Grant accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between grant accountants 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 grant accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a senior staff accountant has an average salary of $65,019, which is higher than the $59,472 average annual salary of a grant accountant.

The top three skills for a grant accountant include reconciliations, grants management and GAAP. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Grant accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Grant Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$59,472	$65,019
Hourly rate	$28.59	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	36,034	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a grant accountant do?

A grant accountant is responsible for overseeing financial and grant services in an organization. They are responsible for performing accounting and administrative tasks such as gathering and analyzing data, preparing and processing financial statements, conducting audits and assessments, identifying and resolving discrepancies, and handling taxes. They may also prepare forecasts and models, supervise budgets, and submit regular reports to managers. Moreover, a grant accountant must comply with the state, federal, and local financial laws and regulations, keeping abreast of the latest changes.

What does a senior staff accountant do?

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.

Grant accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

Grant accountants and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Grant Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$59,472	$65,019
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $76,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Search for Common Ground	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between grant accountant and senior staff accountant education

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

	Grant Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Grant accountant vs senior staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between grant accountants' and senior staff accountants' demographics:

	Grant Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 62.9% 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 grant accountant and senior staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Grant accountant example responsibilities.

Manage sub-awards to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, and OMB circulars prior to payment process.
Manage all daily and biweekly payroll processes in accordance within establish deadlines.
Manage derivative accounting at global level and ensure accounting and economic hedging objectives are align.
Perform grant-related post-award functions, including budget and expense analysis, financial reporting and reconciliations.
Coordinate audit process with outside CPA firm, audit lead schedules, reports.
Supervise monthly payroll processing and tax calculations.

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.

Grant accountant vs senior staff accountant skills

Common grant accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Grants Management, 5%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Financial Analysis, 4%
Expenditure Reports, 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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Grant Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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