What jobs can I do with CIMA?
CIMA is the best qualification if you want to get ahead in management accounting. There are so many roles open to you, even when you’ve only passed the first level and are part-qualified. So whether you’re using CIMA to break into the industry, or studying at a higher level to boost your career, there are plenty of jobs to choose from.
Certificate in Business Accounting level roles
Sales Ledger Clerk – you’d be responsible for processing invoices and making sure that every penny owed to a company is accounted for and invoiced. You could expect to earn around £19,500* per year.
Accounts Assistant – you would be providing administrative support to accountants, undertaking clerical tasks such as typing, filing, making phone calls, handling mail and basic bookkeeping. You could expect to earn around £19,800* per year.
Professional Operational level roles
Financial Analyst – you’ll be working in banks, pension funds, insurance companies, and other businesses. As a Financial Analyst you would provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. You would have to be able to assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments. You could expect to earn around £45,590**, a year in this role.
Junior Financial Analyst – you would be responsible for assisting senior analysts in various accounting and financial management duties. Depending on the structure of the organisation, you may be part of the accounting or finance department. You could expect to earn around £23,000*** per year.
Professional Management level roles
Fund Accountant – you’re responsible for keeping all aspects of fund accounts in order for the business. Work includes creating financial reports, controlling transactions and tracking yields and interest. You could expect to earn around £48,000** a year in this role.
Financial Accountant – you’d be responsible for budgeting, performing internal audits and managing tax payments, amongst lots of other duties. You would be a point of contact and authority for managers. You could expect to earn around £47,000** per year in this role.
Management Accountant – this role involves interpreting financial data and making informed strategic decisions that benefit the business. You might be working on monthly management accounts, year-end accounts, profit and loss reports, analysing balance sheets, budgets and forecasting. You could expect to earn around £40,000** a year in this role.
Strategic Professional level roles
Financial Controller – you would be responsible for overseeing the preparation of financial statements and ensuring insightful data from the reports. You will also verify the authenticity of financial reports, regulatory compliance and analysis of financial data. You could expect to earn around £58,000** per year in this role.
Financial Manager – this is a varied role, depending on the organisation you work for. If the business is larger, then the role could be more about strategic analysis, but in a smaller organisation a finance manager might be more involved in the collection and preparation of accounts.
Other responsibilities could be management and development of junior staff, being the point of contact for audits, both internal and external, and reporting actuals to management. You could expect to earn around £63,000** a year in this role.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – you would take responsibility for the financial well being of an organisation, by managing and reporting on an organisation’s finances. You’ll be accountable for process and risk management, providing strategic recommendations, operations, financial planning, and financial information, as well as the leadership and direction of the wider team. You could expect to earn over £100,000 a year in this role.
Could CIMA be the qualification for you?
Being CIMA qualified in some capacity will help boost your employability in all of the above roles, and many others.
The CIMA Certificate will make you eligible for entry-level to mid-level roles, whilst the CIMA Professional qualification is usually required for more senior level roles. But no matter where you start, it’s a great qualification to have and is recognised around the world.
So if you’re interested in reaching new heights in your career, why not try our online course to find out if CIMA is right for you? Try CIMA free for 7 days
*Source: payscale.com
**Source: reed.co.uk
***Source: glassdoor.co.uk