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Supervisory Accountant

Environmental Protection Agency

Chicago, ILFull-time$119–183K/yrPosted 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$119–183K/yr
Location
Chicago, IL
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

CPA Or CIA Certification

Job overview

The Supervisory Accountant is based in Region 5’s Comptroller Branch, Budget Section, and directs an organizational unit responsible for program commitments, workforce management, and budget planning. The role leads financial and operational planning, supports compliance and audit readiness, and represents the Agency in partnerships. It is office-centered, with regular physical reporting to the duty station. Qualification paths are listed for GS-13 and GS-14.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Budget and Cost ManagementFinancial Management and AnalysisPlanning and EvaluatingLeadershipCustomer ServiceSupervisory and Leadership JudgmentFinancial ReportingFinancial Accounting SystemsFinancial AdvisingFinancial Controls

Qualifications

GS-13 Specialized ExperienceGS-14 Specialized ExperienceBachelor's in Accounting or Related Field24 Semester Hours Accounting or AuditingFour Years Accounting ExperienceCPA or CIA CertificationAccounting Degree Coursework AlternativeOne-Year Supervisory ProbationTime-in-Grade RequirementBackground Investigation

Full job description

Summary

This position is in Region 5, Office of the Regional Adminstrator, Mission Support Division, Comptroller Branch, Budget Section. About this organization: Region 5 This is an office-centered position--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.

Duties

At the full performance level of this position, you will: Plan, organize, and direct the organizational unit to ensure compliant, customer-focused delivery of program commitments with enhanced quality, timeliness, efficiency, and accountability. Provide comprehensive supervisory personnel management to build an equitable, compliant, and high-performing workforce that reliably accomplishes the mission. Lead program goal-setting and integrated planning/budget cycles so the Section/Branch operates with full compliance, transparency, and audit readiness while allocating resources efficiently to meet regional and agency priorities. Represent the Agency and cultivate high-level partnerships to enhance collaboration, ensure policy clarity, and support informed decisions across the organizational unit, branch/office, division, and agency. One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position. Requirements

#LI-DNI You must meet time-in-grade requirements no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: This requirement remains in effect through 01/18/27. This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date. If you are selected, you must complete (or have already completed) a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period. Upon acceptance of an initial appointment to a supervisory or managerial position with the EPA, you agree to complete all elements of the EPA Successful Leaders Program. This development program is designed to enhance leadership competencies and meet the agency's goal of providing new leaders with the tools needed for success. If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter. Qualifications

NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement. In addition to the basic entry education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below: To qualify for the GS-13 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level defined as reporting on organization-wide financial resources; establishing and operating financial accounting and reporting systems; and advising financial managers and other accountants on financial issues by providing solutions. To qualify for the GS-14 level, you must have 1 year of full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level defined as assessing and reporting on organization-wide financial controls of resources; establishing and operating automated financial accounting and reporting systems; and advising financial managers and other accountants on financial issues by providing alternative solutions. You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully: Budget and Cost Management * Financial Management and Analysis * Planning and Evaluating Leadership Customer Service * (Assessed at GS-13 only) Supervisory and Leadership Judgment * (Assessed at the GS-14 only) *You will be evaluated on these critical competencies. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. *If you have part-time work experience, read this: Part-Time Experience.

Education

0510 - Accountant: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in accounting and/or auditing; or in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting and/or auditing (the 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law); OR combination of education and experience with at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge; your background must also include one of the following: 1) 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses (this can include up to 6 hours of business law); 2) certificate as Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor; or 3) completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing (e.g., 15 semester hours), provided that: (a) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field (e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining); (b) a panel of at least 2 higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described above; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualification requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses (if applicable) to all assessments required for this position. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13062844 If you are eligible for consideration, one or more subject matter experts will systematically review your resume to assess the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for successful performance in this position (see the Qualifications section for a list of the critical competencies being evaluated). Based on the assessment ratings, a score will be calculated to determine if you are among the best qualified candidates. NOTE: Cheating (including the use of a consultant or an AI tool to assist you) on any assessment may result in your removal from consideration for this job. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments by the selecting official (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). Benefits

Benefits will not change for current permanent EPA employees. If you are selected for this position, situational telework may be approved by your supervisor if you meet eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement. EPA policy only allows telework to be approved situationally. Situational telework is for work or assignments of specific limited duration on an occasional, emergency, or ad hoc basis. NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position, subject to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Other Information

Are you a Displaced Federal Employee? If so, please read the Required Documents section and visit the EPA website for additional information on the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP NOTE: To be entitled to selection priority, you must be rated well-qualified (i.e., you must have a score of 87 or higher--see the How You Will Be Evaluated section). If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility. This position is not in the bargaining unit. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job. The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA's Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process: If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process (submitting the application or completing the application process), contact the Human Resources Office listed below no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement, and the Human Resources Office will work directly with you. If you are referred to the hiring official for consideration and need an accommodation during the selection process, including the interview, notify the person who contacted you from the hiring official's office. If you do not hear back within three days about your reasonable accommodation request for the selection process, please notify EPA's National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators via email at [email protected]. If you are selected and need an accommodation during the hiring process up to orientation, notify the HR Specialist who made the job offer to you. Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

How this job compares

Set against the 3,488 open Accountant jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 1, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$119–183K/yr
  • Illinois median$85–104K/yr68 salary ranges
  • US median$75–100K/yr1,022 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $151K, is 63% above the Illinois median midpoint ($93K) — in the top quarter of Accountant salary ranges in Illinois.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 106 open Accountant jobs in Illinois and 3,488 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Accountant postings that state a minimum ask for (median 3 years, across 2,303 postings).
Education
1,854 of the 3,488 open Accountant jobs (53%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 1, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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