What does an accounting supervisor do?
Account supervisors are in charge of the accounting and financial operations within an organization's accounting department. They supervise the account team and provide feedback about their performance and recommend improvements when necessary. It is their responsibility to review the company's financial statements for accuracy. They even reconcile the enterprise's general ledger accounts and oversee the communications and marketing plans of the clients. Also, they maintain profitable and long-term customer relationships to keep the trust of the clients.
Accounting supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real accounting supervisor resumes:
- Initiate ongoing departmental projects to automate daily tasks which include the calculations for income distributions and the daily income account reconciliation.
- Audit ledgers to ensure they contain correct information, such as billing addresses and invoice numbers.
- Review the monthly account reconciliations for all GL accounts including inter-company and validate accuracy and substance of schedules supporting the reconciliations.
- Process all student account updates and maintain student ledgers.
- Verify and post transactions to journal ledgers and other records.
- Reconcile foreign tax GL account and remit funds to IRS.
- Prepare necessary financial documents request by the company CPA to ensure proper filing with the appropriate government agency.
- Reconcile monthly bank statements/general ledgers; produce financial statements for review of in-house CPA for banking & tax purposes.
- Participate in ERP implementation and testing.
- Perform treasury function and prepare cash forecast.
- Key team member representing accounting on ERP upgrade/conversion.
- Conduct daily invoice reconciliation/problem solve discrepancies to ensure timely payments.
- Involve in SOX compliant hedge accounting preparations using regression analysis of historical data.
- Collaborate with budget managers and respective financial analyst to record the necessary monthly and year-end accruals.
- Develop and present training presentations to employees and management addressing both SOX and internal audit activities.
Accounting supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Accounting Supervisors are proficient in Reconciliations, GAAP, and Account Reconciliations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Accounting Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reconciliations, 11%
Coordinated month-end close for four systems including journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations and prepared/customized weekly/monthly reports for individual brands.
- GAAP, 6%
Developed and implemented accounting policies and procedures to ensure external financial statement and internal management report adherence to GAAP and policies/procedures.
- Account Reconciliations, 6%
Reviewed and oversaw all journal entries and account reconciliations related to billing system generated revenue and all other miscellaneous journal entries.
- CPA, 6%
Assisted and supported the year end Independent CPA Annual Audit as well as any other client, and governmental audits.
- Customer Service, 5%
Instituted cross training procedures within the cash applications group and improved customer service within the department by restructuring responsibilities of subordinates.
- General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Prepared monthly reconciliation of various general ledger accounts, and bank accounts, perform periodic physical inventory and true-up calculations.
"reconciliations," "gaap," and "account reconciliations" are among the most common skills that accounting supervisors use at work. You can find even more accounting supervisor responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling accounting supervisor duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "accountants and auditors must be able to listen to and discuss facts and concerns from clients, managers, and other stakeholders." According to an accounting supervisor resume, here's how accounting supervisors can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "worked closely with hr on policies/procedures and communications. "
Organizational skills. accounting supervisors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to accounting supervisor responsibilities, because "strong organizational skills are important for accountants and auditors, who often work with a range of financial documents for a variety of clients." An accounting supervisor resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "examined organizational cash flow and reconciled five bank accounts. "
Detail oriented. accounting supervisor responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "accountants and auditors must pay attention to detail when compiling and examining documents." This resume example shows what accounting supervisors do with detail oriented on a typical day: "reviewed, researched & corrected trial balance and general ledger details for any discrepancies. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for accounting supervisor responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of accounting supervisors all the time, as "accountants and auditors must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures." An excerpt from a real accounting supervisor resume shows how this skill is central to what an accounting supervisor does: "recognize revenue on a monthly basis that includes trial balance, income statement, statistics, and backlog reports. "
The three companies that hire the most accounting supervisors are:
- TTEC43 accounting supervisors jobs
- Robert Half14 accounting supervisors jobs
- SS&C Technologies11 accounting supervisors jobs
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Compare different accounting supervisors
Accounting supervisor vs. Senior staff accountant
A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, accounting supervisor responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "payroll taxes," "direct reports," and "tax returns." Meanwhile a typical senior staff accountant has skills in areas such as "payroll processing," "excellent organizational," "income statement," and "sage." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Senior staff accountants earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $67,353. On the other hand, accounting supervisors are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $86,930.senior staff accountants tend to reach similar levels of education than accounting supervisors. In fact, senior staff accountants are 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Accounting supervisor vs. Senior cost accountant
A senior cost accountant is an individual who maintains detailed costs in a company's system and provides cost analysis that supports operations and sales. Senior cost accountants are required to review inventory and deal with manufacturing personnel to control and analyze standard costs. They must record cost information to be used in controlling expenditures as well as recommend cost efficiencies in new product layouts. Senior cost accountants must also provide reports that specify and compare factors affecting prices and profitability of products or services to the management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that accounting supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "cpa," "customer service," "payroll taxes," and "process improvement." But a senior cost accountant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "sr," "ppv," "inventory valuation," and "calculation."
Senior cost accountants may earn a lower salary than accounting supervisors, but senior cost accountants earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $74,446. On the other hand, accounting supervisors receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $86,930.senior cost accountants earn similar levels of education than accounting supervisors in general. They're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for accounting supervisors in the next 3-5 years?
Terri Walsh
Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida
Accounting supervisor vs. Senior tax accountant
Senior Tax Accountants recommend tax strategies, as well as assist the preparation of federal, state, and local taxes. They contact clients to resolve minor tax issues and work with the senior tax manager to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax legislation.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, accounting supervisors are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "general ledger accounts," "external auditors," and "balance sheet accounts." But a senior tax accountant is more likely to have skills like "state income," "tax research," "income tax returns," and "tax planning."
Senior tax accountants earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $84,616. Accounting supervisors earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $86,930.When it comes to education, senior tax accountants tend to earn higher degree levels compared to accounting supervisors. In fact, they're 8.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Accounting supervisor vs. Project accountant
A project accountant is primarily in charge of overseeing the budget and expenditures allocated for various projects within a company. Their responsibilities revolve around reviewing financial data and work plans, managing billing and financial reports, monitoring the flow of revenue, filing purchase orders and invoices, and processing payments to subcontractors, suppliers, and more. It is also vital to coordinate with all managing personnel to prepare necessary reports such as costs and taxes. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain data and records of all transactions, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Types of accounting supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
