Free Controller Job Description Templates
Free controller job description templates: financial, small business, assistant, corporate, and CFO hybrid. Download as DOCX and customize.
Controller Job Description Templates
5 free templates by type. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
A controller owns the integrity of your company's finances: the general ledger, the monthly close, financial statements, internal controls, and the accounting team. Below are five job description templates for the role, plus the duties, requirements, and pay data that go into them. My advice as a founder: decide what the controller will own before you write a word of the posting.
That decision matters because this is one of the most senior hires a growing business makes. In a company without a chief financial officer (CFO), the controller often takes on strategic finance work too. The job description you write sets the scope, the seniority, and the expectations, and it is your first filter for a hire this important.
At FirstHR, we build for small and growing businesses where the owner or a lean team handles hiring directly. The templates below cover the most common versions of the role: financial controller, small business controller, assistant controller, corporate controller, and the controller / CFO hybrid for a first finance hire. Fill in the bracketed fields, adjust to match your company, and post.
Which Template Should You Use?
The right template depends on your company's size and what you actually need the controller to own. The core structure is the same across all five, but each emphasizes a different scope, seniority, and reporting line. Use this guide to choose.
5 Free Controller Job Description Templates
Download all five at once as separate Word files in one ZIP, or copy individual templates. Each one follows the same structure: company overview, job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Financial Controller (Standard)
The standard, all-purpose version for any business hiring a controller. Owns the general ledger, close, financial statements, internal controls, budgeting, and the accounting team, reporting to a CFO or CEO. Start here if the role fits a traditional controller.
Template 2: Small Business Controller
For a growing business with no CFO. A hands-on controller who runs day-to-day accounting and also takes on cash management and planning, reporting to the owner or CEO. Use this when the role is broader than a traditional controller.
Template 3: Assistant Controller
For a growing finance team. Supports the controller on the day-to-day close and reconciliations, supervises staff accountants, and steps in when needed. Use this when you have a controller and need support beneath them.
Template 4: Corporate Controller
For larger or multi-entity organizations. Owns consolidated reporting, leads the full accounting department, and handles SEC or SOX compliance if applicable. Use this for a senior role running accounting across the organization.
Template 5: Controller / CFO Hybrid (First Finance Hire)
For a startup or small business making its first dedicated finance hire. Combines operational accounting with strategy, FP&A, and fundraising support, and works full-time or fractional. Use this when one person must run the books and shape strategy.
What Is a Controller?
A controller, also called a comptroller, is the senior leader responsible for a company's accounting function and the accuracy of its financial reporting. The role centers on owning the general ledger, the close, financial statements, and internal controls, and on leading the accounting team. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups controllers within financial managers, who direct an organization's financial activities and reporting.
The scope shifts dramatically with company size. In a large organization, a controller leads a department and reports to a CFO. In a small business, the controller is far more hands-on and often absorbs CFO-level work like cash management and planning when there is no separate CFO. That is why the job description should describe the role at your actual size rather than copy a generic one.
Controller Job Duties
Controller job duties fall into four broad areas. A strong job description selects the specific duties from each area that apply to your company rather than listing every possible task. These are the responsibilities most often expected of the role.
For a small-business or hybrid role, the duties stretch across all four areas and into strategic finance. For an assistant controller, they narrow toward the day-to-day close and reconciliations.
What to Include in a Controller Job Description
Every strong controller job description includes the same core sections: a company overview, a job summary with the reporting line, the key responsibilities, the qualifications, the salary range, and how to apply. The templates above are built around them. What sets a strong one apart is concrete duties rather than generic ones, and the difference shows best side by side.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Handle accounting | Own the monthly close and prepare GAAP financial statements |
| Manage finances | Lead budgeting, forecasting, and monthly variance analysis |
| Oversee controls | Design and maintain internal controls over financial reporting |
| Work with auditors | Coordinate the annual audit and tax filings with external partners |
| Lead the team | Manage and develop a team of [X] staff accountants |
Specific, measurable duties attract candidates who match the level you need and signal a serious employer. Keep the language neutral and inclusive too, since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
Requirements and Qualifications
A controller is a credentialed, experienced hire. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says financial managers, the group that includes controllers, typically need a bachelor's degree and five years or more of experience in a related occupation, such as accountant.
