1/13/23, 4:41 PM Accounting Hierarchy Explained: Which Kind of Accountant do You Need?

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7/8/2021 0 Comments

ACCOUNTING HIERARCHY DOWNLOAD:

EXPLAINED: WHICH KIND OF

ACCOUNTANT DO YOU NEED?

DOWNLOAD:

The accounting pyramid organizes accounting-related job titles into a


hierarchy that ranks them by responsibilities and deliverables, with

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1/13/23, 4:41 PM Accounting Hierarchy Explained: Which Kind of Accountant do You Need? - ASP

bookkeepers at the bottom, accountants in the middle, and the Chief

HOME SERVICES RECRUITING POSITIONS OREGON WASHINGTON COLORADO ABOUT CONTACT P
Financial Officer (CFO) at the top.

While it is obvious to most people

that bookkeepers are the most
entry-level accounting team staff
and CFOs are the bosses at the top,
there is a lot of confusion in the
middle.

​U nderstanding the difference

between a Staff Accountant, Senior
Accountant, and Accounting
Categories:
Manager, is something many
business professionals (even hiring managers) do not understand. Many All

people assume that Staff Accountants and Senior Accountants are individual Accountant

contributor roles with varying levels of experience and Accounting Managers Accounting

and Senior Accounting Managers are the people who oversee teams of Accounting Systems

lower-level accountants. However, that is not a correct understanding of the Audit

stratification of roles. To further complicate matters, some people use the Bank Reconciliation

titles of Senior Accounting Manager and Controller interchangeably, which Benefits

adds even more confusion. Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping
To provide some clarity on the topic, we will explain what each job title
Brand
means, how it differs from other adjacent accounting positions, and when
Budgeting
you need to hire each role:
Business Analysis

Business Trends
Staff Accountant
Cash Flow
Explanation of the Role: A Staff Accountant is an early career accounting
Change Management
role. Staff Accountants typically have a bachelor’s degree in accounting,
Checklist
finance, or business administration and a couple of years of experience in an
Closing The Books
entry-level accounting role before moving into the position.  
Colorado

Responsibilities: Like bookkeepers, Staff Accountants’ responsibilities Community

include maintaining financial records by doing ledger entries and reconciling Contracts

bank and credit accounts. In addition to helping keep the books, Staff Controller

Accountants also typically provide some measure of AP (Accounts Payables) Depreciation

and AR (Accounts Receivables) support. They will also be expected to Ecommerce

generate regular financial reports, like the balance sheet and profit and loss Economy

(P&L) statement. Finance

Fraud
Filling The Need: During a corporate reorganization, accounting software Government
change, or audit a Staff Accountant may be asked to provide financial
Hack
information or generate reports to assist in the process.
Hiring

HR
Senior Accountant Infographic
Explanation of the Role: A Senior Accountant has additional years of Internal Controls
experience over a Staff Accountant and uses their gained expertise to take IRS
on additional accounting responsibility with the organization. Some Senior
Laws
Accountants are CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) or CMAs (Certified
Leadership
Management Accountants), although this is not a requirement to hold the
Legal
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1/13/23, 4:41 PM Accounting Hierarchy Explained: Which Kind of Accountant do You Need? - ASP

role. Local Economics

HOME SERVICES RECRUITING POSITIONS OREGON WASHINGTON COLORADO ABOUT CONTACT P
Manuals

Responsibilities: Senior Accountants prepare budgets, conduct risk Market Trends

assessments, and can supervise other accounting staff as well. Unlike lower- News

level accountants, Senior Accountants ensure the integrity of the company’s Nonprofit

broader accounting information and processes. On top of preparing financial Online Bookkeeping

statements, they also help with preparing budgets and analyzing budget Oregon
variances. In the area of internal controls, Senior Accountants conduct risk Outsource
assessments, evaluations, and reviews to strengthen the company’s Payroll
accounting controls. Additionally, they maintain fixed asset schedules to
Payroll Taxes
keep them up to date.  
Planning
 
Procedures
Filling The Need: As an organization grows, accounting management
QuickBooks
becomes essential. A Senior Accountant can provide an important link
Record Keeping
between a company’s financial leadership and its team of Staff Accountants.
Recruiting
Furthermore, when internal accounting controls need to be implemented or
Recruiting Market Reports
shored up, a Senior Accountant is a critical role.  
Remote Workforce

