Financial managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.
Financial managers plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment. The role reports a median annual salary of $161,700 in the US and is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.59 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include accounting department processes, funding methods, financial department processes, banking activities, financial statements.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £76,447 a year for Financial managers and directors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £50,000 to £120,417 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 1131). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Financial managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Certification CA through ICAI (Foundation or graduate direct entry, articleship, Final), or a Bachelor's degree[1][2]
- 2 · Entrance exam CAT for admission to a management programme at an IIM[2]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- ICAI — FAQs on the CA course (New Scheme of Education and Training) (read on 2026-09-27)
- CAT eligibility — Indian Institutes of Management (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Law and Government
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Sales and Marketing
A day in the life
You start the morning checking the day's cash position, making sure there is enough money to cover payments and that surplus funds are placed wisely. Next you meet your team to review the monthly cost report, asking questions about spending that has run above plan. Mid-morning you speak with an important business client about a problem with their account and agree a solution. You then approve new controls for handling sensitive records and assets, tightening a process after an audit finding. After lunch you interview a candidate for an analyst position and review the progress of a staff training programme. In the afternoon you prepare an update for investors, explaining recent results and the plan for raising new funds. Double-checking figures and reconciling reports can be tedious. But steering the organisation's finances through a tricky period and seeing it come out stronger is highly satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Establish and maintain relationships with individual or business customers or provide assistance with problems these customers may encounter.
- Oversee the flow of cash or financial instruments.
- Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of workers in branches, offices, or departments of establishments, such as branch banks, brokerage firms, risk and insurance departments, or credit departments.
- Recruit staff members.
- Evaluate data pertaining to costs to plan budgets.
- Oversee training programs.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Financial managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.
What does a typical day look like in Financial managers?
You start the morning checking the day's cash position, making sure there is enough money to cover payments and that surplus funds are placed wisely. Next you meet your team to review the monthly cost report, asking questions about spending that has run above plan. Mid-morning you speak with an important business client about a problem with their account and agree a solution. You then approve new controls for handling sensitive records and assets, tightening a process after an audit finding.
How much does Financial managers earn?
The median annual salary for Financial managers in the US is $161,700.
What is the job outlook for Financial managers?
The role is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 868,600 workers.
How do I become financial managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Financial managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include accounting department processes, funding methods, financial department processes, banking activities, financial statements, financial forecasting. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Financial managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Financial managers a score of 0.59 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Financial managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.