A finance job description is a vital document that has an essential role in the hiring and recruitment process. Comprising finance tasks, skills, job duties, and responsibilities, the job description can be used to create a job advert, during interviews and candidate screening, and also later on during appraisals and performance reviews.

Considering these points, it is clear that you need to write a good finance job description that is as close to perfect as possible. With this in hand, you have the first part of the recruitment solution you need to hire a great financial analyst or other finance professionals and ensure your business’s success.

But where do you get started?

In this explainer, we discuss:

• What Is A Finance Job Description?
• How To Write A Finance Job Description
• Finance Duties And Responsibilities To Include In A Job Description
• Finance Tasks To Include In A Job Description
• Finance Skills To Include In A Job Description
• How To Engage Finance Candidates
• How To Use Hiring People’s Finance Job Description Templates

What Is A Finance Job Description?

A finance job description is a document that sets out the role’s duties, tasks, and key skills. Putting these in black and white is vital and will help you find the ideal candidate for a position that directly affects the financial health and performance of your business, and that of clients and customers as well.

The job description should be transparent and clearly set out who you are, who you want, what they will do, and why a finance professional or finance managers might want to work for you. It helps tremendously to use language and jargon that connects with and engages your audience.

When you get all of this right and include the best words to use when writing finance job descriptions, you will get job applications from qualified candidates that closely match your ideal person specification.

You can read more about Why It Is Important To Define What People Do In Their Jobs here.

How To Write A Finance Job Description

When writing a job description either for advertising a financial analyst job or an internal job specification you need to focus on 5 main criteria:

1. What are the key jobs, tasks, and duties required for a finance position
2. Consider all the job responsibilities required for a finance role
3. What skills the person must have for the job
4. What personality traits the person must have to work in finance
5. Appropriate and relevant education and qualifications

These five criteria should help you build a picture of your ideal candidate. Good questions to consider that will help you write a concise company job description that stands apart from others (essential in the current competitive job market), and attracts candidates of a high calibre, include:

• What value does this role bring to your company?
• How does the role align with your company culture, values, and mission?
• How does this role differ from other positions?
• How is this role similar to other positions?
• What are the minimum financial skills or transferable skills?
• What are examples of your standards, risks, and targets?

Suppose you are not hands-on in the finance department or highly familiar with the company’s financial practices, products, or services. In that case, it can help to interview one of your finance managers or an experienced financial analyst to gain a greater understanding.

A word about jargon: The phrase ‘jargon’ has good and bad connotations, and if it isn’t carefully considered, it may deter candidates from applying. Ask yourself if words and phrases are company exclusive or recognisable by individuals in the industry or by professionals who may have valuable transferable skills refined in alternative business sectors.

Furthermore, if you are hiring for senior-level or financial management positions, you might expect candidates to have a greater vocabulary and understanding of jargon and financial regulations. However, if you are hiring for a junior-level finance position, consider being as straightforward and transparent as possible.

Finance Duties And Responsibilities To Include In A Job Description

A finance professional’s duties are the must-do and high-priority responsibilities of the role. These are the job aspects that you will likely govern the individual’s performance on, and as you can imagine, these vary significantly depending on the focus and seniority of the position.

THE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES REQUIRED FOR A FINANCE ROLE

A finance person’s responsibilities and job duties might include:

• Processing financial transactions
• Conducting financial analysis
• Performing financial audits
• Financial reporting
• Business planning
• Generating financial reports
• Financial modelling
• Portfolio management
• Risk management
• Implementing and monitoring internal controls
• Setting and managing budgets

These duties are pretty generic, but you can make the job’s duties more engaging and meaningful by saying how the responsibility should be accomplished. For example, ‘You will perform financial audits, using data analysis to assess the company’s financial position.’

Finance Tasks To Include In A Job Description

The tasks of financial analysts and finance managers are any other activities that they complete occasionally or on a daily basis. These are usually subsidiary tasks such as entering financial data into accounting software and responding to client emails and enquiries.

