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Senior corporate accountant vs project accountant

The differences between senior corporate accountants and project 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 senior corporate accountant and a project accountant. Additionally, a senior corporate accountant has an average salary of $73,008, which is higher than the $60,467 average annual salary of a project accountant.

The top three skills for a senior corporate accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and SOX. The most important skills for a project accountant are reconciliations, project management, and contract terms.

Senior corporate accountant vs project accountant overview

Senior Corporate AccountantProject Accountant
Yearly salary$73,008$60,467
Hourly rate$35.10$29.07
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs57,89543,672
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a senior corporate accountant do?

A senior corporate accountant is responsible for reviewing financial transactions and account statements of an organization, reconciling accounts receivable, managing accounts payable, and resolving bank discrepancies. Senior corporate accountants handle clients' outstanding payments, allocate budget to the department heads, and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and minimize financial loss. They write accurate financial reports to discuss with the senior management, respond to the team's inquiries and concerns, and strategize to improve financial processes.

What does a project accountant do?

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.

Senior corporate accountant vs project accountant salary

Senior corporate accountants and project accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Corporate AccountantProject Accountant
Average salary$73,008$60,467
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $92,000Between $46,000 And $79,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew Jersey
Best paying companyAmazonPerficient
Best paying industryConstructionProfessional

Differences between senior corporate accountant and project accountant education

There are a few differences between a senior corporate accountant and a project accountant in terms of educational background:

Senior Corporate AccountantProject Accountant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Senior corporate accountant vs project accountant demographics

Here are the differences between senior corporate accountants' and project accountants' demographics:

Senior Corporate AccountantProject Accountant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 46.2% Female, 53.8%Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.3% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between senior corporate accountant and project accountant duties and responsibilities

Senior corporate accountant example responsibilities.

  • Manage CAPEX and Hyperion reporting.
  • Manage Sarbanes-Oxley documentation and perform the related testing in accordance with policy.
  • Manage all treasury activity for corporate entities including daily cash management, monthly earn fee calculations, and property relate reimbursements.
  • Prepare documentation in support of financial statements for SOX regulations, internal and external auditors.
  • Initiate financial analysis, budgeting, management planning, capital expenditure monitoring, and revenue recognition according to GAAP.
  • Research and implement functionality within ERP system.
  • Show more

Project accountant example responsibilities.

  • Maintain general ledgers, manage cash flow, prepare financial statements and bank reconciliations for multiple development and construction projects.
  • Assure timely accurate filing of all Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance claims.
  • Review the collection of Medicare, Medicaid and other receivables to ensure monthly goals are met.
  • Used DelTek to find discrepancies in employee charge hours.
  • Serve as major contributor in system conversion to new web-base ERP system.
  • Identify and rectify accounting errors that have incurred in the past and ensure adherence to IFRS.
  • Show more

Senior corporate accountant vs project accountant skills

Common senior corporate accountant skills
  • Reconciliations, 13%
  • GAAP, 9%
  • SOX, 5%
  • External Auditors, 4%
  • Internal Controls, 4%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
Common project accountant skills
  • Reconciliations, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Contract Terms, 5%
  • Purchase Orders, 4%
  • Deltek, 4%
  • Revenue Recognition, 4%

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