Use this job description to help you land your next Senior Accounting Manager role!

As a Senior Accounting Manager, you've worked your way up to a lot more responsibility thanks to your hard work, which did not go unnoticed by your manager and your organization's leaders. 

Suppose you're looking to land your next role. In that case, your resume needs to highlight the skills and proficiencies that helped you get to the manager level so it, too, can get you noticed by the managers and leaders of prospective employers. 

One step that can help you craft a resume that gets noticed is to refer to Senior Accounting Manager job descriptions. Yes, a job description is more than just a posting about an open job – it's a tool you can use to support your job search success. 

Breakdown of a Senior Accounting Manager job description

As you begin to explore Senior Accounting Manager job descriptions online, here's the layout you can typically expect to see:

  • First, you'll see the title of the position.

  • Next, you'll see a brief summary or general description of the role. This section often includes who the position reports to, as well.

  • A list of job responsibilities typically comes next.

  • Following the list of responsibilities, you'll find a list of qualifications and preferred qualifications. 

  • The job description often ends with information about the company, like available benefits and how to apply.

Some employers might order these sections differently. For example, you might find information about the company at the top of the job description, just below the job title. Overall, however, this is the breakdown of the types of information you can generally expect to see. 

Senior Accounting Manager job description

Now, let's look at an example of a Senior Accounting Manager job description with some of the elements mentioned above.

Title

Senior Accounting Manager

Job Description

The Senior Accounting Manager will manage a set of accounting activities to ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, corporate policies, and external audits. This person will manage the accounts payable function, payroll function, monthly closing of accounts, and preparation of reports in support of the financial statements.

The Senior Accounting Manager will report to and work closely with the Director of Accounting & Reporting and others in the organization in analysis and reconciliation of accounts and in development and implementation of accounting policies, procedures, and controls.

The ideal candidate possesses leadership capabilities, solid operational and technical accounting background, and works proactively to drive results. This person is a self-starter, flexible, has a high level of integrity, and is action and goal-oriented in a fast-paced, team-oriented, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities:

  • Manage the monthly financial close process, including ensuring all costs incurred are properly recorded, reviewing journal entries, account balance reconciliations, and report preparation

  • Participate in the ongoing development and establishment of accounting policies and procedures and operational strategies, including the review and implementation of process and system changes

  • Continued focus on improving system efficiencies and business practices

  • Participate in strategic financial projects including upgrades and implementation of ERP software

  • Ensure compliance with internal control policies in a SOX environment

  • Collaborate with external auditors to ensure successful audit results and compliance

  • Interacts at all levels and with budget owners or other stakeholders to produce timely, efficient and accurate month-end close and all internal management and financial reporting through annual report

  • Responsible for hierarchy and scalability in chart of accounts and accuracy in the general ledger and financial statements and has ultimate authority over classification and booking of all transactions

  • Analyze the effect of statutory accounting practices and studies regulations and guidance to ensure correct application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

  • Make recommendations for changes as needed, and ensure that company policies and procedures are followed, and establishes the proper techniques to discover and prevent fraud

  • Prepare detailed journal entries and account analyses

  • Assist with compilation of information for preparation of tax returns

  • Work with Audit, Tax, and Treasury Manager to ensure overall coordination of all financial accounting activities through annual report

  • Prepare summary feedback of financial statements variances to budget

  • Actively review and advise on financial and accounting processes

  • Develop and communicate cash flow projections

  • Supervise team of Accountants and Senior Accountants to ensure they're motivated and provided proper support to meet their job duties and responsibilities

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field required

  • 8 to 10 years of experience of accounting experience, with at least 3 years of management experience and experience working in natural gas or oil & gas fields

  • Strong experience using accounting software and data analytics 

  • Highly-effective team management

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's degree in accounting, finance, or related field a plus

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred 

About ABC Company

ABC Company is a leading provider of [insert company information].

How to use a Senior Accounting Manager job description

As you learn how to review and break down a job description properly, you'll end up with invaluable information to support your career path. To get the most out of the job description review process, take the following steps:

  • Make a list of your skills and competencies 

  • Make a list of your relevant work accomplishments

  • Take note of industry language and terminology 

  • Write your resume

  • Tailor your resume to each job description

  • Identify areas for growth

Make a list of skills and competencies

A great place to begin is by making a list of all of the Senior Accounting Manager skills and competencies you possess. As you make your list, don't shy away from listing any and every skill relevant to the job. And yes, technical skills are great, though don't underestimate the value of including soft skills, like communication, accountability, and problem-solving, that prove you're capable of working and interacting with others. 

As you create your list, here are a few categories of skills to consider:

  • Accounting-specific skills. These are the skills specific to the accounting or financial field, also referred to as industry-specific skills. Tax reporting, public accounting, accounting software proficiency, and financial forecasting are examples of accounting-specific skills. 

