How To Become A Senior Accounting Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior accounting manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Thomas King

Senior accounting managers oversee the finances of an organization. They may prepare records and statements, check financial reports for accuracy, and provide guidance and support for executives on financial decisions.

Senior accounting managers are also responsible for maintaining legal, financial practices in the organization. A day in the life of a senior accounting manager includes meeting with executives to discuss finances, reviewing the organization's financial data, and possibly coordinating with banks and other financial institutions.

Some accounting managers may also specialize in specific areas like payable information, insurance, risk management, etc. In this case, they specialize in specific tasks like developing financial reports, coordinating staff audits, and creating budgets.

What general advice would you give to a senior accounting manager?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

Be dependable. Reputations form quickly after people join organizations. A newly hired professional who demonstrates the ability to get things done rapidly and accurately will soon become a "go-to" person when new opportunities arise. Such exposure early in a career is invaluable.

ScoreSenior Accounting ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $109,420

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.5

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 10.08%

Black or African American 7.51%

Hispanic or Latino 14.35%

Unknown 4.10%

White 63.63%

Gender

female 46.52%

male 53.48%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.3

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior accounting manager

Explore senior accounting manager education requirements

Most common senior accounting manager degrees

Bachelor's

77.8 %

Master's

15.0 %

Associate

4.7 %

Start to develop specific senior accounting manager skills

Skills	Percentages
CPA	10.77%
GAAP	8.73%
Reconciliations	6.78%
Internal Controls	4.93%
SOX	3.70%

Complete relevant senior accounting manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior accounting managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior accounting manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior accounting manager resumes.

Research senior accounting manager duties and responsibilities

Lead research, selection and implementation of government contracting ERP software and facilitate training of engineers and project managers.
Implement new or improve processes train on the ERP system and manage the transition assignments leading to quality staff performance.
Point manager in initiating and managing SOX compliance procedures and documentation.
Manage corporate accounting operations including general ledger system administration, month end close processes, and account reconciliations.

Get senior accounting manager experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a senior accounting manager. The most common roles before becoming a senior accounting manager include accounting manager, senior accountant team lead and staff accountant.

Prepare your senior accounting manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior accounting manager resume.

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