Senior Accountant

Meaning and definition of Senior Accountant

A senior accountant is a professional who provides financial info and incentives for mid-sized to large businesses. A highly qualified individual will help acquire new accounts for his employer, in addition to issuing financial analysis and reporting. A senior accountant not only possesses leadership qualities but is also able to handle multiple financial responsibilities on a regular basis.

Requirements of a Senior Accountant

A senior accountant should essentially possess a bachelor’s degree in accounting and should have more than 4-5 years of experience of working in accounting. Besides, the individual must also possess valuable experience working as a supervisor or manager for a company or business.

The skills required for a senior accountant include excellent calculation and analyzing complex figures and numbers. Besides being highly analytical and quantitative, a senior accountant must also have effective writing, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Moreover, senior tax professionals deal with clients on a daily basis and should essentially be capable of explaining complex terms and facts clearly and logically. Also, a senior accountant must possess excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel, PowerPoint, and accounting software.

Duties of a Senior Accountant

The duties of a senior accountant can be categorized into two categories –

• Essential Duties

The essential duties of a senior accountant include preparation of journal entries and evaluating and distributing financial statements. The senior accountant also assists in annual company audits.

• Secondary Duties

The secondary duties include testing different reports for financial reporting and general ledger requirements, resolving issues related to check deposits and transactions, as well as being a liaison for company financial issues during meetings and conferences.

Functions of a Senior Accountant

As experienced accountants, the senior tax accountants are responsible for training, supervising, and delegating duties to junior-level tax accountants on their team. Besides, their personal duties include working closely with clients’ accounts and preparing federal state and local tax returns. Moreover, senior tax accountants must appraise tax forms or accuracy, analyze and estimate tax payments, in addition to assisting clients with compliance issues arising as a result of inconsistencies or inaccurate transaction data.