What is a role scorecard?

A one or two page description of a role written as outcomes: what the person will own, how you will know it is done well and who checks it. It replaces a list of duties, and you use the same document to write the ad, score candidates and run the first reviews.

How is a scorecard different from a job description?

A job description lists tasks and requirements. A scorecard says what results the role must produce and how they will be measured. The ad and the contract can still list duties; the scorecard is what you hire and review against. Once the scorecard is done, turn it into an ad with the job description templates.

Who should review a first hire’s work?

Name one person per outcome. In a small firm that is usually the owner at first, but write down when review moves to spot checks. If the owner keeps reviewing everything line by line, the hire has not freed the time it was meant to.

Should I set the pay range before interviewing?

Yes. Decide the range from what the role must deliver and what the firm can carry, before the first interview, so the decision is not shaped by the first candidate’s expectations. Hiring your first employee: revenue benchmarks and red flags covers the money side.

Is this template employment advice?

No. It is a planning tool. Contracts, pay rules, probation and leave differ by country and state, so check them with your adviser or the relevant government body before you make an offer.

Free template

First hire role scorecard for accounting firms

Most first hires go wrong before the ad is written: the role is a list of tasks, nobody has said what good looks like, and the owner reviews everything because nobody else is named. This scorecard fixes that in an hour. Fill it in before you advertise, use it to score every candidate, and hand it to the person you hire on day one.

Updated 10 November 2026 · Editable Word document (.docx) · Free with a firm profile

Free with a firm profile

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How to use it

How to use this template

Start with the work leaving your desk

Before anything else, list the work this person will take off you or a partner. If you cannot name it, you are not ready to write the role yet. The hire your first employee playbook puts the scorecard in order with the rest of the hire.
Turn tasks into outcomes

For each piece of work, write what done well looks like and how you will measure it. "Does bookkeeping" becomes "Month-end closed for [number] clients by day [number], with no reopened periods". Thinking of an AI-first role? See designing your first AI assistant role.
Name the reviewer

Every outcome has one named person who checks the work. If that is always you, the hire has not freed your time; plan when review moves.
Score candidates against it

Use the interview and work-sample table for every candidate, scored the same way, so the decision is about the role and not about who interviewed best.
Give it to the new starter

On day one, walk them through the outcomes and the 90-day plan. Book the three check-ins before they start.

The template

[Firm name] role scorecard: [role title]

Replace everything in [square brackets].

Role details

Item	Detail
Role title	[Role title]
Reports to	[Name, role]
Main reviewer of their work	[Name, role]
Hours and days	[Full time, part time, days]
Where they work	[Office, hybrid, remote; location]
Pay range	[Range, set before the first interview]
Target start date	[Date]
Scorecard written by and date	[Name, date]

1. Why this role exists

One sentence: this role exists so that [the work] gets done to [the standard] without [owner name] doing it, freeing [number] hours a week for [the work only the owner can do].

Our sentence: [write it here].

2. The work moving off the owner’s desk

List what this person takes over, with a rough count of the hours it takes you now. This is the capacity the hire pays for.

Work	Who does it now	Hours a week now	Moves to the new hire by
[e.g. Bank reconciliations for monthly clients]	[Name]	[Hours]	[Week or month]
[e.g. Chasing client records before year end]	[Name]	[Hours]	[Week or month]
[e.g. Inbox triage and job set-up in practice management]	[Name]	[Hours]	[Week or month]
[Work]	[Name]	[Hours]	[Week or month]

3. Outcomes: what done well looks like

Three to five outcomes. Each one is a result you can check, not a duty. These are what the 90-day reviews and the first-year review are about.

Outcome	How we measure it	Reviewer	Expected by
[e.g. Monthly bookkeeping clients closed on time]	[e.g. Closed by day 5, no reopened periods]	[Name]	[Month 3]
[e.g. Clients get a reply within one working day]	[e.g. Inbox check at weekly check-in]	[Name]	[Month 1]
[e.g. Year-end records collected without the owner chasing]	[e.g. Percentage of jobs with complete records by due date]	[Name]	[Month 6]
[Outcome]	[Measure]	[Name]	[When]
[Outcome]	[Measure]	[Name]	[When]

4. What the person needs to bring

Must have (a no on any of these ends the process)	Good to have (helps, but can be taught)
[e.g. Has reconciled ledgers in Xero or QuickBooks Online]	[e.g. Experience with our practice management system]
[e.g. Writes a clear client email]	[e.g. Payroll experience]
[e.g. Checks their own work before handing it on]	[e.g. Has used an AI assistant at work under a policy]
[Must have]	[Good to have]

How they should work with clients and the team, in three words: [word], [word], [word].

5. Interview and work-sample scoring

Score every candidate on the same lines, 1 (weak) to 4 (strong), straight after each interview. Use a short paid or unpaid work sample that mirrors one real outcome above, with client details removed.

What we are scoring	Question or task	Candidate A	Candidate B	Candidate C
Outcome 1	[e.g. Talk me through the last month-end close you ran]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]
Outcome 2	[e.g. Reply to this client email (work sample)]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]
Outcome 3	[Question or task]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]
Must haves met	Yes or no for each	[Yes or no]	[Yes or no]	[Yes or no]
How they work	[e.g. Tell me about a mistake you caught in your own work]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]	[1 to 4]
Total	Blank	[Total]	[Total]	[Total]

Decision: [candidate] because [one sentence tied to the outcomes]. Decided by [name] on [date].

6. The first 90 days

Period	What they learn and do	Who they ask	Check-in booked
Week 1	[e.g. Systems, logins, our policies, shadow one month-end close]	[Name]	[Date]
Month 1	[e.g. Run [number] client closes with full review; own the inbox]	[Name]	[Date]
Month 3	[e.g. Own outcomes 1 and 2; review reduced to spot checks]	[Name]	[Date]

At each check-in, go through the outcomes table: which are on track, which need help, and what the reviewer will stop checking line by line.

7. Ready before day one

Employment contract or agreement signed, and the pay and conditions checked for your jurisdiction.
Payroll, tax and superannuation or retirement set-up done before the first pay run.
Logins created in their own name for the ledger, practice management, email and document store, with only the access the role needs.
The firm’s AI policy and client data rules read and acknowledged.
Confidentiality terms covered in the contract or a separate agreement.
Desk or equipment, and a first-week timetable, ready.
This scorecard and the 90-day plan shared with them.

Employment terms, pay rules and contracts differ by country and state. Check them with your adviser or the relevant government body before you make an offer. This scorecard is a planning tool, not employment or legal advice.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What is a role scorecard?: A one or two page description of a role written as outcomes: what the person will own, how you will know it is done well and who checks it. It replaces a list of duties, and you use the same document to write the ad, score candidates and run the first reviews.
How is a scorecard different from a job description?: A job description lists tasks and requirements. A scorecard says what results the role must produce and how they will be measured. The ad and the contract can still list duties; the scorecard is what you hire and review against. Once the scorecard is done, turn it into an ad with the job description templates.
Who should review a first hire’s work?: Name one person per outcome. In a small firm that is usually the owner at first, but write down when review moves to spot checks. If the owner keeps reviewing everything line by line, the hire has not freed the time it was meant to.
Should I set the pay range before interviewing?: Yes. Decide the range from what the role must deliver and what the firm can carry, before the first interview, so the decision is not shaped by the first candidate’s expectations. Hiring your first employee: revenue benchmarks and red flags covers the money side.
Is this template employment advice?: No. It is a planning tool. Contracts, pay rules, probation and leave differ by country and state, so check them with your adviser or the relevant government body before you make an offer.

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