How to hire an accountant and office manager

How to hire an accountant and office manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step accountant and office manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an accountant and office manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new accountant and office manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an accountant and office manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your accountant and office manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an accountant and office manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect accountant and office manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of accountant and office managers.

   Type of Accountant And Office Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Accountant And Office Manager	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$16-35
   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... Show more	$31-61
   Cash Manager	A cash manager is responsible for monitoring cash flow, analyzing financial transactions, and allocating adequate budget and resources for every department's operations. Cash managers conduct data and statistical analysis to determine the company's expenses and financial loss and strategize techniques in minimizing those risks... Show more	$31-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Payroll Tax Returns
   • Customer Service
   • Reconciliations
   • General Ledger Accounts
   • Journal Entries
   • Purchase Orders
   • Bank Reconciliations
   • Accounts Payables
   • Credit Card
   • Human Resources
   • CPA
   • Accounts Receivables
   • Sales Tax Returns
   • Balance Sheet

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage disaster recovery operations for windows servers.
   • Manage procedural implementation for transition of office to HIPPA regulatory compliance and Medicare PQRI guidelines.
   • Create audit reports on HRIS.
   • Maintain HRIS system and employee records.
   • Update owner personal information and setup ACH.
   • Process all LOA and FMLA paperwork on employees.

   More accountant and office manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your accountant and office manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An accountant and office manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, accountant and office managers' average salary in kansas is 50% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level accountant and office managers 52% less than senior-level accountant and office managers.
   • Certifications. An accountant and office manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an accountant and office manager's salary.

   Average accountant and office manager salary

   $51,217yearly

   $24.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level accountant and office manager salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average accountant and office manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$69,018	$33
   2	Connecticut	$66,441	$32
   3	Pennsylvania	$65,438	$31
   4	California	$64,876	$31
   5	Massachusetts	$51,715	$25
   6	Texas	$50,693	$24
   7	Wisconsin	$48,073	$23
   8	Arizona	$46,032	$22
   9	Florida	$44,783	$22
   10	North Carolina	$44,758	$22
   11	Ohio	$44,046	$21
   12	Tennessee	$41,492	$20
   13	Georgia	$41,252	$20
   14	Minnesota	$36,386	$17
   15	Indiana	$36,290	$17
   16	Colorado	$36,038	$17
   17	Nebraska	$33,944	$16

   Average accountant and office manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Turner Construction	$63,017	$30.30	43
   2	University of Southern California	$60,927	$29.29	7
   3	Carnegie Mellon University	$54,398	$26.15	6
   4	UMass Dartmouth	$51,598	$24.81
   5	Kelly Auto Group	$51,583	$24.80
   6	BrightView Landscape Development Inc	$47,658	$22.91	26
   7	SEI LLC	$47,629	$22.90	3
   8	CYBERCALLING	$47,629	$22.90
   9	University of Wisconsin System	$47,182	$22.68	6
   10	BrightView	$43,760	$21.04	17
   11	Robert Half	$43,121	$20.73	1,768
   12	My Florida Regional Mls	$42,813	$20.58
   13	Portman Holdings	$42,422	$20.40	1
   14	Randstad North America, Inc.	$42,095	$20.24	42
   15	Pennrose	$40,705	$19.57
   16	Grand Valley State University	$39,864	$19.17	1
   17	Texas Department of Transportation	$39,250	$18.87	8
   18	State Of Florida	$36,110	$17.36	34
   19	R.M. Schulte & Associates	$34,916	$16.79
   20	Florida Department of Transportation	$34,401	$16.54

4. Writing an accountant and office manager job description

   An accountant and office manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an accountant and office manager job description:

   Accountant and office manager job description example

   The Gillman Companies is an established group of family owned automobile dealerships based out of Houston, TX. We have served the automotive needs of Texas since 1938 by maintaining a long-established tradition of excellence and customer satisfaction. Gillman is one of the largest dealership groups in Texas and has also been a proud recipient of the Houston Chronicle's Top 100 Workplaces for 6 years in a row!

   We are a growing company and are looking for talented, experienced office manager /staff accountant to join our team!

   Office Manager / Staff Accountant

   MAIN JOB DESCRIPTION:

   Dealership accounting duties:

   Post certain transactions and reconcile the monthly manufacturer factory part statements.

   Reconcile intercompany reconciliations among related dealerships

   Reconcile extended warranty and insurance product reconciliations

   Reconcile finance reserve statements and post monthly adjustments

   Reconcile monthly floorplan statements

   Reconcile inventory to dealer statements

   Prepare monthly VIT reports and make related payments

   Prepare monthly sales, lease rental, and battery reports and make related payments

   Prepare and file Form 8300 reports as needed

   Research and post certain transactions on weekly bank statement as needed

   Assist Dealership Controller with end of month closeout entries and calculations for financial statement and NCM purposes

   Backup certain accounting clerk desks as needed

   Assist the Dealership Controller in training accounting clerks and overseeing certain schedules designated by the Dealership Controller.

   Serves as supervisor to the accounting staff in absence of the Dealership Controller.

   Other duties that may be assigned

   EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

   Prior automotive dealership accounting experience

   Accounting degree preferred

   Must be detailed oriented and possess good organizational skills and the ability to work to deadlines

   Competent with computers, spreadsheets, and a calculator; willing to learn onsite system

   Working knowledge of Word and Excel

   Possess good mathematical and analytical skills

   Possess good communication skills both verbal and written

   Must be able to establish priorities and organize efficiently

   Must be able to multi-task

   Must be self-disciplined

   Must be motivated to go above and beyond the minimum standard

   REQUIREMENTS:

   Must be eligible to work in the US

   Must pass drug test and extensive criminal background screening

   Motivated to go above and beyond the minimum standard

   BENEFITS:

   Competitive Salary

   Medical/Dental/Vision/Life

   401K with company match

   Vacation/PTO

   Employee discounts

   Drug Free work environment

   EOE

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right accountant and office manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your accountant and office manager job on Zippia to find and recruit accountant and office manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting accountant and office managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new accountant and office manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect accountant and office manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new accountant and office manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an accountant and office manager?