What does an accounting manager do?
An accounting manager is responsible for supervising and monitoring the overall accounting department operations. Duties of an accounting manager include reviewing account information and account statements, processing invoices, analyzing financial data, performing account reconciliations, assisting with tax processing and audit reports, and generating financial reports for presentation with the board. An accounting manager must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and legislation to assist the team with the company's financial goals. Accounting managers must have the outstanding analytical, critical thinking, and decision-making skills to develop the best competitive financial strategies.
Accounting manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real accounting manager resumes:
- Refine the 'pro forma invoice' system process to manage prepayments of client invoices enhancing efficiency and adding value.
- Work independently on line of business projects to automate derivative processes and system enhancement testing.
- Manage payroll and all taxation matters, coordinate independent audit; communicate with outside organizations and agencies.
- Lead team that develop templates and procedure documentation of key controls within general accounting to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley.
- Lead successful international enterprise wide ERP migration and experience in analysis, testing, documentation, design and implementation.
- Conduct corporate treasury management planning and analysis, manages controls for inventory and cost accumulation for all products sell.
- Improve cash flow by integrating ERP accounting functions with third-party logistics systems to accelerate customer revenue recognition.
- Provide accounting support to the outside CPA for fix assets and tax relate issues as well as the year-end financial review.
- Direct financial reporting activities, compile monthly financial packet, prepare journal entries, general ledger account and bank reconciliations.
- Prepare annual report and impairment analysis in accordance with IFRS.
- Provide oversight regarding comps for managers, chefs and owners.
- Audit foreign vendor invoices for withholding tax to ensure compliance with IRS guidelines.
- Create spreadsheets and purchase/general ledgers: order, modify, receive, and pay vendor invoices.
- Reconcile fund positions (cash, securities, and contractual positions) on a daily basis.
- Provide guidance on accounting topics and provide clarification of IFRS principles and DP/DHL parent company accounting policies.
Accounting manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Accounting Managers are proficient in Reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Accounting Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reconciliations, 10%
Directed financial reporting activities, compiled monthly financial packet, prepared journal entries, general ledger account and bank reconciliations.
- CPA, 9%
Reconciled and reviewed Financial Statements with CPA for year-end Corporate Tax Return preparation for subsidiary company.
- GAAP, 7%
Generated financial statements for multiple-entity, international film company, including consolidations for international parent from U.S. GAAP TO IFRS format.
- Customer Service, 5%
Supervised daily activities and responsibilities of Accounts Receivable Clerk, General Ledger Accountant, Collections/Customer Service Representative and Accounts Payable/HR Clerk.
- Payroll Processing, 4%
Consolidated accounting functions for new acquisitions including assumption of General Ledger responsibility, AP and Payroll processing and converted financial systems.
- Internal Controls, 4%
Established and maintained effective internal controls to ensure the financial reporting integrity and responsible for the safe-guarding of company assets.
Most accounting managers use their skills in "reconciliations," "cpa," and "gaap" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential accounting manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an accounting manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "to assist executives in making decisions, financial managers need to evaluate data and information that affects their organization." Accounting managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "led successful international enterprise wide erp migration and experienced in analysis, testing, documentation, design and implementation. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform accounting manager duties is communication skills. Accounting managers responsibilities require that "financial managers must be able to explain and justify complex financial transactions." Accounting managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "facilitated communication among the various business unit accounting groups to ensure the appropriateness of revenue recognition practices and billing. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of accounting managers is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday accounting manager duties, as "because financial managers deal with a range of information and documents, they must have structures in place to be effective in their work." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "support payroll and treasury departments as needed applies supervisory responsibilities according to organizational policies and applicable laws. "
Detail oriented. For certain accounting manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of an accounting manager rely on this skill, as "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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what accounting managers do: "designed modular integration of operational transaction detail into evo erp system. "
Math skills. Another crucial skill for an accounting manager to carry out their responsibilities is "math skills." A big part of what accounting managers relies on this skill, since "financial managers need strong skills in certain branches of mathematics, including algebra." How this skill relates to accounting manager duties can be seen in an example from an accounting manager resume snippet: "performed qualitative and quantitative analysis of financial data and identified opportunities to improve the allocation of cash resources. "
The three companies that hire the most accounting managers are:
- Robert Half453 accounting managers jobs
- KPMG LLP134 accounting managers jobs
- Meta111 accounting managers jobs
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Compare different accounting managers
Accounting manager 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, accounting manager responsibilities require skills like "sales tax," "human resources," "enterprise resource planning," and "credit card." Meanwhile a typical manager/finance accounting has skills in areas such as "due diligence," "hr," "shared services," and "financial management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Managers/finance accounting really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $92,198. Comparatively, accounting managers tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $99,773.The education levels that managers/finance accounting earn slightly differ from accounting managers. In particular, managers/finance accounting are 6.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an accounting manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Accounting manager vs. Senior accountant analyst
As a senior accountant analyst, your main role is to provide professional guidance to a company. You need to have excellent preparation skills to create financial reports that clearly state the expenses and forecast the company's financial future. You should always aim for accuracy and compliance. Moreover, as a senior accountant analyst, you are supposed to give general operational assistance to the company's management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that accounting manager responsibilities requires skills like "cpa," "customer service," "payroll processing," and "cash management." But a senior accountant analyst might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "payroll," "income statement," "financial performance," and "real estate."
Senior accountant analysts earn a lower average salary than accounting managers. But senior accountant analysts earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $89,199. Additionally, accounting managers earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $99,773 annually.In general, senior accountant analysts achieve similar levels of education than accounting managers. They're 2.3% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for accounting managers in the next 3-5 years?
Terri Walsh
Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida
Accounting manager vs. Senior accountant
A senior accountant is responsible for organizing financial reports, analyzing cost estimates, reviewing budget goals regularly, and making adjustments with the company's account statements as necessary. Senior accountants' duties also include managing account reconciliations, preparing tax documents, maintaining audit records and balance sheets, generating invoices, and providing recommendations to minimize possible financial loss. A senior accountant must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of accounting and financial principles.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from accounting manager resumes include skills like "customer service," "payroll processing," "account reconciliations," and "tax returns," whereas a senior accountant is more likely to list skills in "payroll," "strong time management," "excellent organizational," and "work ethic. "
Senior accountants make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $74,982. On the other hand, accounting managers are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $99,773.When it comes to education, senior accountants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to accounting managers. In fact, they're 2.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Accounting manager vs. 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. They also help senior management in identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase profits for the business. A cash manager handles billing disputes, resolves account discrepancies, and submits accurate financial reports.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between accounting managers and cash managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an accounting manager might have more use for skills like "cpa," "payroll processing," "general ledger accounts," and "close process." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of cash managers require skills like "petty cash," "payroll," "pos," and "treasury operations. "
The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for cash managers, with average annual pay of $101,436. Comparatively, the highest accounting manager annual salary comes from the finance industry.The average resume of cash managers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to accounting managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.Types of accounting manager
Updated January 8, 2025
