TL;DR
- An accounting manager leads the accounting team and owns the accounting processes: the month-end and year-end close, the ledgers, the reconciliations, the financial reports, the controls and the audit. In the UK the same job is often titled accounts manager, finance manager or financial controller, depending on the size of the organisation.
- The job has six duties: run the close and the ledgers, produce accurate reports to deadline, keep the controls and compliance, manage cash, budgets and forecasts, liaise with auditors, tax authorities and banks, and lead and develop the team. Employers look for a qualified or part-qualified accountant with management experience.
- In England the accounting finance manager apprenticeship is a level 6 standard, typically 36 months. The job description should say which of the three titles the post really is, what it reports to and which systems and reporting deadlines it owns.
Every organisation has one person who knows, before anyone else, whether last month was good or bad. They have reconciled the bank, chased the missing invoices, posted the accruals and closed the ledgers, and the report on the chief executive's desk is theirs. That person is the accounting manager.
This accounting manager job description explains what the job involves, sets out six duties, separates the accounting manager from the financial controller and the finance manager, lists the skills and qualifications employers ask for, gives a template that you can adapt and suggests how to describe the work on a CV.
Accounting managers live by deadlines, and their targets should be as precise as a reconciliation. See how New Dynamics Goals & OKRs keep targets and progress in one place, from month-end close to the year-end audit.
What is an accounting manager?
An accounting manager leads the accounting team and owns the accounting processes of an organisation. The Cambridge Dictionary defines accounting as “the skill or activity of keeping records of the money a person or organization earns and spends”; the accounting manager is responsible for those records being complete, accurate and reported on time, and for the people and systems that produce them.
The title is common in the United States and in larger organisations. In the UK the same work goes by several names. Skills England's listing of accounting apprenticeship standards includes an accounting finance manager standard at level 6, typically 36 months, described as “Manage and implement accounting, finance systems and processes”. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, covers the role in its financial manager job profile, and notes that the job varies enormously: “In larger companies for instance, the role is more concerned with strategic analysis, while in smaller organisations, a financial manager may be responsible for the collection and preparation of accounts.”
That variation is the reason to write the job description carefully. The next section sets out the duties that all versions share; the section after it separates the titles.
Accounting manager duties: six responsibilities
- Run the close and the ledgers. Own the month-end and year-end close: the general ledger, the sales and purchase ledgers, accruals and prepayments, fixed assets, reconciliations and the timetable that gets it done.
- Produce accurate reports to deadline. Management accounts, variance analysis and the statutory accounts, with the commentary that explains the numbers to people who do not read ledgers. Prospects lists producing accurate financial reports to specific deadlines and providing and interpreting financial information among the core responsibilities.
- Keep the controls and the compliance. Design and operate the controls over payments, receipts, payroll and expenses, and make sure the organisation's financial practices meet the law, the regulations and the accounting standards.
- Manage cash, budgets and forecasts. Monitor and interpret cash flows, help managers build budgets, forecast the year and flag the risks. Prospects includes monitoring cash flows, predicting trends and managing budgets.
- Liaise with auditors, tax authorities and banks. Prospects lists liaising with auditors for the annual audit and developing relationships with auditors, solicitors, bankers and statutory organisations such as HMRC.
- Lead and develop the team. Supervise the accountants, assistants and ledger clerks, set the standards, review the work and build the skills the function needs.
Accounting manager, financial controller and finance manager
The three titles overlap, and in a small organisation one person holds all three. In a larger one they are different rungs.
| Title | Usual scope |
|---|---|
| Accounting manager | Runs the accounting team and the close, produces the reports, keeps the controls. Reports to the financial controller or finance director |
| Financial controller | Owns all financial reporting, control and compliance, often including tax and treasury. The accounting manager's boss in larger firms |
| Finance manager | In the UK, often the accounting manager and controller combined in a smaller organisation; in larger ones, a business partner who supports a division with analysis and budgets |
Prospects notes that financial managers may also be known as financial analysts or business analysts, which is the larger-company, strategic end of the same title. The job description should say which rung the post is, what it reports to, whether it is the most senior finance role in the organisation and whether it signs the statutory accounts. For the people the manager leads, see our accountant job description.
Skills employers ask for
- Technical accounting. Double-entry to the statutory accounts, the applicable accounting standards, and tax at the level the organisation needs.
- Systems. Command of the accounting system and its reporting, and the spreadsheets that surround it. Prospects expects a sound grasp of financial systems and procedures.
- Analysis. Prospects asks for a good head for figures and for complex modelling and analysis, and the ability to interpret as well as produce.
- Control and judgement. Knowing which error matters, which control is missing and which number the board will ask about.
