Principal Accountant Jobs

Principal Accountant jobs are open across corporate finance, government, healthcare, and public accounting, from staff-level to senior principal and controller, with specializations in financial reporting, cost accounting, and audit. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.

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Overview

Open roles57
Top stateCalifornia
Top employerIntuit
Top citySan Diego, CA
Work type59% Hybrid
Top industryInvestment

Showing 5 of 57+ Principal Accountant jobs

Principal Specialist, Intercompany Accounting
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New 9h ago
Principal Specialist, Intercompany Accounting
RTX
Farmington, Connecticut
Business Operations
Program Management
Project Management
$87k - $165k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's degree in finance
10,000+

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Accountant Principal / Accountant Manager
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New 17h ago
Accountant Principal / Accountant Manager
American Electric Power
Columbus, Ohio
Accounting
Business Analysis
$99k - $151k.5/yr
Bachelor's degree in business
10,000+

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Accounting Consultant OR Principal Technical Accounting Consultant
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Added 1d ago
Accounting Consultant OR Principal Technical Accounting Consultant
Xcel Energy
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Business Strategy
Consulting & Professional Services
Project Management
$85k - $139k/yr
Hybrid
Master's degree

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Chief Principal Accountant, G120, County Treasurer's Office
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Added 4d ago
Chief Principal Accountant, G120, County Treasurer's Office
Webb County, TX
Laredo, Texas
Accounting
Bookkeeping & AP/AR
Revenue Operations & Enablement
Bachelor's degree in finance

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Operations Accountant, Principal
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Added 4d ago
Operations Accountant, Principal
Amentum
Dallas, Texas
Accounting
Bookkeeping & AP/AR
$85k - $100k/yr
Bachelor's degree in finance

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See All 57 Principal Accountant Jobs

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Principal Accountant Job Market

Who's Hiring

Intuit9 open roles
Amazon7 open roles
Capital One4 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Investment & Asset Management

What Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in principal accountant jobs.

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance with five or more years of progressive experience
  • CPA certification or active CPA candidacy strongly preferred
  • Proficiency in ERP systems such as Oracle, SAP, or NetSuite
  • Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and financial modeling
  • Deep knowledge of GAAP and experience preparing financial statements
  • Experience with month-end and year-end close processes including reconciliations and journal entries

Tips for Your Principal Accountant Job Search

Tailor your resume to the reporting framework

Specify whether your experience is in GAAP, IFRS, or government fund accounting. Principal accountant roles in the public sector screen for GASB compliance experience, while corporate postings prioritize ASC 606 and ASC 842 fluency.

Lead with your close cycle ownership

Hiring managers want to see that you've owned month-end, quarter-end, or year-end close processes, not just supported them. Name the size of the ledger you managed and any reductions you drove in close cycle time.

Target postings by entity complexity

Principal accountant roles vary sharply by scope. A single-entity manufacturer wants general ledger depth, while a multi-subsidiary company needs consolidation and intercompany elimination experience. Match your resume emphasis to that distinction before applying.

Apply early to roles that fit

Migrate Mate lists principal accountant openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.

Prepare technical scenarios for the interview

Expect questions on specific journal entry treatments, deferred revenue recognition, or lease accounting under ASC 842. Rehearse a concise example from your own work for each area rather than explaining the standard in the abstract.

Negotiate using total compensation, not base only

Principal accountant offers often include bonus targets, 401k match, and CPA exam reimbursement. Get the full picture in writing before accepting, and clarify whether the annual bonus is discretionary or tied to measurable targets.

Principal Accountant Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies are hiring the most principal accountants?

The companies hiring the most principal accountants right now include Intuit, Amazon, and Capital One, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Minnesota, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Industries with the highest concentration of postings include healthcare systems, defense contractors, and large public companies with complex reporting requirements.

How many principal accountant jobs are remote?

About 77% of principal accountant openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the highest remote share in financial reporting, technical accounting, and revenue recognition roles. Positions tied to physical inventory, plant cost accounting, or government audit tend to require on-site presence more consistently.

How do you become a principal accountant?

Start by earning a bachelor's degree in accounting or finance, then build several years of general ledger and financial close experience in staff and senior accountant roles. Earning your CPA license accelerates promotion significantly. From there, taking ownership of reconciliations, audit prep, and financial statement preparation positions you for a principal-level title, especially at organizations with formal career ladders in their accounting function.

Can you get hired as a principal accountant without much experience?

Most employers post principal accountant roles as mid-to-senior positions, so direct entry without experience is uncommon. That said, candidates who have handled full-cycle close, managed complex reconciliations, or led an audit engagement independently often qualify even if their title was senior accountant. Focusing your application on scope of ownership rather than years worked is the most effective way to close that gap.

What does the principal accountant interview process look like?

The process typically starts with a recruiter screen focused on your ERP background and close cycle ownership, followed by a technical interview with the accounting manager or controller covering journal entries, reconciliation approaches, and financial statement preparation. A final round often includes a panel with finance leadership and may include a practical exercise such as reviewing a sample balance sheet or walking through a consolidation scenario you've handled.

Where can I find and apply to principal accountant jobs?

You can find and apply to principal accountant jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience in areas like financial reporting, cost accounting, or general ledger management, then apply directly to each one that fits.

See All 57 Principal Accountant Jobs

Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

Find Principal Accountant Jobs