It is tempting to leave some of the more ‘mundane’ tasks out to make your jobs sound more attractive, but this can lead to trouble down the road as you may recruit individuals that are not a perfect match. If you hire the wrong finance staff or financial analysts for your business or accountancy firm, co-workers, customers, and your company’s financial health may suffer. The employee might leave your company, and you are back to square one, requiring another investment in recruitment and training.

If you get to the end of the process outlined here and find that your job description is too long and concise has gone out the window, it is time to review your first draft. To bring things back into line, you should delete unnecessary phrases and fluff, remove prepositional phrases, focus on what is role critical, and refrain from putting your entire ‘about us’ page in your content.

THE IMPORTANT TASKS OF THE POSITION

Important tasks of financial analysts or a finance officer might include:

• Inputting financial data into financial software
• Creating, printing, or emailing financial statements
• Following market trends
• Drafting or approving financial documents
• Maintaining balance sheets
• Furthering their professional qualifications and professional development
• Answering incoming calls, emails, or chat sessions
• Attending team meetings
• Liaising with accounting professionals
• Researching economic conditions
• Streamlining processes and procedures
• Reviewing paperwork to check it is in line with financial regulations
• Arranging business insurance
• Tracking KPI metrics
• Managing accounts receivable and the company ledger
• Investigation financial discrepancies

Finance Skills To Include In A Job Description

Finance skills are defined as hard or soft skills. Soft skills are more general and can include desirable personality traits, such as numeracy or attention to detail. Hard skills are technical skills and usually prove a person’s knowledge or aptitude and include professional qualifications, certifications, or accreditations.

THE PERSONAL SKILLS THE PERSON MUST HAVE FOR THE JOB

The relevant skills or personal traits a good finance officer or financial manager should demonstrate include:

• Numeracy
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking
• Strategic thinking
• Active listening
• Selling skills
• Written and verbal communication
• Interpersonal abilities
• Decision making
• Time management
• Team-working and collaboration
• Problem-solving skills
• Objectivity
• Organisation
• Committed and target-driven
• Adaptable
• Multitasking
• Data entry skills
• Detail orientated / attention to detail
• Proactive questioning
• Motivational leadership (managers and senior executives)
• Reporting and presentation skills

THE HARD SKILLS THE PERSON MUST HAVE FOR THE JOB

The hard skills, technical skills, and education depend on the role and level of seniority, but might include:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Finance
• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) professional qualification
• Financial Risk Manager (FRM) professional qualification
• Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA)
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
• Associated Chartered Accountant (ACA) (senior accountant role)
• Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (APFS)
• Advanced Diploma in Banking & Finance (bank managers)
• Proficiency using financial software, C Suite, and MS Office

How To Engage Finance Candidates

As a final note for employers and recruiters, it is crucial to remember that while a job description is about what and who you want, describing this alone will not create an inbox full of eager candidates willing to comply. A financial analyst or finance officer job description and job advert must go beyond the duties, skills, education, qualifications, traits, and tasks that you want and communicate the position’s value to job seekers.

Your business should convey its employee value propositions to engage candidates, highlighting both monetary and other benefits. Benefits that will entice qualified job seekers to apply might include:

• Stating the financial manager or financial analyst salary or average salary range (find the average salary here) rather than saying ‘competitive salary’
• Focusing on work-life balance
• Flexible working – are hours flexible, or is the role remote/work from home?
• Opportunities to gain additional qualifications (such as a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting)
• Career development opportunities
• The quality of facilities, equipment, services, or products
• How the company’s values align with those of customers and employees

How To Use Hiring People’s Finance Job Description Templates

We have a job description template available for all finance jobs. You should pick the job description template most appropriate to your roles and job titles, considering what job seekers may search for on job boards and in search engines.

Once you have selected your job description template, download it, personalise it, or convert it to a job advert. From here, you can post/advertise your job across our network of general, niche, and geographical job boards.

FIND YOUR FINANCE JOB DESCRIPTION BELOW:

FINANCIAL ANALYST JOB DESCRIPTION

The Financial Analyst job title is held by a professional whose duties include interpreting financial data and creating forecasting reports. They use financial analysis skills to make risk assessments and for financial modelling.

