How to hire a senior finance specialist

How to hire a senior finance specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior finance specialist 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 finance specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior finance specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior finance specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior finance specialist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior finance specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior finance specialists 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.

   Here's a comparison of senior finance specialist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Finance Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Finance Specialist	Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.	$26-70
   Account Leader	Account leaders are assigned to work on specific client accounts and assist these clients with their needs. They should treat their clients as partners... Show more	$36-75
   Accounting Consultant	An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization... Show more	$21-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Statements
   • Financial Data
   • Financial Analysis
   • Calculation
   • Strong Analytical
   • Financial Management
   • Internal Controls
   • Financial Reports
   • Financial Models
   • Financial Services
   • SQL
   • Reconciliations
   • GAAP
   • Financial Planning Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop, maintain financial models/applications (VBA Excel/Access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis.
   • Align all financial activity with the regulations of the GAAP.
   • Analyze technical financial problems and provide professional assistance and advice concerning their solutions using GAAP and GASB standards.
   • Administer accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank statements reconciliations and confirmations.
   • Monitor and maintain various account reconciliations for audit requirements, compliance controls, and other special analysis requests.
   • Handle the tasks of monitoring payroll activities and program components to ensure compliance with establish legal and administrative requirements.

   More senior finance specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior finance specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior finance specialist 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 finance specialist in South Dakota may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior finance specialist. Additionally, a senior finance specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior finance specialist salary

   $89,779yearly

   $43.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior finance specialist salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average senior finance specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$107,082	$51
   2	Pennsylvania	$104,263	$50
   3	New Jersey	$103,107	$50
   4	Connecticut	$95,957	$46
   5	District of Columbia	$91,071	$44
   6	California	$88,061	$42
   7	Florida	$86,183	$41
   8	Maryland	$85,128	$41
   9	Rhode Island	$84,074	$40
   10	West Virginia	$75,910	$37
   11	North Carolina	$73,513	$35
   12	Massachusetts	$73,251	$35
   13	Texas	$71,880	$35
   14	Nevada	$67,518	$32
   15	Illinois	$64,001	$31
   16	Arizona	$62,150	$30
   17	Missouri	$53,956	$26
   18	Wisconsin	$49,641	$24
   19	Minnesota	$49,106	$24
   20	Iowa	$48,734	$23

   Average senior finance specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	ZS	$134,460	$64.64	1
   2	Citi	$133,522	$64.19	15
   3	American Beacon Advisors	$131,920	$63.42
   4	Boehringer Ingelheim	$131,193	$63.07	4
   5	BNY Mellon	$122,070	$58.69	14
   6	MUFG EMEA	$119,590	$57.50
   7	Cybersource	$116,313	$55.92
   8	Intel	$113,373	$54.51
   9	The Dow Chemical Company	$112,009	$53.85
   10	Pacifi	$110,967	$53.35	8
   11	Dun & Bradstreet	$109,059	$52.43	1
   12	Bayer	$108,755	$52.29
   13	SAP	$107,076	$51.48	11
   14	Sunoco	$105,070	$50.51
   15	Corning Incorporated	$104,887	$50.43	6
   16	Ernst & Young	$104,235	$50.11	485
   17	Stanford Children's Health	$102,805	$49.43
   18	SG Americas Securities Holdings, LLC	$102,733	$49.39
   19	Bank of America	$102,692	$49.37	1,785
   20	MAI Capital Management	$102,229	$49.15	3

4. Writing a senior finance specialist job description

   A senior finance specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a senior finance specialist job description:

   Senior finance specialist job description example

   Astranis is connecting the four billion people in the world who do not currently have access to the internet. We are building the next generation of smaller, lower-cost spacecraft to bring the world online.
   
   We are well-funded by some of the best investors in the business and have raised over $350 million to date. We have a world-class team that is passionate about building amazing technology. And we have a fun and collaborative work environment where you will learn a lot and make a huge impact no matter where you are in your career. Just check out our Glassdoor reviews to see what our team has to say about working at Astranis.
   Our team is growing fast. Apply now!
   
   Senior Financial Operations Specialist - AP
   
   As a Senior Financial Operations Specialist - AP at Astranis, you will be responsible for the Procure to Pay (P2P) process. Our ideal candidate is a well-rounded finance professional who is detail-oriented, experienced in making process improvements, and independent. This person understands the P2P process inside and out and is driven to lay the foundation for scale.
   RoleOwn the P2P process, including Purchase Order management, invoice coding, and processing invoices.Own and manage the monthly close process for accounts payable and related accounts by ensuring the accuracy of vendor expense accruals, including AP aging, and goods received not invoiced account/aging.Responsible for the maintenance and review of vendor information, including banking, ACH, Form W-9's, as preparing for year-end 1099 forms filing.Manage the corporate credit card and employee expense reports processes by ensuring adherence to the company's T&E policy and providing support and direction in resolving any issues.Assist in developing and reporting key performance indicators for Accounts Payable and identifying areas for continuous improvement. Monitor internal controls within the P2P cycle, including collaboration with other departments when necessary. Ensure compliance of internal controls in accordance with SOX.
   RequirementsBachelor's degree in relevant discipline4+ years of Accounts Payable experience Ability to build long-term scalable processes Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team and influence/drive change cross-functionally Above all, you must be a good personU.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
   BonusManufacturing, Start-up, Netsuite experience
   U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
   (To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))
   
   Our mission and our products are meant to connect the world and everyone in it, regardless of gender, race, creed, or any other distinction. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we encourage all people to join our team and bring their unique perspective to help make us stronger.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior finance specialist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find senior finance specialist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior finance specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 finance specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior finance specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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 finance specialist 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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How much does it cost to hire a senior finance specialist?