Cost accounting supervisor vs senior staff accountant

The differences between cost accounting supervisors and senior staff accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cost accounting supervisor and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a cost accounting supervisor has an average salary of $103,066, which is higher than the $65,019 average annual salary of a senior staff accountant.

The top three skills for a cost accounting supervisor include reconciliations, financial reports and general ledger. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Cost accounting supervisor vs senior staff accountant overview

	Cost Accounting Supervisor	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$103,066	$65,019
Hourly rate	$49.55	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	32,987	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Cost accounting supervisor vs senior staff accountant salary

Cost accounting supervisors and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cost Accounting Supervisor	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$103,066	$65,019
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $135,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between cost accounting supervisor and senior staff accountant education

There are a few differences between a cost accounting supervisor and a senior staff accountant in terms of educational background:

	Cost Accounting Supervisor	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Cost accounting supervisor vs senior staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between cost accounting supervisors' and senior staff accountants' demographics:

	Cost Accounting Supervisor	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between cost accounting supervisor and senior staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Cost accounting supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead the development of annual standard costs and update the system for BOM changes.
Manage quarterly inventory reserves in accordance with company policy which follows GAAP guidance.
Perform all duties in accordance with GAAP, SOX, and corporate accounting policies and procedures.
Administer employee memberships to gyms, stock purchases and other company benefits through payroll deduction.
Work with auditors to ensure SOX controls are accurate and that company is in compliance with them.
Prepare several SOX compliance reports for cost, sales distribution, collection and any other area as required.

Senior staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage month end close process including journal entries, departmental analysis and preparation of consolidate financial statements and account reconciliations.
Involve in revenue recognition research (ASC 985-605 vs. ASC 605-25).
Aid managers in performing AP duties, generate financial reports for CPA, and reconcile bank accounts for corporate office.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger analysis in accordance with GAAP.
Advance SaaS deal and rev accounting.
Cultivate productive, trustful relationship with external CPA firm, critical to producing successful audits and year-end reporting.

Cost accounting supervisor vs senior staff accountant skills

Common cost accounting supervisor skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Financial Reports, 6%
General Ledger, 5%
ERP, 5%
External Auditors, 4%
Variance Analysis, 4%

Common senior staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
CPA, 7%
GAAP, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 4%

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Cost Accounting Supervisor
Cost Accounting Supervisor vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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