Controller Interview Questions

1.1Controller mandate - ownership of the accounting function, financial integrity, and compliance

1.2The controller as a technical leader - setting standards, making judgements, and advising the CFO

1.3Controller vs CFO - the boundary between accounting oversight and financial strategy

1.4Building and leading a world-class accounting and reporting function

2.1Designing a fast, accurate close process - automation, governance, and continuous improvement

2.2External financial reporting - statutory accounts, regulatory filings, and disclosure management

2.3Multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation - eliminations, translation, and reporting at group level

2.4Management reporting - producing timely, accurate, and insightful financial results for leadership

3.1Revenue recognition under IFRS 15 and ASC 606 - judgements, estimates, and disclosure

3.2Lease accounting under IFRS 16 and ASC 842 - asset recognition, amortisation, and impact on ratios

3.3Business combinations - purchase price allocation, goodwill, and post-acquisition accounting

3.4Impairment testing - when to test, methodology, and disclosures required

4.1Designing a robust internal controls framework - control environment, risk assessment, and monitoring

4.2SOX Section 404 compliance - management assessment, documentation, and working with external auditors

4.3Remediating control deficiencies - root cause analysis, compensating controls, and re-testing

4.4Building a compliance culture - how the controller sets the tone for financial integrity

5.1Cash management - daily cash positioning, banking relationships, and working capital optimisation

5.2Foreign exchange management - hedging policies, instruments, and accounting for hedges

5.3Debt management - covenant compliance, interest accounting, and working with lenders

5.4Insurance and risk financing - the controller role in managing financial risk exposures

6.1Corporate tax provision - ASC 740 and IAS 12, current and deferred tax, and effective tax rate management

6.2Transfer pricing - documentation requirements, risk assessment, and working with the tax team

6.3Tax accounting - ensuring tax positions are correctly reflected in the financial statements

6.4Indirect tax - VAT, sales tax, and customs duties at scale across multiple jurisdictions

7.1Managing the audit relationship - planning, fee negotiation, and keeping the audit on track

7.2Audit committee reporting - what the controller presents and how to handle tough questions

7.3Regulatory filings - SEC reporting, Companies House, and equivalent filings in other jurisdictions

7.4Audit findings - responding to management letter points and driving genuine remediation

8.1ERP strategy - system selection, implementation oversight, and post-go-live stabilisation

8.2Finance automation - RPA, AI, and the controller role in modernising the accounting function

8.3Data governance - chart of accounts management, master data, and reporting infrastructure

8.4Building the business case for finance technology investment

9.1Enterprise risk management - the controller role in identifying, quantifying, and mitigating financial risk

9.2Ethics in finance - fraud risk, whistleblower programmes, and the tone from the top

9.3Financial restatements - causes, consequences, and how to prevent them

9.4Dealing with accounting irregularities - identification, escalation, and remediation

10.1Technical questions - complex accounting standards, consolidation, SOX, and treasury

10.2Leadership questions - building a team, managing a transformation, and operating at board level

10.3Scenario questions - handling a restatement risk, an audit dispute, or a control breakdown

10.4Salary negotiation, board-level questions to ask, and positioning yourself as a CFO-ready leader