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Budget and Accounting Officer

Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Lexington, KYFull-time$75–97K/yrPosted today

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At a glance

Compensation
$75–97K/yr
Location
Lexington, KY
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The Budget and Accounting Officer assists the Business Administrator with budget and accounting support for financial management, ensures financial obligations are accurate and compliant with regulations, monitors financial reports, and serves as the institution’s Certifying Officer for disbursements. The role also carries recurring correctional responsibilities to help maintain institutional security. Candidates qualify through specified graduate education, specialized experience, or a combination of education and experience.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Financial ManagementFinancial AccountabilityAccountingBudgetingFinancial AdviceFund Reconciliation

Qualifications

Doctorate or Three Years Graduate Education or Related LL.M.One Year Specialized ExperienceEducation and Experience CombinationMaximum Entry Age 36U.S. CitizenshipIntroduction to Correctional Techniques Training

Full job description

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Duties

Responsible for assisting the Business Administrator with oversight of budget and accounting support for the financial management program. Responsible for the accuracy of all financial obligations to ensure compliance with established regulations. Monitors various financial reports generated by the system and serves as the institution Certifying Officer for all disbursements. Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis. Requirements

Career Transition Programs (CTAP): This program applies to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: Meet CTAP eligibility criteria; Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP eligibility: A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter), Most recent performance appraisal, and Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location. See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: U.S Department of Justice - Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Key Requirements: U.S. Citizenship is Required. See Special Conditions of Employment Section. Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements: Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree Or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree Or LL.M., if related. Graduate Education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled. Some examples of this qualifying experience are: Knowledge of financial management and an in-depth knowledge of the methods and techniques of financial accountability. Professional knowledge of accounting and budgeting techniques, procedures, and their application to a variety of complex transactions and problems. Experience in providing financial advice and assistance to supervisors; ensuring compliance with Bureau of Prisons Policy regarding the accurate obligation of funds, timely settling of travel and processing of inmate and vendor payments. Experience in accomplishing functions such as processing payments, processing Building and Facilities (B&F) project closures, assures accurate obligations, and works with the subordinates and cost center managers on reconciling fund control to FMIS. OR Combination of Education & Experience Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position. If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities. Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications 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 to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Accountability Customer Service Decisiveness Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Resilience Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. You will be evaluated based on your assessment score and the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation. Applicants who receive a score of 85 or higher will be reviewed first, and reviews will continue until 10 qualified applicants have been identified. Applicants who receive a score of 75 or below will not be reviewed. Your resume and supporting documents will be compared against your responses to the online assessment to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement. If the information in your application materials does not support your assessment responses, your score may be adjusted and/or you may be removed from consideration. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. There are several parts of the application process that affect the overall evaluation of your application: Your resume, which is part of your USAJOBS profile; Your responses to the eligibility questions; Your responses to the online assessment; (See the qualifications section above for the two screen-out elements) Your supporting documentation, if required. Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements for consideration. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Due Weight for Performance and Awards: Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. Please submit: a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation; and a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. Other Information

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. The representative rate for this position is $82,148 per year ($39.36) Special Conditions of Employment Section: Initial appointment to a supervisory/managerial position requires a one-year probationary period. The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency. Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks. All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm. Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques," three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required. The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application. You may be required to provide proof of residence. Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate. Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed.

How this job compares

Set against the 514 open Financial Management jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 30, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$75–97K/yr
  • US median$100–154K/yr342 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $86K, is 33% below the US median midpoint ($128K) — in the lowest quarter of Financial Management salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 514 open Financial Management jobs across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most across the US
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Financial Management postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 397 postings).
Education
211 of the 514 open Financial Management jobs (41%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 30, 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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