What does an Accounting Manager do?
Accounting Managers are an essential part of a company’s financial management team, overseeing organizational systems for gathering data, analyzing information, confirming the accuracy of their staff’s reports and providing recommendations for improving accounting methods. An important part of an Accounting Manager’s role is understanding all types of financial operations at a company and how they work together, including debts, assets, cash forecasting, payroll, capital assets and revenue analysis.
Likewise, Accounting Managers guide the implementation of new financial initiatives and generate reports to share progress with their teams. Accounting Managers may also make suggestions on a company’s overall strategies to meet goals concerning its financial transactions. Finally, Accounting Managers are good communicators. Since these professionals bridge the gap between the rank-and-file and upper financial management, they explain things clearly in both layman and professional terms for broader understanding among all workers.
Accounting Manager skills and qualifications
A successful Accounting Manager candidate should have various skills and qualifications to complete the job duties.
Examples of Accounting Manager skills include:
- Great interpersonal and verbal communication skills
- Sound knowledge of accounting principles, standards and regulations
- Experience with accounting software and databases
- Superior data management and data analysis skills
- Strong time management and organizational skills
- Detail-oriented with a passion for accuracy
- Work experience as an Accounting Manager or Finance Manager, preferably 2 or more years
Accounting Manager salary expectations
An Accounting Manager earns an average salary of $88,432 per year and has a typical work tenure of 2 to 4 years. Indeed has based this estimate on 18.2K salaries gathered as of June 25, 2023. This data comes from current and past Indeed job advertisements as well as from anonymous input from site users and people working as Accounting Managers.
Accounting Manager salary expectations
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Common salary:
95373.57 YEARLY -
Typical salaries range from
31000.00 -195000.00 YEARLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Accounting Manager education and training requirements
A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or a related field is a minimum requirement for entry-level Accounting Manager jobs. For more advanced positions, employers typically require candidates to have a master’s degree or higher and at least 2 to 5 years of work experience in a managerial or supervisory capacity.
Accounting Managers may get continuing education certifications from accredited institutions to update their skills and advance their careers. Many employers show a preference for candidates with such voluntary certifications as they’re more likely to have up-to-date accounting knowledge as well as a strong work ethic.
Accounting Manager experience requirements
In entry-level positions, Accounting Managers usually work under the direction of Senior Accounting Managers, Accounting Directors or a company’s financial team. They may move on to handle more challenging managerial duties within the same company or with another one after they have gained 2 to 5 years of professional accounting experience.
More advanced Accounting Manager candidates often have staff supervisory experience plus experience with preparing general ledgers, financial reports, budgetary reports and financial forecasting. They usually work with the company’s Executive Director, Finance Director, Chief Financial Officer and other senior management executives to improve the financial reporting and develop more efficient workflow processes.
Job description samples for similar positions
If an Accounting Manager job description template isn’t quite what you’re looking for, here are some available job description samples for similar positions:
Frequently asked questions about Accounting Managers
These are some questions that employers frequently ask when they’re considering hiring an Accounting Manager.
Why is hiring an Accounting Manager important?
Accounting Managers are an important part of a business’s middle management structure as they ensure that transactions made by the company fall within generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). By establishing guidelines and best practices and putting internal controls in place, Accounting Managers help businesses comply with laws and regulations, maintain accurate records and meet important reporting deadlines.
Do Accounting Managers have supervisory responsibilities?
Accounting Managers oversee other financial department roles such as Accounts Payable Specialists, Accounts Receivable Specialists, Junior Accountants and Bookkeepers. They may also plan and carry out performance reviews and mentorship programs to ensure their entire team makes decisions based on the same accounting framework and organizational goals.
What’s the difference between an Account Manager and an Accounting Manager?
The difference between an Account Manager and Accounting Manager is the position’s scope. An Account Manager handles individual customer or client accounts, while an Accounting Manager manages the entire accounting department.
Where do Accounting Managers fit within the hierarchy of accounting positions?
Accounting Managers fit squarely in the middle of the accounting hierarchy. Payroll department personnel, Staff Accountants and Senior Accountants sit below these professionals in the hierarchy. Senior Accounting Managers or Assistant Controllers, Controllers and CFOs sit above Accounting Managers on the career ladder.
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