- Deadlines. Month-end does not move. Reliability under a fixed calendar is the job.
- Communication. Explaining the numbers to managers who do not read ledgers, and answering auditors precisely.
- Leadership. Reviewing others' work without redoing it, and developing a team that can close without the manager.
Qualifications
Most accounting managers are qualified or part-qualified accountants with several years of experience and some supervisory work behind them. In the UK the professional bodies' qualifications and the level 6 accounting finance manager apprenticeship are the usual routes; in the United States a CPA is common in larger organisations, and state licensing rules apply to those who hold themselves out as certified. Our accountant job description explains the chartered, technician and CPA routes in more detail.
Accounting manager job description template
Adapt the reporting line, the systems and the deadlines to your organisation.
Job title: Accounting manager
Reports to: Financial controller or finance director
Direct reports: [Accountants, assistant accountants, ledger clerks]
Purpose of the role: To lead the accounting team and run the accounting processes so that the organisation's records are complete and accurate, its reports are on time, and its controls and compliance are sound.
Main responsibilities:
- Run the month-end and year-end close to the agreed timetable, including ledgers, accruals, fixed assets and reconciliations
- Produce the monthly management accounts, variance analysis and commentary, and prepare the statutory accounts
- Design, operate and review financial controls, and ensure compliance with accounting standards, tax and regulation
- Monitor cash flow, support budgeting and forecasting, and report risks early
- Manage the annual audit and relationships with auditors, tax authorities and banks
- Lead, develop and review the accounting team
Skills and experience:
- Qualified or part-qualified accountant [name the bodies or equivalents you accept]
- Several years' accounting experience including at least one full year-end close
- Experience of supervising or reviewing others' work
- Strong command of [accounting system] and spreadsheets
- Clear written and spoken communication with non-financial managers
Measures of success: Close completed to the timetable each month, reports accurate and on time, audit findings, control incidents and the development of the team.
For the layout of the whole document, use our job description template. For the operations counterpart at the same level, see our operations manager job description.
How to describe accounting management on a CV
Employers want the scale, the systems, the deadlines and the team. The lines below are invented examples, to show the form.
- Show the scale. “Led a team of four closing the books for a £40 million turnover group with three entities.”
- Show the deadline. “Cut month-end close from ten working days to five.”
- Show the audit. “Managed three clean audits with no material adjustments.”
- Show the systems. “Led the migration to a new accounting system and rebuilt the management reporting.”
- Show the team. “Developed two assistants through their professional qualifications.”
Common mistakes in accounting manager adverts
The wrong title. An “accounting manager” who is the most senior finance person in the company is a financial controller, and should be paid and recruited as one.
No systems named. Candidates want to know the software, and experience with it shortens the induction.
No close timetable. Say how many working days the close takes now and what you expect.
Technical skills only. The job leads people and explains numbers. Ask for both.
Frequently asked questions
What does an accounting manager do?
An accounting manager leads the accounting team and owns the accounting processes: the month-end and year-end close, the ledgers and reconciliations, management and statutory reports, financial controls and compliance, cash, budgets and forecasts, the audit, and the development of the team.
What is the difference between an accounting manager and a financial controller?
In larger organisations the financial controller owns all financial reporting, control and compliance and is the accounting manager's boss. The accounting manager runs the team and the close within that. In smaller organisations one person does both, and the title varies.
Is an accounts manager the same as an accounting manager?
In UK finance usage, usually yes: accounts manager is a common title for the person who runs the accounts function. Be aware that in sales the same words mean an account manager who looks after customers, so job adverts should make the meaning clear.
What qualifications does an accounting manager need?
Most are qualified or part-qualified accountants with several years of experience and some supervisory work. In the UK the professional bodies' qualifications and the level 6 accounting finance manager apprenticeship are the usual routes; in the United States a CPA is common in larger organisations.
What skills does an accounting manager need?
Technical accounting, command of the accounting system, analysis, control and judgement, reliability under fixed deadlines, clear communication with non-financial managers, and the leadership to review and develop a team.
What should an accounting manager job description include?
The title and where it sits against the controller and finance director, the reporting line and direct reports, six main responsibilities from the close to the team, the systems used, the close timetable, the qualifications required and the measures of success.
Your next step: settle the title before you write the advert
- Decide whether the post is an accounting manager, a financial controller or a finance manager, and who it reports to.
- Name the systems, the entities and the close timetable.
- State the qualification you require and the ones you will accept.
- Ask for evidence of leading a team and explaining numbers, not only producing them.
An accounting manager's first close is the real induction. Read and download our employee onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want the close timetable, reporting deadlines and team goals visible in one place? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current finance calendar. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
