How to Become a Treasury Manager: Career Path Guide
Becoming a treasury manager could be a great fit for you if you are interested in financial markets, making decisions, problem solving, managing the work activities of others, and you love working with a variety of different people.
Basically, to enter this field you’ll need a combination of technical, finance and social skills, and a willingness to become closely involved in the financial happenings of an organization and its people.
It’s also important that you have an ethical approach to business activities, and you act with integrity when making business decisions.
So, if you'd like to know more about the ins and outs of this field then read on; we’ll fill you in on what you would be doing for a living, how much you could earn, and what you’ll need to break into this profession!
Education Needed to Become a Treasury Manager
Most employers will require that you have a bachelor’s degree, and some may require a master’s degree.
You degree could be in almost any academic field, but business or finance-related degrees are most relevant. The following fields are especially useful:
• Accounting
• Business Administration
• Economics
• Finance
• Math
Experience You’ll Need
In order to be considered for the role as treasury manager, many employers will require you to have accumulated a few years worth experience in certain areas, which may include some or all of the following, depending on the job:
• Treasury experience
• Management/leadership experience
• Finance, including investment and cash management experience
• Experience in the employer’s industry
Skills Needed to Succeed
In order to perform the job of a treasury manager with competence, you’ll need a certain set of skills, including:
• Able to properly manage investments, including handling surplus cash and borrowing requirements
• Familiarity with raising capital for mergers and acquisitions, and assessing the associated risks and opportunities
• Knowledge of how external market conditions can impact an organization
• Able to develop a financial strategy and policies to support organizational objectives
• Able to identify, assess and manage financial risks.
• Confidence when communicating with key stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization
• Able to collect, analyze and translate data into easy to understand information
• Able to persuade others to support ideas or plans that could add value to the an organization
Certification for Becoming a Treasury Manager
Some employers may require that you hold certain designations related to accounting, finance or treasury. Common types of certification employers look for include:
• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA - Canada)
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA - United States)
• Certified Treasury Professional
• Chartered Financial Analyst
The certification requirements can vary quite a bit from employer to employer. Some may not even you to hold any kind of professional designation.
Treasury Manager: General Job Description
As a treasury manager the responsibilities of your job can vary based on the needs and size of your organization, but your main duty would be to look after your organization's funds.
This would involve designing and executing comprehensive financial plans for your organization, raising capital, making budget forecasts, managing funds and investments, directing the treasury department, preparing financial reports for the management team, and more.
Basically, you would need to plan, manage and monitor the efficient utilization of cash and financial resources in accordance with the objectives of your organization.
General Job Duties
Despite the fact that your specific duties would differ from job to job, you could generally expect to perform the following duties in almost any role:
• Oversee the activities of Treasury department staff
• Manage daily cash balances and trading in the financial markets
• Ensure that your organization’s cash flow is adequate to allow it to operate effectively
• Forecast cash payments and anticipate challenges arising from limited cash flow
• Undertake risk management activities to protect your organization’s financial wellbeing
• Make decisions on your organization’s finances, for example, the funding of operations and projects
• Progress specific financial projects, such as acquisition of another business
• Evaluate the financial impact of new business ventures
• Liaise with other departments, such as tax and accountancy, on a range of issues
• Keep abreast with accounting rules, tax and regulation and how they may affect your operations
Is This Field Right for You?
In-demand skills and character traits for working as a treasury manager include:
• Good with numbers
• Problem solving, big picture thinker
• Good at strategic thinking and planning
• A desire to be in a pivotal role in an organization
• Open to variety and challenge in your work
• Very good at attention to detail
• Outgoing and sociable
• A good communicator
• Confident to work with people at all levels and from different fields
• Conservative in terms of financial risk
Who Employs Treasury Managers?
As a treasury manager, you could be working anywhere around the world, and for any type of organization; large multi-national corporations, not for profit organizations, and government departments.
You probably won’t find work in very small businesses and start-ups however, as they won’t have treasury as a standalone role/function. Instead, other staff will carry out specific treasury activities as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
Treasury Manager Average Salary Level
No two salaries are the The salary level you could earn as a treasury manager can vary, depending on the following factors:
• Your professional qualifications (level of experience, education, etc.)
• The type of industry in which you work
• The region in which you work
• The scope of your job duties
Treasury Manager Salary - Canada: According to Service Canada, the average salary level of Canadians working in the Financial Managers occupational group is $92,100 per year.
Project Analyst Salary - United Kingdom: According to the Association of Corporate Treasurers, the salaries for graduate and assistant level roles within the general field of treasury work will start from £25,000 per year. In senior roles, you can earn from £100,000 per year. Bonuses and benefits packages may also be provided.
Project Analyst Salary - United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary level of Americans working in the Financial Managers occupational group is $115,320 per year.
Career Advancement as a Treasury Manager
Being treasury manager, you’ll be near the top of the totem in terms of that department. However, that doesn’t mean that your career won’t be able to progress.
As a treasury manager, you’ll liaise with many departments in and outside your organization, so there is potential to branch out into other financial areas.
You could also become a specialist in specific areas of treasury management, such as liquidity management, risk management or corporate finance. You could also move into very senior roles with your organization (or an outside organization) such as director of finance or chief financial officer (CFO).
Alternatively, with suitable qualifications, you may progress to other senior financial positions on the basis of your knowledge of accounting, tax and business administration.
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Work Environment
Working Hours: As a treasury manager, you would likely work regular, weekday working hours, which could stretch into evenings and weekends on occasion.
Work Setting: Your work would take place primarily in an office setting. You may be required to travel from time to time, in order to meet with customers and to go to meetings for various financial associations in order to stay up to date with any developments in the field.
Working Conditions: You would spend a good deal of your time sitting at your desk and looking over documents and reports. You would also spend some of your working hours attending meetings with various colleagues, including executive management and departmental managers.
Careers Similar to ‘Treasury Manager
Listed below are occupations in our database that have similar responsibilities, and/or require similar skills, or be in the same sector of industry, as Treasury Manager:
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Investment Portfolio Manager
References
Please consult the following resources to learn more about what treasury managers do for a living, and how you can become one:
Wages & Salaries in Alberta: “Financial Managers.” (March 29, 2015). ALIS website - Alberta Learning Information Service. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
Management: “Financial Managers.” (September 4, 2019). Bureau of Labor Statistics - United States Government website. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
Career Advice: “Become a treasury manager.” (n.d.). Robert Walters website. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
Academy: “Why Choose a Career in Treasury.” (n.d.) The Association of Corporate Treasurers website. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
Scholarships for Becoming a Treasury Manager
The “Applicable Majors” section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a treasury manager. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on the following pages:
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!
Becoming a Treasury Manager: Applicable Majors
Studying one of the college/university majors listed below can be helpful (or are necessary) for becoming a treasury manager. Click on the links to find out what else you can do with these majors!
