How to hire an accounting/office manager

How to hire an accounting/office manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step accounting/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 accounting/office manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new accounting/office manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an accounting/office manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an accounting/office manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an accounting/office manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an accounting/office manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of accounting/office managers.

   Type of Accounting/Office Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Accounting/Office Manager		$16-35
   Office Lead	An office lead is responsible for performing complex administrative tasks, especially in front office operations, managing staff performance, and providing high-quality customer service by responding to visitors' inquiries and concerns and directing them to the appropriate department. These leads monitor daily business transactions, write business reports, and manage the information in the system database... Show more	$24-61
   Team Manager	Team managers primarily manage the daily activities of their members. Their role includes setting targets, implementing guidelines, and supporting employees to solve any issues that may arise... Show more	$21-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Reconciliations
   • General Ledger Accounts
   • Purchase Orders
   • Credit Card
   • Journal Entries
   • Accounts Payables
   • Human Resources
   • CPA
   • Sales Tax
   • Bank Deposits
   • Balance Sheet
   • Office Management
   • Bank Accounts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Train employees how to sign into ADP, request PTO and manage deductions and banking.
   • Manage all accounting functions relate to cost accounting, AP / AR and general ledger.
   • Conduct corporate treasury management planning and analysis, manages controls for inventory and cost accumulation for all products sell.
   • Optimize billing processes, resolve delinquent accounts, and utilize QuickBooks expertise in tracking AR/AP, profits and overhead.
   • Key in weekly payroll to ADP website as well as responsible for updating employee records, direct deposits and payroll changes.
   • Coordinate and submit year-end information to CPA for corporate tax preparation.

   More accounting/office manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your accounting/office manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An accounting/office manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, accounting/office managers' average salary in kentucky is 47% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level accounting/office managers earn 54% less than senior-level accounting/office managers.
   • Certifications. An accounting/office manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an accounting/office manager's salary.

   Average accounting/office manager salary

   $50,431yearly

   $24.25 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level accounting/office manager salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average accounting/office manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Rhode Island	$59,180	$28
   2	New York	$58,309	$28
   3	Massachusetts	$57,095	$27
   4	Oregon	$54,820	$26
   5	Maryland	$54,307	$26
   6	California	$54,164	$26
   7	Illinois	$53,918	$26
   8	Texas	$50,109	$24
   9	Georgia	$45,443	$22
   10	Colorado	$44,972	$22
   11	Florida	$44,397	$21
   12	South Carolina	$39,169	$19

   Average accounting/office manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Northrop Grumman	$59,528	$28.62	16
   2	Hall | MileOne Autogroup	$56,539	$27.18
   3	Safway Group Holding LLC	$54,077	$26.00	8
   4	Stella-Jones	$53,625	$25.78	1
   5	HR Knowledge	$53,265	$25.61	1
   6	Caithness Energy	$49,951	$24.01
   7	Commonwealth Financial Network	$49,947	$24.01	1
   8	South Motor Company Of Dade County	$49,709	$23.90
   9	Robert Half	$47,715	$22.94	817
   10	Topel Forman	$47,692	$22.93
   11	Randstad North America, Inc.	$46,016	$22.12	22
   12	Three Rivers Community Action Inc	$39,239	$18.86
   13	Lithia Motors	$36,563	$17.58

4. Writing an accounting/office manager job description

   An accounting/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. Below, you can find an example of an accounting/office manager job description:

   Accounting/office manager job description example

   Kendall Auto Group is one of the largest family owned and operated dealers in the United States and premier employer in Marysville. We are looking for an Office Manager to join our team.
   Highly competitive pay & benefits:
   Top Tier pay commensurate with skills/experience Paid health insurance Generous paid time off Fidelity 401K plan
   Duties/Essential job functions:
   Support departmental managers in achieving company goals by providing timely information for decision making and required actions. Coach, train and support administrative team on process, technology, and accounting. Review accounting schedules and weekly audit reports of key accounts. Attend and participate in weekly management meetings. Reconcile accounting schedules, make account adjustments, and resolve issues. Work with Controller to achieve accounting department and company objectives. Participate in process improvement initiatives. Build documentation of process and procedures. Perform monthly financial analysis to assist in decision making.
   Qualifications, experience, and skills required:
   Accounting experience required; accounting education preferred Auto Dealership experience required Auto dealership accounting experience is required Excellent communication and supervisory skills and experience Skilled user of accounting software/data management systems Advanced user of Excel and proficient in Word and Outlook
   
   Join Kendall Auto Group and START SOMETHING GREAT! We are a family-owned and operated company with auto dealerships in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Alaska. Kendall has been selling and servicing vehicles since 1937.
   
   Our mission at Kendall is simple: To deliver an unrivaled customer experience. Through our highly motivated, knowledgeable and caring team of professionals, we pledge to listen to and respect your needs. Doing the right thing means more than selling and servicing vehicles. Our progressive attitude means being exceptional stewards of the communities we operate in. It means going above and beyond every day for the people who mean so much to us - our employees and customers.
   
   Our employees are members of the Kendall family, who share our same goals and passions. Ideal candidates are confident, driven people who are excited to grow and succeed with one of the most successful automotive dealerships in the Pacific Northwest. We offer eligible employees medical, dental, vision and life insurance, Paid Time Off, a 401(k) plan with company contributions, an entire family purchase plan and much more! If you are looking for a rewarding career, we would like to meet you and start something great!"
   
   To apply, please follow the link to our job board site.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right accounting/office manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with accounting/office managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit accounting/office managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with accounting/office manager candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 accounting/office manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the accounting/office manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is 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 accounting/office manager?