What finance roles are out there?

We’re in a jobseeker’s market. Indeed, the number of vacancies outweigh the number of candidates to such an extent that the amount of choice can be slightly bewildering.

Careers in finance offer a huge variety of positions depending on what direction you would like to take. Jobs across the charity, public and not-for-profit sectors in particular provide opportunities to experience a wide range of roles, responsibilities as well as differing sizes and cultures of organisations. This is brilliant news if you are a finance candidate or are considering a job in finance – but what exactly are the available options?

Our consultants speak to organisations who are recruiting every day, and therefore have a comprehensive view of the market, which jobs are trending and what is required for each role.

Of course, what you deem as a ‘good’ job will rely entirely on what your priorities are, whether that be salary, satisfaction, flexibility or otherwise. So, we wanted to take this opportunity to breakdown a selection of the most highly sought-after roles and what experience you need to secure them.

In their list of most In-Demand Finance and Accounting Jobs, Indeed include:

• Accountant

Accountancy is a highly skilled and highly-disciplined field, which is why it remains in demand across the UK. In fact, research shows that country will need around 80,000 additional Accountants by 2050.

Accountants are responsible for a wide range of finance-related tasks including reconciling accounts, preparing financial statements, and ensuring their clients adhere to certain rules and legislation. Other tasks might include providing financial recommendations to management teams and implementing corrective actions based on previous account audits.

• Financial Analyst

The demand for financial analysts has been growing steadily and the market is set to grow by 6 per cent between 2020 and 2030. The profession includes analysing market data in order to help predict an organisation’s investment performance, providing investment recommendations and improving their performance.

They can also help companies to source funding or opportunities to improve their market strength by gathering information on customer preferences and behaviour.

Additional responsibilities can include presenting financial assessments, collaborating with senior management teams and generating end-on-month reports.

Money makes the world go around

When we speak about roles in finance, the topic on everyone’s lips, particularly in the current economic climate, is salary. Although we know that salary is only one part of the puzzle and is not the be all and end all, it of course does play a big part.

There is often a common misconception that if you choose to work for a charity or non-profit you will automatically sacrifice on pay. Although it may be true that a charity might not have the bottomless pit of funds that a large company does, it doesn’t mean that highly-paid roles don't exist, or that these organisations will not pay well for the right talent.

We’ve picked a cross-section of positions across different industries (all of which are either within the charity, not-for-profit or public sectors) to highlight the breadth of available opportunities and to emphasise that you are not limiting your experience nor salary by opting for a career full of purpose in the third sector. These are just a snapshot and can of course vary depending on the organisation.

Director of Finance & Resources

• Approximate salary: £60,000 plus
• Typically requires: a relevant accountancy qualification or equivalent, experience at a Director level, experience of overseeing other areas outside of finance and an understanding of income generation, grant management and restricted funding processes.
   

Assistant Accountant

• Approximate salary £25,000 plus
• Typically requires: to be part qualified within CCAB or equivalent, knowledge of basic accounting principles, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills and experience of delivering financial transactional processing services.

Financial Controller

• Approximate salary £50,000 plus
• Typically requires: relevant accountancy qualifications or equivalent, proven management and financial accounting experience and excellent communication skills.
   

Accounts Receivable Clerk

• Approximate salary £24,000 plus
• Typically requires: a strong background in Accounts Receivable, proven Excel skills and being extremely personable with the ability to liaise with various areas of the organisation.
   

A rewarding career

As we have explored previously, however, a knock-on effect of the pandemic has been for employees to have an even greater focus on finding a work-life balance and achieving career satisfaction.  A whitepaper by Workhuman found that workers across all age groups ranked meaningful work as most important – beating out all other options, including positive company culture, compensation and perks, and a fun team.

If you are looking for a rewarding career, you’ll be pleased to know that finance professionals are among the most satisfied workers, according to a recent survey by Monster, which found that more than one third (36 per cent) of finance and accounting professionals expressed satisfaction with all aspects of their job.

If you are considering a career in finance, or a career change, it is worth doing some research into exactly what each role involves day-to-day. Do you like working across teams and speaking to different stakeholders? Then a cross-department role like a Finance Project Manager might be for you. More interested in the finer details such as managing cash flow and monitoring profit and loss? Then a career in accountancy or financial management may be more up your street.

If you are unclear about what job position might suit the qualifications that you have or which way to take your career next, speak to a recruitment agency today. Even if you are unsure of whether you are ready to move to your next role, it is always beneficial to have a sense of what is out there and if there are further qualifications that you need to take to secure that dream role – now is the time to do it!

If you’re looking to take on a new role, we know the industry inside-out and can help you to find a role that fits your skillset – get in touch with our team today: https://www.robertsonbell.co.uk/