The job of accounting specialist is an entry-level position in government accounting for which you need to have a Bachelor's degree in accounting. You do need an introductory knowledge of accounting principles and methods and how to apply these to various accounting situations. You will also need an introductory knowledge the practices and theoretical base of government accounting, state and federal taxation laws, the use of data processing systems and government auditing. This describes the knowledge base a recent graduate from an accounting degree would have making this the perfect first job for an accountant.
In addition to this knowledge base, to become an accounting specialist you must be able to research a variety of government accounting issues and apply the government standards to a wide variety of accounting problems. You should also have the ability to prepare and maintain accurate financial reports and statements and interpret financial data both systematically and in graphic displays. You will also be in a supervisory role in this job, so you should know the roles of the staff members so that you can evaluate their performance. For this aspect of the job you will need excellent interpersonal skills to establish effective working relationships with your staff.
In the position of accounting specialist, you will have varied types of duties. These include preparing supporting documentation for financial reports and explaining them. You will also be in charge of accounts payable and receivable so you will spend time reviewing the accounts to ensure they are complete and accurate. You will also have to prepare information for internal and external auditors and identify and assist with correcting any inconsistencies that may occur with the internal controls. You will be indirectly involved in preparing the budget by providing the necessary information to senior staff to help them make budgetary decision.
The collection and analysis of financial data will be a primary role in the job of accounting specialist. You will need to keep current with the state or federal government tax regulations and operating procedures as well as keeping current with professional accounting trends. Once you have three or more years working in this position, you can be eligible for promotions to higher levels in the same position and have more challenging work assigned to you. For example, your duties of preparing financial statements could advance to performing substantive reviews of the financial statements prepared by junior accountants on staff.
The work you do as an accounting specialist at the entry-level will prepare you to write the CPA exam. You do need to have a certificate as a certified public accountant to advance to higher –ranking positions in government accounting and this job will give you an overview of all that is involved in this field of the accounting industry. As you gain experience your knowledge base of government accounting will develop from introductory to comprehensive. It will take several more years of experience to advance to the top accounting specialist job, but if you have the certification, you can bypass this and advance to other higher paying positions.
