MightyRecruiterWriting a professional-looking and eye-catching job description from scratch can be a difficult undertaking, especially if you do not have direct experience doing so. Your job description will be your key to attracting the type of talent that your company needs and deserves, so it is understandable that you may feel a bit overwhelmed at first. There is no need to worry since there are proven methods and techniques that you can use to help you create an effective job description. If you have been charged with writing or posting a job description for your company, let the Senior Accountant Job Description Sample below serve as a guide and template for your own creation.
Senior Accountant Job Summary
As the senior accountant, you will be responsible for maintaining the integrity of accounting information by verifying, recording, consolidating, and inputting transactions. Preparing and recording assets and revenue will be required on a daily basis, and you should feel comfortable interacting with and assisting lower-level accountants.
Senior Accountant Job Responsibilities and Duties:
- Records accounting information in a professional and detailed fashion
- Balances subsidiary accounts by authenticating, allocating, posting, reconciling transactions, and addressing discrepancies
- Prints employee checks and verifies finished products
- Analyzes and schedules general ledger accounts in order to complete external audits
- Transfers subsidiary accounts and prepares trial balances
- Complies with legal and company policies
- Secures sensitive financial data by updating database backups
- Frequently updates professional knowledge by attending classes, reading accounting publications, and participating in workshops
Senior Accountant Skills and Qualifications
- Previous accounting experience
- Knowledge of SFAS rules and regulations
- Strong analytical and research skills
- Close attention to detail
- Ability to meet hard deadlines
- In-depth knowledge of corporate finance principles
- Basic math skills
- Experience utilizing accounting and finance software
- Understanding of confidentiality laws
Company Profile
Bridgewater Accounting Firm has been a leader in the accounting and financial services field for nearly four decades. Our highly-trained, yet approachable accountants provide clients with unrivaled accounting and bookkeeping services. At Bridgewater Accounting, we never overlook small details, and you can rest assured that your company will receive the accounting services it needs to grow and develop. There is no need to keep track of your own expenses when you can just call us.
Writing a Job Description Best Practices
- The Senior Accountant Job Description Sample above will be immensely helpful to most employers, but it may not address all of your concerns. If you feel that you still need more guidance, try examining the job description tips below. They may seem simple at first, but from a human resource perspective, they are highly effective.
- Do list skills and qualifications. If you do not list this information, you may end up performing dozens of interviews with under or overqualified applicants. Vocational and educational requirements will help you weed out applicants who may not be a good fit for the position. Be sure to distinguish between preferred and mandatory skills and qualifications before you post.
- Do include a company profile. This will give jobseekers a comprehensive snapshot of your company’s culture, history, and professional values. It will also present jobseekers with the information they need to determine whether or not they will be a good fit for your company.
- Do use bullets to organize information. A well-organized job description is an effective job description, and if an applicant can’t zoom in on the more important details, he or she may walk away uninformed. By using bullets, you can highlight the most essential job details.
- Do include a list of responsibilities. This will provide jobseekers with an overview of the job’s functions and duties. It will also give them an idea of how a typical workday will go. In order to boost the effectiveness of this section, include the amount of time that a worker will spend performing each task.
- Don’t forget to proofread your description before posting. If your description is riddled with misspelled words or grammatical errors, you may be characterized as uneducated or unprofessional.
- Don’t use demoralizing or intimidating language. Job descriptions should be encouraging and provide candidates with a positive view of your company. If your description contains impersonal or aggressive language, you may end up scaring away some of your most experienced candidates.
There are many ways to write a job description, but the tips above guarantee that your description will appeal to a variety of applicants from all walks of life.
Senior Accountant Job Responsibilities
In order to find the best candidates for the available position, the job responsibilities section of your senior accountant job description needs to be strong and well written. Jobseekers use this section to determine what you expect of them and what responsibilities they will tackle in the job. When writing the senior accountant job responsibilities, stick to the more important duties as opposed to mundane tasks such as checking email.
Use 6-8 bullet points to keep the section easy to understand and read. When drafting the senior accountant job description, you should begin each of the bullet points with an action verb, which will engage the jobseeker and give him or her a good picture of what the job entails.
The following are some good examples of responsibilities for a senior accountant:
- Examine and analyze financial statements and accounting records to ensure they are accurate and comply with regulations
- Prepare for audits by preparing and reviewing work documents; meet with external auditors and assist in expediting the process
- Supervise staff accountants and develop trusting relationships with clients
- Perform cash management functions to meet the company’s financial obligations; manage budget and make changes as necessary
- Conduct monthly and quarterly reconciliation of multiple balance sheet and bank accounts
Senior Accountant Job Specifications
While the responsibilities section is imperative, you also need to define what you expect from an employee. In order to attract applicants who qualify for the position, it is important to outline specifically what skills and qualifications are necessary for the job. By laying these out precisely, you help many candidates who don’t have the requirements to weed themselves out. A senior accountant needs to possess aptitudes that make him or her a strong leader, and multiple years of experience is a common requirement.
To get an idea of what a senior accountant job description should entail, ask a current employee or discuss with management to come up with a list of both required and preferred skills. You can list these in two different sections to keep things organized and easy to read. The goal is to outline senior accountant job specifications to attract candidates who meet the requirements but are also not overqualified.
Some common abilities that you may find in a senior accountant job description include:
- Bachelor in Accounting
- Minimum of five years’ experience working for large corporations
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and organizational skills
- Ability to multitask, manage priorities and work in high-stress environment
- Outstanding leadership and communication skills
- CPA Certification required
