List of accounting roles

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Many accountants in the United States are not certified, particularly those who work in corporate America. They may be referred to as bookkeepers, accountants, junior accountants, staff accountants, senior accountants, or accounting supervisors, depending on their level in the management duties and their position in the corporate hierarchy. An accountant is a generic term which can refer to any of the below classifications.

Contents

Controller

In a corporate environment, a controller supervises all other accounting staff and usually reports to a chief financial officer or director of finance.

Accounting Manager

A mid to upper-level manager and accounting professional who oversees staff accountants and/or accounting supervisors or junior accountants. They may or may not be a CPA, but are almost always required to have a bachelor's degree. [1] [2]

Accounting Supervisor

An upper-level accounting professional who directly oversees one or more accounting specialists. Similar to an accounting manager, they are usually subordinate to the manager, or report directly to the controller or CFO. In addition to their supervisory role, they will be responsible for monitoring and approving the financial processes and reporting of their department. [3] [4]

Senior Accountant

An upper-level accounting professional who usually reports directly to a controller or assistant controller or, in the public accounting world, one of the partners. They will almost always have a bachelor's degree, and sometimes a master's. They may even have their CPA, or be a CPA candidate. In addition to general accounting duties, they help company's management to analyze the economic health of the organization, usually through timely financial reports and counsel. They may or may not have supervisory responsibilities over junior accountants and/or clerical personnel. [5]

Staff Accountant

A mid-level accounting position between junior accountant and senior accountant. At public accounting firms, staff accountant may be an entry-level position. Staff accountants typically have bachelor degrees but are not necessarily Certified Public Accountants. Typical duties of a staff accountant include preparing journal entries and reconciliations. Staff accountants may also perform duties such as accounts payable and accounts receivable. [6] A corporate staff accountant typically reports to a controller or accounting manager.

Junior Accountant

An entry-level accounting position, usually reporting to any of the higher level accounting positions, or in smaller companies, to the controller. They may or may not have a bachelor's degree, and their main responsibilities will usually include reconciling accounts and preparing preliminary reports. [7] [8]

Bookkeeper

This paragraph is an excerpt from Bookkeeping.[ edit ]
The person in an organisation who is employed to perform bookkeeping functions is usually called the bookkeeper (or book-keeper). They usually write the daybooks (which contain records of sales, purchases, receipts, and payments), and document each financial transaction, whether cash or credit, into the correct daybook—that is, petty cash book, suppliers ledger, customer ledger, etc.—and the general ledger. Thereafter, an accountant can create financial reports from the information recorded by the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper brings the books to the trial balance stage, from which an accountant may prepare financial reports for the organisation, such as the income statement and balance sheet.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accounting</span> Measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities

Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non-financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "language of business", measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators. Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants. The terms "accounting" and "financial reporting" are often used as synonyms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bookkeeping</span> Recording financial transactions or events

Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. Transactions include purchases, sales, receipts and payments by an individual person or an organization/corporation. There are several standard methods of bookkeeping, including the single-entry and double-entry bookkeeping systems. While these may be viewed as "real" bookkeeping, any process for recording financial transactions is a bookkeeping process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Management accounting</span> Field of business administration, part of the internal accounting system of a company

In management accounting or managerial accounting, managers use accounting information in decision-making and to assist in the management and performance of their control functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accountant</span> Practitioner of accounting or accountancy

An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certified Accountant or Certified Public Accountant, or Registered Public Accountant. Such professionals are granted certain responsibilities by statute, such as the ability to certify an organization's financial statements, and may be held liable for professional misconduct. Non-qualified accountants may be employed by a qualified accountant, or may work independently without statutory privileges and obligations.

Double-entry bookkeeping, also known as double-entry accounting, is a method of bookkeeping that relies on a two-sided accounting entry to maintain financial information. Every entry to an account requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a different account. The double-entry system has two equal and corresponding sides known as debit and credit. A transaction in double-entry bookkeeping always affects at least two accounts, always includes at least one debit and one credit, and always has total debits and total credits that are equal. The purpose of double-entry bookkeeping is to allow the detection of financial errors and fraud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certified Public Accountant</span> Title of qualified accountants in many countries

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United States, the CPA is a license to provide accounting services to the public. It is awarded by each of the 50 states for practice in that state. Additionally, all states except Hawaii have passed mobility laws to allow CPAs from other states to practice in their state. State licensing requirements vary, but the minimum standard requirements include passing the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, 150 semester units of college education, and one year of accounting-related experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary</span> Office occupation supporting management

A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evaluation, communication, and/or organizational skills within the area of administration. There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the administrative support field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level pay bands with positions in nearly every industry, especially among white-collar careers.

