Although many people think of them simply as bean counters, the finance manager job description is a lot more involved than that. Their role is also a lot more vital to the success or failure of a business or large organization.
The finance manager or finance managers are responsible for assisting decision makers in understanding the current and possible future financial implications of the choices that they make for their organization. Not weighing the financial impact of their choices can have catastrophic results.
For example, the company may have developed a new product to release to the market. The company has to have a full understanding of its production and distribution capabilities, and what it can afford. Production alone does not get a product onto store shelves or in the hands of consumers. Not having the cash flow to get sales and marketing people to tell the world about the new product or to be able to afford to ship the new product to distribution centers will simply result in a lot of overstocked warehouses.
The company needs to understand how many it can produce and distribute based on its current financial situation. The profits from the new product may not be seen for months down the road.