Requirements rise with the title, from assistant controller up through corporate controller. A CPA (certified public accountant) or CMA (certified management accountant) credential is commonly preferred and sometimes required.
Beyond credentials, look for strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), experience with your accounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and proven leadership. In a small-business or hybrid role, give hands-on versatility and the ability to build processes from scratch as much weight as the formal title.
A controller is almost always salaried and exempt from overtime, but confirm the classification rather than assume it. The Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #17A says job titles do not determine exempt status: the duties and the salary must both meet its tests, so check them when you set pay.
Controller vs CFO vs Bookkeeper
A bookkeeper records the transactions, a controller owns the accounting built on them, and a CFO sets financial strategy. The three roles are often confused, which leads to over-hiring or under-hiring. Knowing the difference in scope and seniority helps you write the right job description and hire at the right level.
| Role | Focus | Typical for |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | Records transactions and reconciles accounts | Early-stage and small businesses |
| Controller | Owns accounting, close, controls, and reporting | Growing companies with real complexity |
| CFO | Owns financial strategy, planning, and fundraising | Established or scaling companies |
Most small businesses begin with a bookkeeper and an outside CPA, hire a controller as finances grow complex, and add or split out a CFO later. In between, one person often covers both controller and CFO work, which is exactly what the hybrid template is for.
Controller vs Corporate Controller vs Assistant Controller
These three titles are the same job at three levels of scope, and the cleanest way to tell them apart is to ask how many sets of books the person is answerable for. An assistant controller works inside one close. A controller owns that close. A corporate controller owns several of them plus the policy that governs all of them.
| Assistant controller | Controller | Corporate controller | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books in scope | One entity, working under the controller | One entity, end to end | Multiple entities, consolidated |
| Team | Supervises staff accountants | Runs the accounting function | Leads the department, sometimes including other controllers |
| Policy | Applies the policy | Writes it for the business | Sets it company-wide and enforces it across locations |
| Compliance | Prepares audit schedules | Coordinates the audit and tax filings | Owns audit, tax, and SEC or SOX work where it applies |
| Experience the templates ask for | Five or more years | Seven to ten years | Ten or more years |
| CPA | Preferred | Preferred, sometimes required | Required |
Two of the five templates on this page are not levels at all. The small business controller and the controller / CFO hybrid describe scope rather than seniority: one person carrying work that would sit in two or three roles at a larger company. Settle the level first, then decide whether the scope is wider than the title suggests.
Controller Salary
Controllers are among the higher-paid roles in a small or growing business. Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for company size, scope, location, and industry.
Always publish a salary range. It is required in a growing number of states, and it attracts more qualified candidates for a senior search where strong applicants have options. Assistant controllers sit below full controllers on pay, and a fractional hybrid arrangement can lower the cost for a business not ready for a full-time senior hire.
How to Write a Controller Job Description
A strong controller job description comes together quickly if you follow a clear structure. Here is the process the templates are built around.
Hiring a Controller for a Small Business
A large company hires a controller into an established finance department with a CFO above and staff accountants below. A small or growing business does not have that structure. The controller may be the most senior finance person, reporting straight to the owner and doing the work hands-on. Here is how to write the posting for that reality.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and the onboarding plan. A controller hire is high-stakes and high-access, touching your financial systems, banking, and reporting, so a structured onboarding matters more here than for most roles.
A clear onboarding turns a senior finance hire into a productive leader quickly and reduces the risk that comes with the role's access and responsibility. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new controller a structured start. In FirstHR, the e-signed offer, the new controller's documents, their place on the org chart, and the onboarding workflow all live in one system.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a controller do?
