Corporate treasurer: job description

What does a corporate treasurer do? | Graduate salaries | Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Corporate treasurers are employed by large companies across a range of industries including retail, telecommunications and manufacturing. They’re responsible for ensuring the financial success of these companies by managing their money and financial risks.

Typical duties include:

• assessing, reviewing and protecting company financial well-being
• ensuring cash flow is adequate
• handling daily cash balances and the money market
• ensuring that proposed projects are likely to be beneficial
• managing major projects such as company refinancing
• assessing the likely impact of problems such as late payment and limited cash flow
• making decisions about company funding options, insurance contracts and other financial issues
• carrying out risk management activities
• liaising with company investors, bankers and senior managers
• negotiating and evaluating overdrafts and loans with bankers.

It’s often only large organisations that employ corporate treasurers, meaning that in the UK most jobs in the field are in London and other large cities. Typically, you’ll start in a general financial or treasury role treasury role and work your way up to corporate treasurer level. Read our article on treasury role how to secure your first job in accountancy and financial management to find out more.

Graduate salaries

According to the Association of Corporate Treasurers, salaries for graduate roles tend to start at around £25,000 and will rise on qualification.

Typical employers of corporate treasurers

• Large organisations such as finance and law firms, retailers and media organisations.
• Public sector bodies.

Look for graduate treasury and accounting jobs on targetjobs.co.uk and the Association of Corporate Treasurers’ (ACT) website, or via your careers service.

Qualifications and training required

There are routes into a career in corporate treasury for both university graduates and school leavers, who can join an apprenticeship scheme to build the experience needed.

Graduates should have either at least an undergraduate degree in accountancy, finance, economics, banking or business studies (or a joint honours degree including one of these topics), or any other degree plus a year’s treasury work experience. This will allow you direct entry (ie exemption from some exams) to complete professional qualifications with and become a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT).

Key skills for corporate treasurers

• Analytical skills.
• A high level of numeracy skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• The ability to keep calm under pressure.