The treasury function is increasing in demand as organizations navigate economic uncertainty and market volatility. In fact, treasury manager is the 13th fastest growing job in the U.S., according to LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2025.

Today’s treasury teams are embracing a more strategic role, optimizing capital allocation, managing risk proactively and ensuring their organizations remain resilient in an ever-changing global landscape. Given the evolving nature of treasury, continuous skills development is essential to career success.

Whether you’re starting out as a treasury analyst or leading teams as a treasurer, below are seven treasury skills you’ll need to effectively support your organization, according to the 2025 AFP Treasury Benchmarking Survey. Depending on your role, the amount of expertise you’ll need in each skill will vary. Attaining expertise across all of these skills will make you a more well-rounded treasury professional.

1. Bank Relationship Management

Bank relationship management is the skill treasury professionals use most to support their organizations, according to AFP’s survey. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents reported that they use it a moderate or significant extent.

Managing relationships with financial institutions is an important part of what treasury does, as treasury professionals serve as the primary contact for these relationships. Developing a positive relationship between treasury and banking partners can create a system of financial stability and resiliency.

Some treasury tasks related to bank relationship management include:

• Leveraging existing banking relationships to open, manage and maintain domestic and foreign bank accounts.
• Implementing new bank technologies, products and services to improve the cash cycle and simplify company operations.
• Conducting a bank fee analysis and negotiating better fees and rates if needed.

2. Cash Forecasting

Cash forecasting ranked second among the skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations. Over 70% of treasury functions reported using cash forecasting to a significant extent.

Cash forecasting supports cash and liquidity management, the number one priority for treasurers, according to PwC’s 2023 Global Treasury Survey. By estimating future cash needs through cash forecasting, companies can better ensure they will meet their current and future financial obligations in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Some treasury tasks related to cash forecasting include:

• Working with project managers, project controllers and the sales department to accurately forecast timing and amount of future cash flows.
• Working with FP&A to develop operating cash flow forecasts, enhance visibility into global cash balances, optimize working capital, and establish metrics and KPIs.
• Preparing cash flow reports and identifying and evaluating variances.

3. Critical Thinking and Strategic Thinking

Coming in third for skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations are critical thinking and strategic thinking skills. Fifty-seven percent of survey respondents said they use these skills to a significant extent.

Executive leadership is increasingly turning to treasury for strategic insights that support business objectives. In fact, 96% of respondents to the 2024 Deloitte Global Treasury Survey said that being a value-add partner to the CFO is part of the treasury function’s mandate.

Critical thinking and strategic thinking are necessary to enable treasury professionals to find solutions to problems, assess and mitigate evolving risks and make decisions that align with the broader corporate strategy.

Some treasury tasks related to critical thinking and strategic thinking include:

• Using an enterprise risk management framework to systematically identify, assess and mitigate risks that threaten business objectives and proactively capitalize on opportunities that arise from uncertainty.
• Creating long-term cash flow forecasts to better understand how various strategic decisions could affect a company’s exposure to financial risk.
• Developing an approach to managing short-term investments that balances safety, liquidity and yield considerations while still meeting the company’s cash needs.

4. Communication

While communication skills ranked fourth among skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations, 96% of respondents to AFP’s survey agreed that communication is a critical skill for treasury leaders, managers and staff.

Treasury professionals need effective communication skills to present complex financial data in understandable formats for different audiences, accurately interpret stakeholder requests and concerns and tactfully address issues with stakeholders.

Some treasury tasks related to communication include:

• Negotiating with banks and lenders about terms, covenants and pricing.
• Explaining investment strategies, performance and risk considerations to executives and board members.
• Collaborating with IT and vendors when implementing or upgrading treasury technology.

5. Analytical Skills

Analytical skills came in fifth among the skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations. However, when looking at business competencies, strong analytical skills were identified by treasury professionals as the most important for career success, according to the 2024 AFP Compensation and Benefits Survey.

Treasury professionals use analytical skills to find, evaluate and interpret complex data. Their insights from the data are critical to making decisions that benefit a company’s financial health.

Some treasury tasks related to analytical skills include:

• Leveraging predictive analytics to better understand the company’s cash positions and improve cash flow forecasting.
• Assessing financial factors, such as assets and liabilities, and qualitative factors, such as history of relationship and complexity of supply chain, to evaluate the creditworthiness of suppliers.
• Reviewing and analyzing banking and investment management fees to identify opportunities for cost reductions.

6. Collaboration

Sixth on the list of skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations is collaboration skills. Treasury professionals maintain numerous external relationships with entities including financial institutions, financial markets, credit rating agencies and auditors. Additionally, they provide significant support to other internal departments.

For example, the treasury function may assist human resources by managing 401k investments. It may provide direct deposit support to the payroll function, provide accounts payable (AP) with access to the payment rails, and collaborate with the procurement and supply chain function to optimize working capital.

Some treasury tasks related to collaboration skills include:

• Supporting FP&A by identifying financial risk exposures and any natural hedges in different scenarios and potential business strategies.
• Collaborating with IT to establish and maintain treasury technology solutions.
• Working with AP to ensure protections are in place for banking tools to mitigate fraud.

7. Leadership

Leadership skills ranked seventh among the skills treasury professionals use most to support their organizations. Naturally, senior treasury professionals who are, in fact, leading teams, scored leadership skills higher than other treasury professionals. Still, any treasury professional looking to progress in their career will want to develop their leadership skills.

Treasury professionals need to maintain a forward-looking mindset to future-proof their function. Gaining buy-in and cross-team alignment for a new way of working — and then implementing the change — requires leadership skills.

Some treasury tasks related to leadership skills include:

• Anticipating market trends — and corresponding risks and opportunities — to align treasury operations with the company’s long-term objectives.
• Staying abreast of new treasury technologies and implementing solutions to improve internal processes and create efficiencies.
• Fostering a culture of continuous learning by training team members and creating opportunities for professional development.

Advance Your Treasury Career

Success in today’s treasury calls for a blend of technical ability, financial acumen, strategic thinking and communication skills. Those who can combine treasury fundamentals with emerging capabilities will be best positioned to deliver value.

The treasury function of tomorrow will be defined not just by how well it manages cash and risk, but by how effectively it leverages technology and insights to support strategic decision-making and catalyze competitive advantage.

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