  • Leadership soft skills. As a Senior Accounting Manager, you need skills to support your ability to lead others, including the company's stakeholders and the employees who report to you. Skills like empathy, coaching, collaboration, adaptability, empowerment, communication, and innovation are foundational elements for great leadership.

  • Technical skills. There are several technical skills outside of accounting-specific skills that are necessary for this position. Skills like computer proficiency, Microsoft Excel, and data analysis are essential for Senior Accounting Managers. 

  • General soft skills. Success as a Senior Accounting Manager requires more than leadership-related people skills. There's a wide range of soft skills necessary for this position, like time management, organization, and multitasking.

Need a bit more motivation to create your own list of skills? Here are some of the in-demand Senior Accounting Manager skills and proficiencies:

  • Process Improvements

  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

  • Accuracy

  • Timeliness

  • Attention to Detail

  • Organization

  • Multitasking

  • Verbal and Written Communication

  • Team Player

  • Interpersonal Skills

  • Leadership

  • Collaboration

  • Data Analysis

  • Reporting

  • Critical Thinking

  • Problem-solving

  • Attention to Detail 

  • Analytical Thinking

  • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)

  • Communication

  • Financial Analysis

  • Proficiency with Accounting Software

  • Microsoft Excel

  • Management

  • Multitasking

  • Prioritization

  • Delegation

  • Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)

  • Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

  • Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)

  • SOX

  • Tax Law

  • Regulatory and policy knowledge 

When reviewing each job description, highlight the skills you have within each of them. These will be some of the keywords you'll use to tailor your resume to each application. 

Make a list of your relevant work accomplishments

As you review job descriptions, begin writing down any relevant achievements and accomplishments that come to mind. Also, note the skills from your skills list that were necessary for those achievements. Between this list and your skills list, you'll have lots of valuable information to include throughout your resume, from your resume title and profile to your work history. 

Related reading: Seven Key Resume Sections and How to Organize Them

Take note of industry jargon and terminology 

Of course, there will be differences between each company's Senior Accounting Manager job description you review based on the company's focus and needs. At the same time, you'll notice a lot of similar terms and language used across each.

Pay close attention to these similarities, as they'll help guide you on what to include in your resume. For example, it's common to see the following terms used across Senior Accounting Manager job descriptions:

  • Financial reporting

  • SOX compliance

  • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

  • Auditing

  • Financial statements

  • Annual reports

You'll want to be sure your resume emphasizes your experience and proficiency in these areas. 

Write your resume

With your skills, achievements, and standard terminology lists in hand, it's time to write your resume. Nice work! 

Given that the accounting profession is known to be traditional, it's best to use standard formatting practices. Using a reverse-chronological is a good choice, since it's a conventional format that hiring managers tend to like the best over a functional or hybrid format. Another bonus is that it's a format that tends to be easily read by applicant tracking systems. 

Related reading:  Modern Resume Formatting: A Visual Guide

Tailor your resume to each job description

A critical step when applying for jobs is to tailor your resume to each Senior Accounting Manager job description for each application. As Accountants, the devil is in the details, as they say, and you want the details of your resume to align perfectly with the job you're applying to. 

Identify areas for growth

A benefit of reviewing job descriptions that is sometimes overlooked is identifying opportunities for personal growth and development. If you start reviewing job descriptions for positions you're interested in and notice you're lacking some of the qualifications, skills, or experience, make a note of it. 

From there, you can research opportunities to fill in those gaps. For example, if you're lacking in a particular type of software that's required, you could seek out training or certifications related to that software. Yes, it might not help you this round while you're writing your resume, though it will add value to your resume and can support your career advancement in the future. 

Other opportunities to support growth and development include:

  • Seeking out volunteer opportunities to improve upon or learn new skills

  • Signing up for an online training or certification course

  • Asking to shadow someone adept at the skill you're interested in acquiring or improving

  • Joining a professional organization or club geared towards the industry or area of growth you're interested in

  • Becoming involved in an extracurricular activity that could support you in improving soft skills like teamwork, collaboration, and communication

Use Senior Accounting Manager job descriptions to land your next job!

In a competitive job market, landing a job can feel like an uphill battle. However, you can take control by using job descriptions for Senior Accounting Managers as guides to develop and tailor your resume. This strategy ensures your resume stands out and aligns with the expectations of potential employers, which means getting you one step closer to that interview.

Once you have the first draft of your Senior Accounting Manager resume, consider submitting it for a TopResume free review. This service provides detailed and valuable input, offering tips on how to improve your resume to get past an ATS and grab the attention of prospective employers, enhancing your chances of success. 

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