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Finance Officer Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

A Finance Officer, sometimes known as a Head Accountant, ensures maintenance and monitoring of day-to-day payroll and accounting systems by verifying the financial transaction methods used. Common responsibilities of a Finance Office include daily reporting, preparing employee payroll cheques, company tax returns, and maintaining general ledgers.

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Finance Officer duties and responsibilities

The day-to-day tasks of a Finance Officer vary within each individual organization, depending on the size and experience of their supporting financial team. However, their duties and responsibilities all revolve around the efficient use of company resources and compliance to finance regulatory bodies. Finance Officer duties and responsibilities may include:

  • Preparing cheques for utility, tax, payroll, and other company bills
  • Using manual and computerized bookkeeping systems to keep, maintain and balance financial records
  • Writing daily reports, preparing general ledgers, trial balance, and other financial statements
  • Preparing and submitting pension forms, tax returns, and employees’ compensation forms
  • Performing client bookkeeping services
  • Preparing other accounting, statistical, and financial reports
  • Reconciling financial accounts
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Finance Officer Job Description Examples:

What does a Finance Officer do?

Finance Officers play an important role in overseeing the company’s financial resources to achieve revenue goals every year. They are knowledgeable about tax and accounting regulations to ensure the company stays compliant.

Finance Officers work in both the public and private sectors in a variety of different settings. For example, a Finance Officer working in a large corporation assists the Chief Financial Officer in making strategic financial decisions, while a Finance Officer working in a government agency ensures that the taxpayer’s revenue is well-spent. They may also work as freelancers with a broad range of clients. A Finance Officer’s day-to-day duties may vary from preparing cheques for payroll to handling the trial balance.

Finance Officer skills and qualifications

Attention to detail, reliability, and numerical accuracy are important qualities for any Finance Officer. Additionally, a Finance Officer should be able to communicate with their team members to reconcile all financial records. Top skills for Finance Officers include:

  • Ability to work under minimal supervision
  • Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, and relevant accounting software
  • Ability to work independently and as a team
  • Numerical accuracy
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Extensive experience with accounting procedures and systems
  • Organizational abilities and attention to detail

Finance Officer experience requirements

Finance Officers require a strong foundation in numeracy. They also need to be familiar with the Microsoft suite and accounting software like FreshBooks. In most cases, a Finance Officer requires three or more years of experience in a financial role, as an Accountant or Bookkeeper. They also need experience in a leadership position.

Finance Officer education and training requirements

In most cases, Finance Officers require a college or university program in bookkeeping, accounting, or a related field. Professionally recognized designations such as Certified General Accountant (CGA) or Chartered Accountant (CA) are an asset.

Finance Officer salary expectations

According to Indeed salaries, a Finance Officer in Canada earns an average of $67,944 per year. This depends on the employee’s experience and education, the office location, and the hiring company.  

Job description samples for similar positions

If a Finance Officer is not quite what you’re looking for, here are other job description samples that may fit your needs:

Finance Officer job description FAQs

Who does a Finance Officer report to?

Finance Officers typically report to the Finance Manager or Finance Director. Additionally, they work closely with finance and accounting teams to ensure consistency in financial, payroll and accounting systems within an organization.

Do Finance Officers have different responsibilities in different industries?

While the magnitude of responsibilities of a Finance Officer may vary from one company to another, the day-to-day duties are somewhat similar. For example, a Finance Officer working in a hospital posts daily journal entries, prepares the ledger, posts the trial balance, and manages records and receipts as part of their day-to-day duties; they perform the same when employed in an audit firm. The only difference is that a Finance Officer working in an audit firm deals with a large client base compared to the one managing a hospital’s accounts and financial systems.

How can you make a Finance Officer job description stand out?

A thorough job description helps in targeting experienced candidates for a Finance Officer position. First, start by stating the job title. A good opening includes a general term, level of experience, or any academic requirements or professional designations needed for the position. Explain the company overview stating facts on why the candidate should choose your company. Also, state the expectations for the role. Clearly outline the role’s specific duties and responsibilities so potential candidates can determine whether they’re a good fit for the job. Finally, provide details on the relevant experience, skills, and qualifications for the position.

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Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

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