A financial analyst is a professional, undertaking financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core feature of the job. The role may specifically be titled securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, investment analyst, or ratings analyst. The job title is a broad one: in banking, and industry more generally, various other analyst-roles cover financial management and (credit) risk management, as opposed to focusing on investments and valuation; these are also discussed in this article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trial balance</span> List of all business accounts in a ledger

A trial balance is a list of all the general ledger accounts contained in the ledger of a business. This list will contain the name of each nominal ledger account and the value of that nominal ledger balance. Each nominal ledger account will hold either a debit balance or a credit balance. The debit balance values will be listed in the debit column of the trial balance and the credit value balance will be listed in the credit column. The trading profit and loss statement and balance sheet and other financial reports can then be produced using the ledger accounts listed on the same balance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General ledger</span> Bookkeeping (accounting) record

In bookkeeping, a general ledger is a bookkeeping ledger in which accounting data are posted from journals and aggregated from subledgers, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, fixed assets, purchasing and projects. A ledger account is created for each account in the chart of accounts for an organization and is classified into account categories, such as income, expense, assets, liabilities, and equity; the collection of all these accounts is known as the general ledger. The general ledger holds financial and non-financial data for an organization. Each account in the general ledger consists of one or more pages. An organization's statement of financial position and the income statement are both derived from income and expense account categories in the general ledger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Chartered Certified Accountants</span> Global professional organization

Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants(ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA). It has 240,952 members and 541,930 future members worldwide. ACCA's headquarters are in London with principal administrative office in Glasgow. ACCA works through a network of over 110 offices and centres in 51 countries - with 346 Approved Learning Partners (ALP) and more than 7,600 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide employee development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General journal</span> Type of daybook or subsidiary journal

A general journal is a daybook or subsidiary journal in which transactions relating to adjustment entries, opening stock, depreciation, accounting errors etc. are recorded. The source documents for general journal entries may be journal vouchers, copies of management reports and invoices. Journals are prime entry books, and may also be referred to as books of original entry, from when transactions were written in a journal before they were manually posted to accounts in the general ledger or a subsidiary ledger.

The Common Final Examination (CFE) is the final examination of the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) professional designation in Canada. The 3-day CFE is the culmination of the rigorous two-year graduate-level CPA program. The exam not only includes important accounting disciplines like finance, governance, strategy, and assurance, but also evaluates professional skills such as critical analysis, decision-making, and professional judgment. Previously known as the Uniform Evaluation (UFE), the UFE has been discontinued following the unification of the three accounting designations (CA, CMA, CGA) in Canada and Bermuda in June 2015.

British qualified accountants are full voting members of United Kingdom professional bodies that evaluate individual experience and test competencies for accountants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State auditor</span> Executive officer of a U.S. state

State auditors are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial controllers, bookkeepers, or inspectors general of public funds. The office of state auditor may be a creature of the state constitution or one created by statutory law.

Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics and is part of business ethics and human ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting was introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Ethics are taught in accounting courses at higher education institutions as well as by companies training accountants and auditors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Registered Professional Accountant</span>

The Registered Professional Accountant (RPA) is a Canadian accounting designation granted by the Society of Professional Accountants of Canada (SPAC), a federally chartered non profit organization. The designation requires completion of university or college courses set by SPAC and passing four Mandatory Professional Exams (MPE): Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Taxation, and Data Analytics and Technology. The Registered Professional Accountant has five pathways to designation, making it an accessible choice for accounting students.

A law practice manager, sometimes described as a legal practice manager or director of practice support, is a person with managerial responsibilities at a law firm. The duties of a law practice manager will depend upon the specific role and its purpose.

Bradley "Brad" Marshall is an American Democratic politician and the former chief financial officer (CFO) of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In 2016, he gained notoriety after WikiLeaks published an email in which he questioned the faith of the Jewish candidate for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders. He wrote: "It might may [sic] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. [sic] He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CPA Canada</span>

Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada is the national organization representing the Canadian accounting profession through the unification of the three largest accounting organizations: the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), the Society of Management Accountants of Canada and Certified General Accountants of Canada (CGA-Canada), as well as the 40 national and provincial accounting bodies. It is one of the largest organizations of its type in the world, with over 217,000 Chartered Professional Accountants in Canada and around the world.

References

  1. ↑ "Accounting Supervisor Job Description". Monster.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Accounting Manager". AccountingJobsToday.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Accounting Manager Job Description Sample". Monster.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ "ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR" (PDF). The Navajo Nation. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Senior Financial Accountant: Job Description, Duties and Requirements". Study.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Staff Accountant: Job Description, Duties and Requirements". Study.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Junior Accountant Job Description Sample". Monster.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ "junior accountant". Business Dictionary. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
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