Sample Accounting and Finance Job Descriptions
ACCOUNTANT (STAFF/GENERAL)
Responsibilities: Provides financial information to management by researching and analyzing accounting data; preparing reports.
Job Duties:
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CLERK
Responsibilities: Completes payments and controls expenses by receiving, processing, verifying, and reconciling invoices.
Job Duties:
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE CLERK
Responsibilities: Secures revenue by verifying and posting receipts; resolving discrepancies.
Job Duties:
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Responsibilities: Establishes financial status by developing and implementing systems for collecting, analyzing, verifying, and reporting financial information; managing staff.
Job Duties:
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Responsibilities: Develops financial well-being of the organization by providing financial projections and accounting services; preparing growth plans; directing staff.
Job Duties:
CONTROLLER
Responsibilities: Maximizes return on financial assets by establishing financial policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems.
Job Duties:
FINANCE ANALYST
Responsibilities: Reports financial status by preparing and analyzing financial plans, forecasts, and reports.
Job Duties:
Responsibilities: Provides financial information to management by researching and analyzing accounting data; preparing reports.
Job Duties:
- Prepares asset, liability, and capital account entries by compiling and analyzing account information.
- Documents financial transactions by entering account information.
- Recommends financial actions by analyzing accounting options.
- Summarizes current financial status by collecting information; preparing balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and other reports.
- Substantiates financial transactions by auditing documents.
- Maintains accounting controls by preparing and recommending policies and procedures.
- Guides accounting clerical staff by coordinating activities and answering questions.
- Reconciles financial discrepancies by collecting and analyzing account information.
- Secures financial information by completing data base backups.
- Maintains financial security by following internal controls.
- Prepares payments by verifying documentation, and requesting disbursements.
- Answers accounting procedure questions by researching and interpreting accounting policy and regulations.
- Complies with federal, state, and local financial legal requirements by studying existing and new legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, and advising management on needed actions.
- Prepares special financial reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing account information and trends.
- Maintains customer confidence and protects operations by keeping financial information confidential.
- Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.
- Accomplishes the result by performing the duty.
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CLERK
Responsibilities: Completes payments and controls expenses by receiving, processing, verifying, and reconciling invoices.
Job Duties:
- Reconciles processed work by verifying entries and comparing system reports to balances.
- Charges expenses to accounts and cost centers by analyzing invoice/expense reports; recording entries.
- Pays vendors by monitoring discount opportunities; verifying federal id numbers; scheduling and preparing checks; resolving purchase order, contract, invoice, or payment discrepancies and documentation; insuring credit is received for outstanding memos; issuing stop-payments or purchase order amendments.
- Pays employees by receiving and verifying expense reports and requests for advances; preparing checks.
- Maintains accounting ledgers by verifying and posting account transactions.
- Verifies vendor accounts by reconciling monthly statements and related transactions.
- Maintains historical records by microfilming and filing documents.
- Disburses petty cash by recording entry; verifying documentation.
- Reports sales taxes by calculating requirements on paid invoices.
- Protects organization's value by keeping information confidential.
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities.
- Accomplishes accounting and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE CLERK
Responsibilities: Secures revenue by verifying and posting receipts; resolving discrepancies.
Job Duties:
- Posts customer payments by recording cash, checks, and credit card transactions.
- Posts revenues by verifying and entering transactions form lock box and local deposits.
- Updates receivables by totaling unpaid invoices.
- Maintains records by microfilming invoices, debits, and credits.
- Verifies validity of account discrepancies by obtaining and investigating information from sales, trade promotions, customer service departments, and from customers;
- Resolves valid or authorized deductions by entering adjusting entries.
- Resolves invalid or unauthorized deductions by following pending deductions procedures.
- Resolves collections by examining customer payment plans, payment history, credit line; coordinating contact with collections department.
- Summarizes receivables by maintaining invoice accounts; coordinating monthly transfer to accounts receivable account; verifying totals; preparing report.
- Protects organization's value by keeping information confidential.
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities.
- Accomplishes accounting and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
Responsibilities: Establishes financial status by developing and implementing systems for collecting, analyzing, verifying, and reporting financial information; managing staff.
