responsibilities, including:

Sourcing, managing, and monitoring the company’s investments.
Developing an investment policy statement (IPS) and ensuring all investment policies are followed.
Developing (and communicating) the company’s investment strategy.
Working closely with external analysts, portfolio managers, and investors.
Building and managing the investment team.
Overseeing the entire investment process from start to finish.