About the Senior Accountant role
A Senior Accountant owns the most complex parts of the accounting cycle and acts as the quality gate for the numbers a company reports. Where a staff accountant records transactions, a senior accountant reviews that work, drives the month-end close, prepares consolidated financial statements, and resolves the reconciliation issues nobody else can untangle. The role is often the first point of contact for external auditors and the person management calls when a number looks wrong.
The shape of the role depends on your finance team. In a company with a small team, a Senior Accountant may be the most senior finance hire, handling everything from close to tax coordination while a bookkeeper covers data entry. In a larger organization, the role usually sits between staff accountants and an Accounting Manager or Financial Controller, with clear ownership of specific ledger areas, technical accounting memos, and the review of junior work.
In your posting, spell out what makes the role senior at your company: which close tasks they will own end to end, whether they will mentor or review junior accountants, how involved they will be in audits, and which systems they will work in. Candidates at this level self-select based on scope, so vague postings attract applicants who are not ready and put off the ones who are.
Senior Accountant job description template
Job brief
We are looking for a Senior Accountant to lead our month-end and year-end close, prepare accurate financial statements, and strengthen our internal controls. Your responsibilities will include reviewing journal entries and reconciliations prepared by junior staff, researching technical accounting questions, and supporting external audits from request list to sign-off. To succeed in this role, you should combine deep knowledge of accounting standards with the judgment to spot issues before they become findings. Ultimately, you will make our close faster, our reporting cleaner, and our audit season calmer.
Responsibilities
- Lead the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, and own the close calendar and checklist
- Prepare and review complex journal entries, accruals, and account reconciliations
- Produce accurate financial statements and supporting schedules for management and auditors
- Review the work of staff accountants and coach them on accounting treatment and documentation
- Research technical accounting questions and document conclusions under GAAP or IFRS
- Serve as the main contact for external auditors and manage the audit request list
- Maintain and improve internal controls over financial reporting
- Analyze balance sheet and P&L fluctuations and explain variances to management
- Support tax filings by preparing schedules and coordinating with tax advisors
- Identify and drive automation of manual close tasks in the ERP or accounting system
Requirements and skills
- 4 or more years of progressive accounting experience, including full ownership of a monthly close
- Strong command of GAAP or IFRS and the ability to apply standards to new transactions
- Hands-on experience with an ERP or accounting platform such as NetSuite, SAP, or QuickBooks
- Advanced Excel skills, including complex reconciliations and large data sets
- Experience preparing for and responding to external audits
- Proven ability to review the work of others and give clear, constructive feedback
- High accuracy under deadline pressure and a documented, methodical working style
- BSc in Accounting or Finance; public accounting experience is a strong plus
Nice to have
- CPA, ACCA, or CMA certification, completed or in progress
- Experience with multi-entity or multi-currency consolidation
- Background in a Big Four or mid-tier audit firm
- Experience implementing or migrating an ERP or close-management tool
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