Competency Framework Senior Accountant Profile

Contemporary CGAs working as Senior Accountants are integral to their organizations functional and operational teams. In addition to the traditional financial role, Senior Accountants are expected to add value by contributing to complex projects including systems enhancements, business/financial process improvements, or by developing key analytical tools to measure the success of an organizations strategic activities. CGA-Canadas 2003 Comprehensive Practice Analysis Survey (CPAS)* provided certain results that related directly to Senior Accountants, including: 1. Within the technical areas, Senior Accountants spend almost 40% of their workday involved with Financial Accounting and Reporting, compared to 10% in Management Accounting, and 5% each in Finance and Financial Planning, Information Technology, General Business, Taxation, and Assurance. ** 2. Senior Accountants are highly educated, enjoy a high rate of full-time employment, have extensive experience, and work in various areas including industry, commerce, public practice, and government. 3. Over 80% of the Senior Accountant respondents have a post-secondary degree. This group also indicated that if they were to pursue additional credentials, they would be most interested in obtaining a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) (36%), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) (21%), or Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) (19%) designation.
Note: For more information about the CPAS, refer to the Professional Competence article in the Mar-Apr 2004 issue of the CGA Magazine. ** Note: These figures are median values and consequently do not sum to 100%. *

Outlook for Senior Accountants

In the CPAS, respondents were asked to identify changes and trends in the accounting profession. The survey identified some important changes including more focus on international trade and globalization, harmonization of U.S. and Canadian standards, an expanded role for CGAs as business advisors, and communication of complex financial information to internal and external stakeholders. The CPAS findings indicated that Senior Accountants spend approximately 66% of their workday on traditional accounting and 34% on high-growth specialities. These results are corroborated by various AICPA research conducted during 2003-2004, as well as Robert Half Internationals Next Generation Accountant report. These high-growth specialty areas include Information Technology, E-commerce, forensic accounting, international accounting/taxation, and environmental accounting. In summary, to meet the changing needs of the marketplace, Senior Accountants need to strengthen and expand their competency skills, not only in the traditional technical areas, but also in non-technical areas such as leadership, general management, and professionalism.

Senior Accountant Profile

The following chart shows the competency skills and the levels of experience that a typical Senior Accountant would have acquired after seven years in their career.

Senior Accountant Profile

GM GM GM GM GM PF PF PF PF LS LS LS TK TK TK TK TK TK TK TK

Financial Accounting Management Accounting Taxation Assurance Personal Finance Corporate Finance Information Technology Business Law Org'l and Strategic Leadership Team Building and Development Training and Coaching Integrative Approach Ethics and Trust Personal Skills Practice Management Communicating Negotiating Project Management Problem Solving Client Focus
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2

2 2 2

2 2 2

0
Main Index Key TK - Technical Knowledge LS - Leadership PF - Professionalism GM - General Management

Skill Levels

The CGA Competency Framework Model

All sample profiles provided under the Competency Assessment Tool (C.A.T.) are based on the CGA Competency Framework Model. This model has four main categories:

Technical Knowledge (TK) Leadership (LS) Professionalism (PF) General Management (GM)

Each category is further detailed into sub-categories. For example, Technical Knowledge includes:

Financial Accounting Management Accounting Taxation Assurance Personal Finance Corporate Finance Information Technology Business Law

Each sub-category is split into four Skill Levels, with Level 0 being a very cursory knowledge of the subject matter and Level 4 being the most advanced knowledge. For the purposes of the C.A.T., the Skill Levels and Expectations are broadly based and are for reference purposes within the context of the C.A.T. only. The Work Experience column assumes practical work experience within a particular competency area. Skill Levels Level 0 Introductory Expectations

Work Experience 0 <1 year

has awareness of the subject area but may not have either technical skills or practical experience in the subject area given the individuals limited knowledge of the subject area, may not have the basic technical skills or experience to perform at a staff level within an organization possesses or demonstrates ability at a threshold level in his/her role in the organization CGAs bring at least this level of competence with them to entry-level positions demonstrates competence in the Level 1 Basic competency areas performs with experience and effectiveness CGAs assume operational or management responsibility demonstrates effectiveness in the Level 2 Intermediate competency areas CGAs usually acquire these advanced competencies through professional development and hands-on experience in a business or organization expectations of senior professionals and executives, who must consult and weigh competing interests, take informed risks, and be accountable for decisions and the ensuing repercussions demonstrates mastery in the Level 3 Advanced competency areas

Level 1 Basic

1 and <4 years

Level 2 Intermediate

4 and <7 years

Level 3 Advanced

7 years