Systems accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between systems 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 systems accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a senior staff accountant has an average salary of $65,019, which is higher than the $60,010 average annual salary of a systems accountant.

The top three skills for a systems accountant include general ledger, internal controls and reconciliations. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Systems accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Systems Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$60,010	$65,019
Hourly rate	$28.85	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	98,100	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Systems accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

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

	Systems Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$60,010	$65,019
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $83,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New York
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between systems accountant and senior staff accountant education

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

	Systems Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Systems accountant vs senior staff accountant demographics

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

	Systems Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.5% White, 63.4% 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 systems accountant and senior staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Systems accountant example responsibilities.

Manage the review, enhancement, and creation of department policy and procedure documentation require for Sarbanes-Oxley auditing and compliance.
Prepare journal entries and monthly account reconciliations.
Project manager for financial system support, integrating AR, funds control, and payroll subsidiary systems.
Develop the concept and reconciliation of the gross-to-net for active duty (navy), civilian payroll and retire payroll process.
Complete internal audits and reconciliations of government/grant appropriation of funds for compliance with propose regulations.
Collaborate with team to spearhead installation of ERP financial system, improving efficiency and accuracy.

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.

Systems accountant vs senior staff accountant skills

Common systems accountant skills

General Ledger, 9%
Internal Controls, 8%
Reconciliations, 8%
Payroll, 7%
Internal Audit, 6%
Journal Entries, 5%

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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Systems Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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