Finance Manager job description template
A template you can use, plus the part most templates skip: how to assess each requirement once candidates start applying.
Finance managers own reporting, controls and the numbers leadership makes decisions from. The role combines technical accounting with the judgement to tell a business what its figures actually mean. A good finance manager job description separates genuine must-haves from preferences, describes what the person will actually do, and defines the criteria interviewers will assess against.
About the role
Finance managers own reporting, controls and the numbers leadership makes decisions from. The role combines technical accounting with the judgement to tell a business what its figures actually mean.
Also advertised as: Financial Manager, Head of Finance.
Responsibilities
- Own month-end close and management reporting
- Prepare budgets and forecasts and explain variance
- Maintain financial controls and support audit
- Manage cash flow and working capital
- Business partner with department heads on their numbers
Requirements
Essential
- Qualified or equivalent experience
- Ownership of a full close cycle
- Strong reconciliation and controls discipline
- Ability to explain figures to non-finance colleagues
Nice to have
- Your sector
- Your ERP
- Audit background
Keep the essential list genuinely essential. Long requirement lists measurably reduce applications from candidates who would meet your actual bar, with a stronger effect among under-represented groups. Everything you can train, move to nice-to-have.
How to assess each requirement
This is the part most job description templates omit, and it is the part that determines whether the description was worth writing. Each requirement needs a way to test it:
| Requirement | How to assess it |
|---|---|
| Qualified or equivalent experience | Ask: "Walk me through your month-end close. Where does it usually go wrong?" |
| Ownership of a full close cycle | Ask: "Tell me about a control weakness you found. What did you do?" |
| Strong reconciliation and controls discipline | Ask: "A department head disputes their cost allocation. How do you handle it?" |
| Ability to explain figures to non-finance colleagues | Ask: "How do you approach a forecast when the business is changing fast?" |
Full question set with strong and weak answer guidance: finance manager interview questions.
On salary
Publish a range. Pay transparency requirements are expanding across the EU and parts of the US, candidates increasingly filter out roles without one, and omitting it mainly advantages whoever negotiates hardest — which correlates with confidence rather than contribution. See compensation bands.
Generate a version specific to your company and role with the free job description generator.