The following is an example of a job description for a general staff accountant:

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

• To support the CFO and Senior Accountant in carrying out the responsibilities of the Finance / Accounting Department.
• To relieve the CFO and Senior Accountant of certain responsibilities that will allow them to spend a greater portion of their time on Financial Statement preparation and analysis, Budget and Variance issues, and Forecasting.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain the Fixed Asset and associated depreciation schedules on the FAS Software System; provide monthly detail to the Senior Accountant for General Journal entries; insure proper recording of new purchases and disposals.
• Maintain Purchase Order Processing system.
• Manage employee credit card applications and charges.
• Process Accounts Payable paperwork at completion of the check run.
• Prepare mailings and priority shipments for the Finance/Accounting Department.
• Prepare labels and maintain files as needed within the department.
• Prepare correspondence as needed within the department.
• Assist Senior Accountant with payroll system and payroll related items.
• Assist CFO with 401(k) system.
• Manage petty cash account.
• Assist the CFO in tracking and maintaining company insurance policies (except Employee Benefits, which are maintained by the HR Department).
• Assist the CFO with facility support and security issues.
• Perform such other accounting, financial, or administrative tasks as may be required from time to time - quite often on short notice - by the CFO or Senior Accountant.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

No supervisory responsibilities.

EDUCATION REQUIRED:

• A Bachelors degree in accounting, or a Bachelors degree in business with emphasis in accounting, is required. Degree(s) must be from a credible college or university
• Course work in job costing is recommended.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

A minimum of 2 years experience in accounting is required.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Must be a perfectionist by nature, with no tolerance for financial sloppiness.
• Must be highly skilled in dealing with financial and numeric data.
• Must be highly skilled in use of Excel Spreadsheets.
• Must be skilled in use of MS Word and must be a very good writer in order to handle the occasional administrative needs of the department.
• Must have very good verbal skills.
• Must have excellent work habits, including a willingness to work the hours necessary to get the job done, especially when important deadlines cause greater than normal departmental pressures.

Article courtesy of Accounting Jobs Today, a place where accounting and finance professionals come together to share ideas, get the latest career tips, information and resources all in one place.