Job Duties:
- Accomplishes accounting human resource objectives by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, assigning, scheduling, coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; planning and reviewing compensation actions; enforcing policies and procedures.
- Achieves accounting operational objectives by contributing accounting information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; completing audits; identifying trends; determining system improvements; implementing change.
- Meets accounting financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
- Confirms financial status by monitoring revenue and expenses; coordinating the collection, consolidation, and evaluation of financial data; preparing special reports.
- Maintains accounting controls by establishing a chart of accounts; defining accounting policies and procedures.
- Guides other departments by researching and interpreting accounting policy; applying observations and recommendations to operational issues.
- Maintains financial security by establishing internal controls.
- Avoids legal challenges by understanding current and proposed legislation; enforcing accounting regulations; recommending new procedures.
- Protects organization's value by keeping information confidential.
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
- Accomplishes accounting and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Responsibilities: Develops financial well-being of the organization by providing financial projections and accounting services; preparing growth plans; directing staff.
Job Duties:
- Accomplishes finance human resource strategies by determining accountabilities; communicating and enforcing values, policies, and procedures; implementing recruitment, selection, orientation, training, coaching, counseling, disciplinary, and communication programs; planning, monitoring, appraising, and reviewing job contributions; planning and reviewing compensation strategies.
- Develops finance organizational strategies by contributing financial and accounting information, analysis, and recommendations to strategic thinking and direction; establishing functional objectives in line with organizational objectives.
- Establishes finance operational strategies by evaluating trends; establishing critical measurements; determining production, productivity, quality, and customer-service strategies; designing systems; accumulating resources; resolving problems; implementing change.
- Develops organization prospects by studying economic trends and revenue opportunities; projecting acquisition and expansion prospects; analyzing organization operations; identifying opportunities for improvement, cost reduction, and systems enhancement; accumulating capital to fund expansion.
- Develops financial strategies by forecasting capital, facilities, and staff requirements; identifying monetary resources; developing action plans.
- Monitors financial performance by measuring and analyzing results; initiating corrective actions; minimizing the impact of variances.
- Maximizes return on invested funds by identifying investment opportunities; maintaining relationships with the investment community.
- Reports financial status by developing forecasts; reporting results; analyzing variances; developing improvements.
- Updates job knowledge by remaining aware of new regulations; participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
- Accomplishes finance and organization mission by completing related results as needed.
CONTROLLER
Responsibilities: Maximizes return on financial assets by establishing financial policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems.
Job Duties:
- Guides financial decisions by establishing, monitoring, and enforcing policies and procedures.
- Protects assets by establishing, monitoring, and enforcing internal controls.
- Monitors and confirms financial condition by conducting audits; providing information to external auditors.
- Maximizes return, and limits risk, on cash by minimizing bank balances; making investments.
- Prepares budgets by establishing schedules; collecting, analyzing, and consolidating financial data; recommending plans.
- Achieves budget objectives by scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
- Provides status of financial condition by collecting, interpreting, and reporting financial data.
- Prepares special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.
- Complies with federal, state, and local legal requirements by studying existing and new legislation; anticipating future legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; filing financial reports; advising management on needed actions.
- Ensures operation of equipment by establishing preventive maintenance requirements and service contracts; maintaining equipment inventories; evaluating new equipment and techniques.
- Completes operational requirements by scheduling and assigning employees; following up on work results.
- Maintains financial staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees.
- Maintains financial staff job results by coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results.
- Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.
- Protects operations by keeping financial information and plans confidential.
- Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
FINANCE ANALYST
Responsibilities: Reports financial status by preparing and analyzing financial plans, forecasts, and reports.
Job Duties:
- Tracks financial status by monitoring variances from plan.
- Determines financial status by comparing and analyzing plans and forecasts with actual results.
- Improves financial status by analyzing results and variances; identifying trends; recommending actions.
- Reconciles transactions by comparing and correcting data.
- Increases productivity by developing automated applications; eliminating duplications; coordinating information requirements.
- Provides information to management by assembling and summarizing data; preparing reports; making presentations of findings, analyses, and recommendations.
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
- Accomplishes finance and organization mission by completing related results as needed.