With low unemployment rates, a tight supply of qualified candidates, and a high demand for talent, finding a senior staff accountant in Orange County can be challenging. Due to the short supply of candidates, you need to work harder to find and retain them. Rather than spend the additional time and money locating senior staff accountants, consider partnering with Alliance Resource Group. As a top Accounting and Finance Recruitment Agency in Orange County, we have personally interviewed and vetted candidates ready to meet with you.
Here’s a quick guide of what to look for when hiring a senior staff accountant in Orange County and what you will need to pay them.
Accounting Certifications
Determine which industry certifications a senior staff accountant candidate has. Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designations may be important for your role. Certifications demonstrate skills, experience, competence, ethical standards, and other characteristics required for leadership.
Technical Skills
Seek a senior staff accountant with the technical skills needed to fill your opening. These may include implementing new accounting practices or preparing corporate budgets and financial statements. Other skills might be mechanisms for working with regulators and external auditors. Supervising, training, and evaluating staff may be required. Managing projects and schedules or ensuring compliance with policies could be needed as well.
Computer Skills
Look for a senior staff accountant with strong computer skills. In addition to Microsoft Office, they need experience with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Acumatica Cloud ERP, or other industry-specific software. Keep in mind that if a candidate lacks experience with the software your company uses, they can be trained on it.
Soft Skills
Find a senior staff accountant with the required mix of soft skills. The ability to plan, organize, and multitask is required. Analyzing, solving problems, and communicating are important. The capacity to work with minimal supervision, under pressure, individually, and collaboratively is necessary. Attention to detail, accuracy, and confidentiality are essential.
Proactivity
Look for a senior staff accountant who seeks and addresses potential issues. Because they have a strategic role in managing company finances, a senior staff accountant needs to look beyond the data to find ways to reduce costs, increase revenue, and improve the bottom line. This includes having the foresight to handle problems that may result from specific decisions before they get out of hand. Ask each candidate to discuss recommendations they made to higher-ups and processes and procedures they implemented to do their job in a proactive manner rather than reactive.
Compensation
Expect to pay a senior staff accountant in line with their skill level, experience, and qualifications. The annual compensation range in Orange County is $85,000-$115,00, plus an annual bonus averaging 10%.
Download Our 2020 Financial Salary Guide and Employment Outlook
Download Alliance Resource Group’s 2020 Financial Salary Guide and Employment Outlook. Find out about the accounting market and what you should be paying for accounting roles. Then contact us for help finding a senior staff accountant.