accountant.
An Accountant prepares and maintains financial records, ensures compliance with reporting obligations, and supports business decisions with accurate financial information.
Role: Accountant Reports to: Financial Controller or Finance Manager
An Accountant prepares and maintains financial records, ensures compliance with reporting obligations, and supports business decisions with accurate financial information.
- Maintain general ledger and prepare financial statements
- Process accounts payable and accounts receivable
- Prepare and lodge tax returns (BAS, GST, sales tax, payroll tax)
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
6 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
4 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
5 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Financial Controller or Finance Manager
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Maintain general ledger and prepare financial statements
- Process accounts payable and accounts receivable
- Prepare and lodge tax returns (BAS, GST, sales tax, payroll tax)
- Reconcile bank, credit-card, and inter-company accounts
- Support month-end and year-end close
- Liaise with external auditors and tax advisors
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 3+ years of accounting experience
- CPA, CA, or equivalent qualification (or working towards)
- Strong knowledge of GAAP/IFRS
- Comfortable with accounting software (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, or NetSuite)
- Industry-specific accounting experience
- Audit or Big-4 background
- Experience with a publicly-listed or growth-stage company
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Accountant job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Accountant job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The mid band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Financial Controller or Finance Manager) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- What's in this Accountant job description template?
- A one-paragraph role summary, 6 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done, 4 required qualifications, 3 preferred qualifications, a skills chip list, and a reporting line. All editable in Word and Google Docs.
- Is this Accountant JD legally reviewed?
- The structure and language follow current US and AU hiring practice. The document is a professionally drafted starting point — adapt it for your jurisdiction, and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing.
- Should I include salary in a Accountant job description?
- In jurisdictions with pay-transparency law (e.g. NY, CA, CO, WA, and AU under fair-work changes), include a salary range. Elsewhere, a range still raises application quality and shortens screening — but pull numbers from a current source, not a template.
- Can I use this for client hiring work?
- Yes — the commercial licence covers fee-paying client engagements you control. You can also reuse the document inside your own organisation indefinitely. You may not resell the documents themselves.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Financial Controller
A Financial Controller leads the accounting function and is accountable for the accuracy of the company's financial reporting, the operation of internal controls, and the integrity of the books..
Chief Financial Officer
The CFO leads the finance function and is accountable for the company's financial strategy, reporting, and capital structure.
This Accountant job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Full disclaimer.