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What does an Account Officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
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Account officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real account officer resumes:

  • Develop RFP responses and consistently demonstrate flawless execution to achieve continual growth in each account.
  • Perform payroll function such as maintaining timekeeping information, processing and submitting payroll.
  • Maintain staff payroll and ensure early remittance of statutory deductions to the relevant authorities.
  • Secure a promotion within one year by assuming journal entry and basic reconciliations responsibilities in addition to already performing AP functions.
  • Perform charge corrections on specific accounts requiring ICD-9 coding changes.
  • Review patient's explanation of benefits (EOB) to determine the specific financial obligation.
  • Administer secondary billing with primary EOB information.
  • Develop user documentation, including SAAS reference manuals and training material.

Account officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Account Officers are proficient in Payroll, KYC, and External Auditors. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Account Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Payroll, 8%

    Maintained staff payroll and ensured early remittance of statutory deductions to the relevant authorities.

  • KYC, 7%

    Identified and/or coordinate the implementation of process improvements relating KYC and AML Investigations.

  • External Auditors, 7%

    Provision of required information/clarification for Internal, External Auditors and other third parties to ensure that issues are resolved objectively.

  • General Ledger Accounts, 7%

    Coded invoices to general ledger accounts and reviewed thoroughly to ensure accuracy.

  • Loan Applications, 6%

    Processed residential loan applications according to company's guidelines for clients.

  • Real Estate, 6%

    Provided credit analysis and industry analysis support to account management in the real estate, commercial/industrial, petroleum and communications divisions.

"payroll," "kyc," and "external auditors" are among the most common skills that account officers use at work. You can find even more account officer responsibilities below, including:

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an account officer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Additionally, an account officer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "key achievements: successful implementation of erp oracle financials including data migration and testing. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform account officer duties is communication skills. Account officers responsibilities require that "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions." Account officers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "facilitated communication with the internal and external auditors and handling of audit matters. "

Detail oriented. account officers are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to account officer responsibilities, because "in preparing and analyzing reports, such as balance sheets and income statements, financial managers must be precise and attentive to their work in order to avoid errors." An account officer resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "reconcile all debtors & creditors balances with the gl to the detailed balances and balance confirmation on monthly basis. "

Math skills. For certain account officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of an account officer rely on this skill, as "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what account officers do: "lead agency representative on all qualitative and quantitative market research for global campaign. "

Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in account officer job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what account officers do. Account officer responsibilities rely on this skill because "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." You can also see how account officer duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "worked as technical logistics subject matter experts to determine how new policies impact logistical organizational structure. "

Most common account officer skills

The three companies that hire the most account officers are:

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Compare different account officers

Account officer vs. Finance manager

A finance manager is responsible for monitoring the financial system of a company. Their tasks include handling their organization's financial status, generating cost estimates and budget goals, identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability, improving financial strategies, reducing costs, analyzing account statements, processing invoice as needed, analyzing market trends, searching potential partnerships, and presenting reports. A finance manager must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of the accounting and financial industry. They are responsible for providing the best recommendations for the organization's growth.

We looked at the average account officer salary and compared it with the wages of a finance manager. Generally speaking, finance managers are paid $46,353 higher than account officers per year.Even though account officers and finance managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require payroll, external auditors, and balance sheet in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an account officer are more likely to require skills like "kyc," "general ledger accounts," "loan applications," and "real estate." On the other hand, a job as a finance manager requires skills like "cpa," "customer service," "hyperion," and "financial models." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Finance managers really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $118,926. Comparatively, account officers tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $56,873.finance managers tend to reach similar levels of education than account officers. In fact, finance managers are 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Account officer vs. Branch manager

Branch managers oversee the company's field office. This position is usually present in industries such as banking and food service. Branch managers are responsible for all aspects of the branch operations, including, but not limited to, finances, marketing, quality control, and human resources. They ensure that the goals of the branch are met in the most efficient way possible. They balance the needs of both the organization and the employees in the department. Branch managers are also expected to have a hand in training the employees to be useful members of the organization.

On average, branch managers earn a $1,270 higher salary than account officers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both account officers and branch managers have skills such as "payroll," "loan applications," and "real estate. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, account officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "kyc," "external auditors," "general ledger accounts," and "payment vouchers." Meanwhile, a branch manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer satisfaction," "business development," "branch management," and "human resources." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Branch managers may earn a higher salary than account officers, but branch managers earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $55,380. On the other hand, account officers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,873.branch managers earn lower levels of education than account officers in general. They're 8.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Account officer vs. Assistant branch manager

An assistant branch manager's primary responsibility is to oversee the daily operations in their designated area, ensuring that everything is running smoothly from the workflow to the workforce. Although the tasks will vary depending on the organization or industry where one is involved, most of it will revolve around evaluating and monitoring employees' progress. Additional duties include responding to calls and inquiries, managing work schedules, and making sure that customers are satisfied with all services and transactions. Moreover, an assistant branch manager must also prioritize meeting the sales targets and staying within the allotted budget and deadlines.

An average assistant branch manager eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of account officers. The difference in salaries amounts to assistant branch managers earning a $5,108 lower average salary than account officers.account officers and assistant branch managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "loan applications," "customer accounts," and "bank secrecy act," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from account officer resumes include skills like "payroll," "kyc," "external auditors," and "general ledger accounts," whereas an assistant branch manager is more likely to list skills in "quality customer service," "branch management," "excellent organizational," and "bank products. "

Assistant branch managers make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $48,965. On the other hand, account officers are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $56,873.When it comes to education, assistant branch managers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to account officers. In fact, they're 9.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Account officer vs. Manager/finance accounting

A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations. A manager of finance accounting must also maintain accurate financial records, identify any errors or inconsistencies, and perform support tasks for staff when necessary. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Managers/finance accounting typically earn higher pay than account officers. On average, managers/finance accounting earn a $36,294 higher salary per year.While both account officers and managers/finance accounting complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like external auditors, general ledger accounts, and accounts receivables, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An account officer uses "payroll," "kyc," "loan applications," and "real estate." Managers/finance accounting are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "cpa," "gaap," and "reconciliations. "The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for managers/finance accounting, with average annual pay of $92,198. Comparatively, the highest account officer annual salary comes from the energy industry.In general, managers/finance accounting hold similar degree levels compared to account officers. Managers/finance accounting are 3.4% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of account officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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