How to hire a senior accountant analyst

How to hire a senior accountant analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior accountant analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior accountant analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior accountant analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior accountant analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior accountant analyst you need to hire. Certain senior accountant analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior accountant analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior accountant analysts from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior accountant analysts.

   Type of Senior Accountant Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Accountant Analyst	Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure that financial records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time... Show more	$27-46
   Accounting Supervisor	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... Show more	$24-44
   Accounting Manager	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... Show more	$28-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Reconciliations
   • External Auditors
   • Account Reconciliations
   • General Ledger Accounts
   • GAAP
   • Financial Analysis
   • Balance Sheet Accounts
   • Payroll
   • Internal Controls
   • Financial Data
   • Strong Analytical
   • Accruals
   • SOX
   • Fixed Assets

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and manage Sarbanes-Oxley compliance procedures.
   • Manage complex pricing structure and maintain SalesForce CRM funnel for forecasting accuracy.
   • Provide high-level financial analysis and accounting, conduct fixed asset analysis, variance analysis, account reconciliations, and month end-closes.
   • Perform relevant SOX controls accurately and timely.
   • Research and make technical recommendations regarding GAAP accounting issues.
   • Document and test control procedures in accordance with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.

   More senior accountant analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior accountant analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior accountant analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior accountant analyst in Hawaii may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior accountant analyst. Additionally, a senior accountant analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior accountant analyst salary

   $75,282yearly

   $36.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior accountant analyst salary

   $58,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior accountant analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$92,477	$44
   2	District of Columbia	$88,564	$43
   3	Washington	$87,293	$42
   4	Massachusetts	$82,919	$40
   5	New York	$82,725	$40
   6	Texas	$76,215	$37
   7	North Carolina	$70,583	$34
   8	Georgia	$70,519	$34
   9	Nevada	$69,234	$33
   10	Wisconsin	$68,588	$33
   11	Colorado	$68,069	$33
   12	Pennsylvania	$67,970	$33
   13	Minnesota	$67,337	$32
   14	Indiana	$67,253	$32
   15	Ohio	$65,959	$32
   16	South Carolina	$65,533	$32
   17	Illinois	$63,915	$31
   18	Maine	$63,670	$31
   19	Arkansas	$62,926	$30
   20	Utah	$62,822	$30

   Average senior accountant analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	BMO Capital Markets	$109,627	$52.71	6
   2	BNY Mellon	$103,008	$49.52	25
   3	Gap Inc.	$99,100	$47.64
   4	Fluid Components International	$93,081	$44.75
   5	PacSun	$90,107	$43.32	1
   6	Nasdaq	$89,924	$43.23	2
   7	Palo Alto University	$84,846	$40.79
   8	Siemens	$83,709	$40.24	4
   9	Aetna	$82,446	$39.64
   10	CNO Financial Group	$81,880	$39.37
   11	Kratos Defense & Security Solutions	$81,038	$38.96	3
   12	AMETEK	$80,821	$38.86	2
   13	Pharmacyclics	$80,121	$38.52
   14	Duquesne Light Company	$79,540	$38.24	1
   15	TOMRA	$78,886	$37.93
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$78,482	$37.73	47
   17	Sysco Food Services Of Baltimore	$78,312	$37.65
   18	MULTIVAC, Inc.	$78,312	$37.65
   19	Lukka	$78,312	$37.65
   20	Landsea Homes	$78,300	$37.64

4. Writing a senior accountant analyst job description

   A job description for a senior accountant analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior accountant analyst job description:

   Senior accountant analyst job description example

   Client Processing -
   
   * Performs routine and non-routine client service and transactional support functions.
   * Provides analytics and reporting services, working to improve and automate transaction processing systems.
   * Advises organizational units/teams to ensure timely delivery of service, or resolution of issue.
   * Provides direction to lower-level service roles in the successful delivery of support or service.
   * Processes account related transactions per scheduled events/client authenticated direction.
   * Answers inquiries and resolves problems or issues. Assesses needs and suggests/promotes alternative approaches to service models.
   * Participates in straightforward product development, product enhancement, and system testing to ensure that products continue to accurately and efficiently process high value transactions.
   * Solves problems based on an understanding and knowledge of the intricacies of the system. Integrates in-depth area knowledge with a solid understanding of industry standards and practices to provide solutions to internal and external clients.
   * Manages situations which may require adaptation of response or extensive research according to internal or external client response.
   * May be responsible for allocating and checking work of support team members. May be responsible for specific supervisory review, training and approval actions.
   * Contributes to the achievement of team objectives.
   * The Wealth Management Distribution Unit is responsible for all wealth management account closures and the corresponding distribution of all assets at account closing.
   * Within this role responsibilities could include documentation retrieval, processing cash and asset distribution, asset allocation, and account reconciliation.
   * Additionally, responsibilities would include training of new team members, distribution approvals of both cash and assets, reporting oversight, and assistance with complex terminations.
   * Bachelors degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience is required.3-5 years of total work experience is preferred. Experience in brokerage processing is preferred. Applicable local/regional licenses or certifications as required by the business.. BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans. Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.
   
   BNY Mellon is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities/Females/Individuals With Disabilities/Protected Veterans.
   
   Our ambition is to build the best global team - one that is representative and inclusive of the diverse talent, clients and communities we work with and serve - and to empower our team to do their best work. We support wellbeing and a balanced life, and offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies and employee forums.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior accountant analysts for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior accountant analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior accountant analysts with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior accountant analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior accountant analyst candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior accountant analysts requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 senior accountant analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior accountant analyst 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new senior accountant analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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