Reporting
Accounting Manager
Restaurants
Explanation of the Role: As the name would imply, an Accounting Manager
Risk
oversees a team of accountants. Accounting Managers typically have a
Sales Tax
degree in accounting or a related field, some form of higher-level degree,
Scam
and significant work experience in the specific types of accounting they are
Security
managing. The team they oversee can consist of Staff Accountants or Senior
Small Business
Accountants depending on the organizational structure.  
Social Media

Responsibilities: Accounting Managers review and analyze the financial Software

reports and documents that their accounting teams prepare. In addition to Startup

managing the company’s financial information, they also manage a team of Statistics

employees. An Accounting Manager may hire, train, and oversee a team of Strategy

accountants performing the day-to-day accounting tasks of running the Taxes

business or a group of specialty accountants such as public accountants, tax Technology

accountants, or auditors. Either way, their primary objective is to convey Time Management
critical information pertaining to the company’s financial position up the Washington State
chain to executive leadership while translating organizational direction to
the team they manage. Furthermore, Accounting Managers use their strong Archives:
communication skills to work cross-functionally with finance and HR to
January 2023
establish accounting priorities, advise on financial decisions, and set
December 2022
strategic corporate goals.  
November 2022

October 2022
Filling The Need: Accounting Managers ensure that accounting staff is well
September 2022
recruited, trained, and developed professionally to meet the company’s
August 2022
short-term and long-term goals, which is crucial for any organization.
During a period of rapid growth, business shift, industry disruption, or July 2022

changing market landscape, an Accounting Manager is a vital position.   June 2022

May 2022

Senior Accounting Manager/Assistant Controller April 2022

March 2022
Explanation of the Role: A Senior Accounting Manager will oversee multiple
February 2022
accounting teams within an organization to ensure they are working
together effectively. This is often a hybrid role that acts in an Assistant January 2022

Controller capacity as well, providing high-level financial support to the December 2021 
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1/13/23, 4:41 PM Accounting Hierarchy Explained: Which Kind of Accountant do You Need? - ASP

Controller. November 2021

HOME SERVICES RECRUITING POSITIONS OREGON WASHINGTON COLORADO ABOUT CONTACT P
October 2021

Responsibilities: Senior Accounting Managers and Assistant Controllers work September 2021

to identify and resolve discrepancies found in financial data to improve August 2021

financial data accuracy. As such, they will often liaise with external auditors, July 2021

as needed. Furthermore, larger companies with more sophisticated financial June 2021

needs may employ a Senior Accounting Manager or Assistant Controller to May 2021
ensure GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and in-house best April 2021
practices are being followed. The same is true of publicly traded companies, March 2021
which need SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) oversight as well. Senior Accounting
February 2021
Managers/Assistant Controllers will deal with governance requirements,
January 2021
compliance, payroll procedures, service level agreements, ERP (Enterprise
December 2020
Resource Planning) systems, and accounting controls.
November 2020

October 2020
Filling The Need: Senior Accounting Managers and Assistant Controllers add
September 2020
another layer of oversight into a corporate structure, which is crucial when
August 2020
the organization has more complicated regulatory and compliance needs. A
July 2020
Senior Accounting Manager/Assistant Controller can provide key financial
June 2020
direction within a publicly traded entity or a high growth company.
May 2020

April 2020
Controller
March 2020
Explanation of the Role: As the name would imply, a Controller has control
February 2020
over the breadth of the company’s accounting functions. While large
January 2020
companies may have both a Controller and CFO, many smaller and mid-
December 2019
market companies will only have one or the other. In instances where an
organization does not have dedicated roles for both, a Controller will November 2019

perform executive leadership functions. October 2019

September 2019

Responsibilities: Controllers have the whole array of accounting activities August 2019

under their purview, namely: budgeting, forecasting, data analysis, debt July 2019

servicing, regulatory compliance, audits, internal controls, expense June 2019

management, and tax filings. May 2019

April 2019
Filling The Need: A Controller provides strategic financial leadership to March 2019
oversee the accuracy and efficacy of an organization’s accounting functions, February 2019
making it a critical role for any company whose executive board needs an
January 2019
accounting perspective represented at a high-level.
December 2018

November 2018
When you are ready to hire an accountant or controller, look for an
October 2018
accounting recruiting firm with experience in your local market. The ASP
September 2018
Team serves companies spanning a wide variety of industries across the
August 2018
Pacific Northwest looking to hire accounting and finance professionals.
July 2018
Contact us to find out more about how our recruiting team can help your
June 2018
organization find the right professional to fit your accounting role.
May 2018

April 2018

March 2018
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