Financial Analyst Job Description Example

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Financial Controller job describes a role where the duties consist of monitoring internal controls and policies. They use their skills to audit financial information, manage financial transactions, and implement financial plans and strategies.

Financial Controller Job Description Example

FINANCE ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION

The Finance Assistant job title is given to more general roles where duties and tasks might include producing company invoices, payment processing, or overseeing clients’ accounts. While they may not necessarily be university graduates, they should have excellent skills, such as analysis and problem-solving skills, which may have been honed in a different business sector or a related field.

Finance Assistant Job Description Example

FINANCE DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

The Finance Director title is held by a senior executive who typically has financial management experience and a financial or accounting degree. They report to company stakeholders and investors, prepare budgets, oversee cash flows and resources, make profit and loss forecasts, make financial decisions, and direct the financial strategy.

Finance Director Job Description Example

FINANCE MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Finance Manager job title describes a person whose duties include organising and planning financial projects. They may collaborate with project managers, estimate required funds and resources, minimise debt costs, and help the company achieve profitability and growth.

Finance Manager Job Description Example

CREDIT CONTROLLER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Credit Controller job title covers professionals specialising in managing business debtors and creditors. They use their skills to complete tasks such as chasing overdue payments, running credit checks, evaluating credit risk, creating financial reports, and maintaining accurate financial records.

Credit Controller Job Description Example

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) JOB DESCRIPTION

The Chief Financial Officer creates plans and actions based on an analysis of the company’s financial information, weaknesses, and strengths. They use strategic thinking and may oversee the company’ financial IT systems, investor relations, cash flow tracking, and working capital. They might lead many employers, including lower-level executives and finance managers.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Job Description Example

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE JOB DESCRIPTION

The Accounts Payable jobs require individuals who can prepare business invoices and ensure payments are received promptly. The aim of accounts payable is to reduce outstanding debt and handle tasks such as updating financial records and balance sheets, issuing payment reminders, preparing bank remittances, and coordinating actions with the accounts receivable team.

Accounts Payable Job Description Example

FINANCE OFFICER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Finance Officer job title is held by the person who manages the company’s financial regulations, policies, and procedures. They monitor financial transactions, plan budgets, create balance sheets, and make bank deposits.

Finance Officer Job Description Example

FINANCIAL ADVISOR JOB DESCRIPTION

The Financial Advisor title is held by a finance officer who helps customers with financial planning and resilience. They use their knowledge of market trends and services to sell pensions, insurance, and investment products.

Financial Advisor Job Description Example

FURTHER FINANCE JOB DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES

• Finance Officer Job Description
• Quantitative Analyst Job Description
• Purchasing Clerk Job Description
• Procurement Specialist Job Description
• Procurement Officer Job Description
• Procurement Analyst Job Description
• Financial Specialist Job Description
• Wealth Manager Job Description
• Senior Financial Analyst Job Description
• Risk Manager Job Description
• Project Accountant Job Description
• Loan Processor Job Description
• Grant Writer Job Description
• Head of Finance Job Description
• Financial Services Representative Job Description
• Financial Planner Job Description
• Financial Officer Job Description
• Financial Coordinator Job Description
• Financial Controller Job Description
• Financial Advisor Job Description
• Financial Accountant Job Description
• Finance Director Job Description
• Finance Assistant Job Description
• Director of Finance Job Description

Further Resources For Employers And Hiring Managers

If you are not quite ready to submit your job advert and are at the beginning of the hiring process, we recommend reading:

• How To Hire Finance Staff
• Key Roles And Responsibilities In Finance
• Preparing Job Descriptions
• Posting On Job Boards And Leveraging Fixed Cost Recruitment

Finance Job Description FAQS

Here we answer your questions on finance roles, job titles, and job descriptions.

Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Different Sectors

Find the duties, tasks, and skills for different sectors and job descriptions:

• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Accounting Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Administration Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Civil Service Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Construction Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Customer Services Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Education Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Finance Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For IT Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Marketing Job Description
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Retail Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Sales Job Descriptions
• Duties, Tasks, And Skills For Transportation Job Descriptions

The post What Are The Duties, Tasks, And Skills To Include In Finance Job Descriptions appeared first on Hiring People.