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Accounting consultant vs account leader

The differences between accounting consultants and account leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an accounting consultant and an account leader. Additionally, an account leader has an average salary of $108,843, which is higher than the $62,830 average annual salary of an accounting consultant.

The top three skills for an accounting consultant include CPA, GAAP and reconciliations. The most important skills for an account leader are account management, customer service, and business development.

Accounting consultant vs account leader overview

Accounting ConsultantAccount Leader
Yearly salary$62,830$108,843
Hourly rate$30.21$52.33
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs74,894135,207
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does an accounting consultant do?

An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization. It is also through the accounting consultant's help that improvements in the accounting process are proposed, the determination of problematic areas in the workflow, possible issues in the future, and everything that needs upgrading. The accounting consultant also helps businesses conform to legal policies set about by State and Federal legislation.

What does an account leader do?

Account leaders are assigned to work on specific client accounts and assist these clients with their needs. They should treat their clients as partners. This would help them forge a better working relationship with clients. Account leaders should have high business acumen and a strong grasp of the current industry landscape. They should be familiar with the company's products and services and which product or service best fits the clients' needs. Account leaders should also know how to retain clients and maintain the client base. They may do this by regularly checking up on clients, making clients feel valued, and mitigating any challenges that may arise.

Accounting consultant vs account leader salary

Accounting consultants and account leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.

Accounting ConsultantAccount Leader
Average salary$62,830$108,843
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $86,000Between $75,000 And $157,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyJordan CompanyPoint B
Best paying industryManufacturingProfessional

Differences between accounting consultant and account leader education

There are a few differences between an accounting consultant and an account leader in terms of educational background:

Accounting ConsultantAccount Leader
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorAccountingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Accounting consultant vs account leader demographics

Here are the differences between accounting consultants' and account leaders' demographics:

Accounting ConsultantAccount Leader
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 49.3% Female, 50.7%Male, 48.4% Female, 51.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between accounting consultant and account leader duties and responsibilities

Accounting consultant example responsibilities.

  • Work independently on line of business projects to automate derivative processes and system enhancement testing.
  • Share oversight for recruitment, human resources and advertising.
  • Provide support to accounts payable department in tagging and recording of fix assets during an ERP system transition
  • Work with governance and internal audit team ensuring SOX compliance during monthly & quarterly reviews as well as the annual audit.
  • Collaborate with accounting department in monthly closing process and development of internal controls to support SOX requirements.
  • Improve audit performance of major medical center by clearing backlog of account reconciliations across multiple medical billing systems.
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Account leader example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage CRM databases for major retailers.
  • Lead the design and development team for Claro Colombia, the largest telecommunication company in LatAm.
  • Develop RFP responses and consistently demonstrate flawless execution to achieve continual growth in each account.
  • Utilize PeopleSoft ERP financials, purchasing, inventory, and human resources modules.
  • Supervise team of 3 and serve as group liaison for all Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) documentation to external and internal auditors.
  • Analyze financial statements and prepare financial reports and reconcile bank statements and payroll accounts.
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Accounting consultant vs account leader skills

Common accounting consultant skills
  • CPA, 15%
  • GAAP, 11%
  • Reconciliations, 8%
  • ERP, 4%
  • Shared Services, 4%
  • SOX, 4%
Common account leader skills
  • Account Management, 14%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Reconciliations, 4%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%

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