Senior Accountant Resume Example (2026)

What recruiters look for

Complex accounting areas: revenue under ASC 606, leases under ASC 842, consolidations, foreign currency, equity. Name the ones you own.
Close leadership: speed, accuracy and the improvements you made to the process.
Systems and automation: BlackLine, FloQast, the ERP, Power Query. Seniors are expected to make the close better, not only do it.
Review and training: reviewing staff work is the clearest difference between staff and senior.
Audit and controls: how you work with auditors and SOX controls, especially at public or pre-IPO companies.

Writing the summary

Years, CPA, the type of company and the areas you own, in two or three sentences. Mention audit experience if you have it; controllers value people who know what auditors will ask.

The summary in this example

Senior accountant and CPA with seven years of experience: three in audit and four in corporate accounting at a multi-entity media company. I own revenue and lease accounting, prepare the consolidation for 14 entities, and have helped keep the monthly close at 5 business days.

Senior accountant without a CPA

Senior accountant with eight years in corporate accounting at manufacturers and distributors, owning inventory, cost accounting and the fixed asset ledger for a $400 million business. I review the work of 3 staff accountants and helped bring our close from 10 days to 6.

Senior accountant aiming for accounting manager

CPA and senior accountant with six years of experience, now close lead for a 6-person team at a $300 million software company. I run the close calendar, review every balance sheet reconciliation and was the main contact for our last two audits.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

Wrote technical accounting memos on 4 new contract types, all accepted by the auditors without changes.
Cut the consolidation from 3 days to 1 by building an automated intercompany matching report.
Adopted ASC 842 for 60 leases, recording $45 million of right-of-use assets on transition.
Halved reconciliation review time by risk-rating accounts so low-risk ones are reviewed quarterly.
Remediated a material weakness in journal entry controls within 2 quarters.
Prepared the cash flow statement and 25 footnotes for the annual audited financial statements.
Trained 4 staff accountants and wrote desk procedures for 30 close tasks.
Led the revenue workstream of a NetSuite implementation, mapping 12 revenue streams and testing 2 parallel closes.
Recovered $380,000 in unbilled revenue by reconciling contract terms to billing data.

Skills to list

Hard skills

Revenue recognition (ASC 606)
Lease accounting (ASC 842)
Consolidations, intercompany and foreign currency
Financial statement and footnote preparation
Close process improvement
ERP (NetSuite, SAP, Oracle) and close tools (BlackLine, FloQast)
SOX controls
Technical research in the FASB Codification
Advanced Excel

Soft skills

Reviewing others’ work constructively
Working with auditors
Explaining accounting choices to non-accountants
Owning deadlines

Certifications and licenses worth listing

Certified Public Accountant (CPA): strongly preferred for senior accountants and often required for manager roles; give the state.
Certified Management Accountant (CMA): a good alternative for cost and management accounting roles.
BlackLine, FloQast or NetSuite certifications: small extras when the employer runs that system.

Length and format

One or two pages. With seven years, one page is still possible; two are fine if the second page holds real results. Lead with the areas you own and your close improvements; audit years get two or three bullets.

Common mistakes

Reading like a staff accountant: reconciliations and entries without ownership of complex areas.
Listing ASC topics without saying what you did with them.
Leaving out review and training, which is what makes you senior.
No numbers on the close: days, entities, reconciliations, hours saved.

Questions and answers

Do I need a CPA to be a senior accountant?

Not always, but many employers prefer it, and it is often required to become an accounting manager or controller. If you are partway through the exam, list your progress.

Should I list my audit years as a separate job?

Yes, with two or three bullets on industries, client size and the areas you audited. It shows you know what auditors look for.

How do I show I am ready for accounting manager?

Highlight reviewing others’ work, running the close calendar, being the audit contact and training staff. The accounting manager example shows how that looks one level up.

Senior accountant resume example