A controller, sometimes called a comptroller, oversees a company's day-to-day financial operations and stands behind the numbers in its financial reports. In practice, that means keeping the general ledger, closing the books every month and at year end, producing financial statements that follow GAAP, and building internal controls. The job also covers accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll accounting, along with budgeting and forecasting, audit and tax coordination, and leadership of the accounting staff. At a larger company, the controller answers to a CFO. At a small business with no CFO, the same person often picks up strategic finance work as well, such as cash management and planning.
What are the duties of a controller?
Controller duties fall into four areas. Reporting and close: owning the monthly and year-end close, preparing GAAP financial statements, and managing the general ledger. Controls and compliance: designing internal controls, coordinating audits and tax filings, and enforcing accounting policies. Planning and cash: leading budgeting and forecasting, managing cash flow, and providing variance analysis. Operations and team: overseeing AP, AR, and payroll accounting and managing the accounting staff. The exact mix depends on company size. A small-business controller does more hands-on work across all four areas, while a corporate controller leads a department and focuses on consolidation and policy.
What is the difference between a controller and a CFO?
A controller owns accounting: the books, the close, financial statements, controls, and compliance. A CFO owns financial strategy: planning, fundraising, capital structure, and high-level decision-making. The controller looks at what happened and makes sure it is accurate, while the CFO looks forward and shapes where the company is going. In large companies these are separate roles, and the controller reports to the CFO. In many small and growing businesses, one person does both, which is why the Controller / CFO Hybrid template exists. If your business needs accurate books and strategic finance from a single hire, that template fits.
What is the difference between a controller and a bookkeeper?
A bookkeeper records transactions: entering invoices, reconciling accounts, and keeping the day-to-day books accurate. A controller is a senior leader who owns the entire accounting function, including the close, financial statements, internal controls, compliance, budgeting, and managing staff (which may include bookkeepers). The bookkeeper handles the data entry and routine accounting, while the controller is responsible for the accuracy, controls, and reporting on top of it. The usual path for a small business is a bookkeeper backed by an outside CPA first, with a controller added once the finances are complex enough to need full-time senior oversight.
What qualifications does a controller need?
Most controllers need at least a bachelor's degree and several years of progressive accounting experience. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the usual route into financial management, the occupational group that includes controllers, as a bachelor's degree plus 5 years or more of work in a related role, for example as an accountant. The standard template on this page asks for more: a degree in accounting, finance, or a related field and 7 to 10 years of experience. Many employers prefer a CPA or CMA and some insist on one, particularly for corporate controller roles. The CPA carries the most recognition, and earning it takes a passing score on the Uniform CPA Exam plus the education and experience the licensing state sets. Beyond credentials, look for a solid command of GAAP, hands-on time with accounting software or ERP systems, and a record of leading a team. When the role is small-business or hybrid, versatility and a talent for setting up processes count for as much as the title.
How much does a controller make?
Controllers are well paid. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts them among financial managers, and the median annual wage for that group was $166,570 in May 2025. Actual pay swings widely with company size, location, industry, and the scope of the role: a corporate controller running a large department typically earns more than a small-business controller, and full controllers out-earn assistant controllers. Demand looks strong as well. The BLS projects 10 percent employment growth for financial managers between 2025 and 2035, which it rates as much faster than average, and roughly 65,600 openings a year. Include a salary range in the posting to draw qualified candidates.
When should a small business hire a controller?
Most small businesses hire their first controller when the finances outgrow what a bookkeeper working with an outside CPA can handle. That point arrives with rising revenue, headcount, and transaction volume rather than at any set size. Signs you are ready include needing reliable monthly financials for decisions, growing compliance and reporting demands, cash flow that needs active management, and an accounting workload that justifies a senior full-time hire. If you are not quite there, a fractional or part-time Controller / CFO hybrid is a common bridge. Match the template to where your business actually is rather than over-hiring too early.