VP OF FINANCE: ROLE,

RESPONSIBILITIES, & JOB

DESCRIPTION

 SO WHAT PUTS THE VP IN "VP

OF FINANCE?" AND WHAT
MAKES THIS ROLE DIFFERENT
FROM CFO OR HEAD OF
FINANCE?

In this topic, we’re getting into what you

can expect as a VP of finance, the
general responsibilities of the role, and
how it fits into the larger corporate
finance.

 WHAT IS A VP OF VP OF FINANCE
FINANCE? STANDS FOR
The individual in this role oversees the VICE PRESIDENT
day-to-day financial management of OF FINANCE.
the organization. Key responsibilities

include managing risk and investment

strategies, alongside tracking the overall
financial health of the company.
 VP OF FINANCE VICE PRESIDENT ROLES
POSITION

INCLUDES;
The VP of Finance position is
senior, but depends on the VP of Marketing
company size. In smaller
VP of Sales
companies, the title of ‘VP of
Finance’ can be interchangeable VP of Human Resources
with ‘Chief Financial Officer’ (CFO),
'Executive Director' or ‘Head of VP of Business Development
Finance’.

 VP OF
MARKETING
Vice President (VP) of Marketing- is a marketing
expert who takes responsibility for overall
marketing results of a company. Vice
President (VP) of Marketing oversees marketing
strategies and efforts in order to strengthen
company's market position and achieve desired
business goals.

 VP OF
SALES
The Vice President of Sales (VP of Sales)
is a professional who oversees all sales
operations in a company. They are tasked
with creating strategies that will exceed
goals for their organization.
 VP OF HUMAN
RESOURCES
A VP of Human Resources is responsible for
the effective operations of an organization's
human resources department. They support
those within the department, as well as CEOs,
COOs and other C-suite leaders in big-picture
planning for an organization.
 VP OF BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
A vice president (VP) of business development
is responsible for setting company sales
targets and marketing goals. Their job duties
include developing production and sales goals,
consulting with management about the overall
monetary health of the organization, getting
new contracts, and overseeing salespeople.

The VP of Finance handles more
administrative tasks such as
payroll set up, financial
reporting, the budgeting
process, risk management and
financial analysis. Alongside this,
the Vice President Finance will lead
a team of financial analysts,
accountants and bookkeepers.
Mark Partin, CFO of
Blackline, reminds us that
the financial leadership
team is required to be on
top of the information
flow, “valuable data
resides across the whole
business. It’s a battle to
find out who has the best
data, much less what this
data is.”
It’s not just about looking at
the numbers. Instead, the
role requires you to THIS PROCESS
interpret financial IS KNOWN AS
performance and create a FINANCIAL
reporting system to ensure CONTROL.
the consistent delivery of

data, such as monthly

financial statements
 JOB DESCRIPTION
OF A VP OF
FINANCE
Generally speaking,
The role involves a good
The VP of finance is the
portion of administration
inward-facing leader of the
and management duties.
finance team.

 DESCRIPTION ;A VP of Finance that also oversees

political or public-facing financial

40% of finance professionals
obligations, this should be made clear
are currently considering
leaving their jobs, so being able within the job description. It leads to a
to turn this simple coexistence
significantly different level of exposure
into a thriving team
environment is key. to the member of staff involved and

might not suit every personality type.

 Here are some examples of the typical
responsibilities:

•Budgeting strategy
TYPICAL •Investment planning
RESPONSIBILITIES •Insurance coverage
•Growth finance options / pitches
•Analysis of market trends
•Payroll and cash flow management
•Accounting reports and analysis

 Leading on from the job description and

responsibilities listed above, great VPs of finance can
also:

DESIRED

•Build robust internal financial and operational

SKILLS processes
•Oversee purchasing and procurement at a high level
•Interpret and communicate the latest financial reports
to the wider business
•Make smart financial decisions for the company
•Install efficient technology and tools to help the
finance team do its best work
•Build a successful, high-functioning finance team
VP OF FINANCE
SALARY
Salaries always depend on a wide
range of factors, including the
company size, industry, and your
own experience level. And
negotiations will also have a large
impact.
 QUESTION;
is CFO & VP of Finance are
the same? or
Are they different from
each other?
 VP OF FINANCE CFO stands for Chief Financial Officer.
VS CFO

They're the finance director at a
The CFO is typically more
company level, and partake in their
public- and investor-facing,
which can come with a lot of duties in a more visionary, ‘big picture’
pressure. In fact, 10% of CFOs
manner. They're also Typically more
won’t make it to the first
anniversary of their hiring. senior than the VP of Finance.


Here’s the catch:
The responsibilities and day-to-
day work in both roles can be
almost identical. In fact, the
largest difference between VP of
Finance and CFO is often just
the day-to-day running by
the level of seniority.
But, in companies that
hold space for both VP
of Finance and CFO
roles, you’ll likely notice a
difference in the level of
transformational impact
a CFO will have,
compared to stability in
a VP of Finance.

 BECOMING A VP OF These types of roles include

FINANCE the following;
Financial controller
A bachelor’s degree in finance,
Financial analyst
accounting or another related field
Accountant&
will usually offer a good bridge into
the entry level positions, but it’s the
Bookkeeper.
hands-on experience that makes

all the difference.

 FINANCIAL
CONTROLLER

A financial controller essentially is

a company's lead accountant.
They oversee accounting activities
and ensure that ledgers accurately
reflect money coming in and out of
the company.
FINANCIAL
ANALYST Financial analysts guide
businesses and individuals in
decisions about expending
money to attain profit. They
assess the performance of stocks,
bonds, and other types of
investments.
ACCOUNTANT In general, accountants compile,
analyze, verify and prepare financial
records for their department or
organization as a whole, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In
layman's terms, they work with financial
documents to ensure lawful, efficient
and compliant business practices
BOOKKEEPER Bookkeepers are responsible for
providing accurate, up-to-date
financial information about a
business. They're always taking the
pulse of a business. Most often, their
reports go to business owners and
managers to help them make
decisions.
 The VP of Finance role usually
requires a minimum of approximately
8 years experience, so taking on
extra responsibilities, such as
financial planning and analysis will
improve your chances.
As mentioned, it’s this ability to
lead a team and oversee multiple
projects that will ensure a VP of
Finance excels in their role.
 THANK YOU!
I hope this has helped you
understand more about the role
and whether it could be a good fit
for your skillset and personality
someday.