Duties
At the highest advertised grade, you will:
- Serve as a professional accountant applying a wide variety of established accounting and financial rules to agency financial transactions, accounts, and reports to ensure accuracy, compliance, and informed decision-making.
- Provide technical advice and assistance to program managers and accounting staff on accounting transactions and related processes to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely recording and effective issue resolution.
- Utilize professional accounting knowledge to interpret and apply accounting policies, regulations, and procedures to financial transactions ensuring compliant and accurate execution and readiness.
- Perform all aspects of the accounting function, review, research, and reconciliation on financial transactions, accounts, and supporting records to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely reporting.
If you are hired at a lower grade level, your duties will be less complex and you will have more supervisory oversight. You may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses. NOTE: Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.
One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
#LI-Onsite
You must be a U.S. citizen.
If you are selected, the entire period served under the Recent Graduates program will be a trial period.
If you are selected, a written participant agreement must be signed.
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.
REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver's license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.
If you are still completing coursework, offer of employment will be contingent upon completion of degree/certificate/program. Proof showing completion date by August 31, 2026 will be required before entry on duty.
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: If you are qualifying on the basis of general or specialized experience, you must meet the experience requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
In addition to the basic education requirements, you must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below:
To qualify for the GS-05 level, you must meet the basic requirements as described in the Education section below (i.e., there are no additional requirements to qualify for this grade).
To qualify for the GS-07 level, you must have one of the following:
- 1 year full-time* specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level defined as assisting in validating, maintaining, and/or processing accounting data or transactions in accordance with policies, procedures, and regulations.
- 1 year of graduate-level education; or superior academic achievement (Superior Academic Achievement Definition); the education must be directly related and provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position
- equivalent combination of education and experience
NOTE: 1 year of full-time graduate education is the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours is considered an academic year of graduate study.
You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully:
- Accounting Operations * (both GS-05 and GS-07)
- Clerical * (both GS-05 and GS-07)
- Customer Service * (both GS-05 and GS-07)
*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
In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Recent Graduates program, you must meet the following basic requirements in order to qualify for this position:
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.
Additional information
ATTENTION VETERANS: If you are a veteran (as defined in 5 USC 2108) who, due to a military service obligation, was precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period (described in the "This job is open to/Clarification from the agency" section above), you have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon your release/discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may your eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date you completed the requirements for a qualifying degree or certificate or a qualifying career or technical education program.
Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.
EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: E-Verify.
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.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.
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.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
After the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your resume and required documents to ensure you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements.
In addition, 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; you will be ranked using the category rating method, and you will be placed in one of the following quality categories: Best Qualified (highest), Well Qualified, or Qualified (lowest).
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.
Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Qualified preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are placed at the top of the highest category (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). All other preference eligibles are placed above non-preference eligibles within their assigned category.
NOTE: Applicants who are referred to the selecting official for consideration and are entitled to veterans' preference in the hiring process must be selected, or decline further consideration, before applicants who are ineligible for veterans' preference can be selected (to learn more, visit Veterans' Preference).
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.).
Required Documents
ALL APPLICANTS
- Resume stating your expected graduation date and clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section--include specific dates (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY) so we can determine that you have the required amount of experience (if applicable). In describing your experience, you need to be clear and specific (we may not make assumptions regarding your experience). Resume must not exceed 2 pages. If you do not submit a resume that is 2 pages or less, you will be ineligible for further consideration. See How to Apply section for more information.
- College/educational institution transcripts - unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned. NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA. IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: Accreditation.
- Additional educational documentation - submit based on your current status:
- Recent graduates: submit documentation from the school showing date degree/certificate was conferred or date all degree/certificate/program requirements were met within the preceding two years.
- Current students who will complete a qualifying degree/certificate/program by August 31, 2026: submit proof of current enrollment.
APPLICANTS CLAIMING VETERANS' PREFERENCE
To be eligible for veterans' preference, you must claim preference in your USAJOBS account; you must also submit proof of eligibility as indicated below.
Separated veterans claiming 0-point preference:
- DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) and that the release or discharge was due to sole survivorship
Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:
- DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge)
Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:
- DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service); document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge); and
- VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage); and
- SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form)--see page 2 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter
Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:
- SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form); and
- Other required documentation indicated on the SF-15
Active duty service members:
- Certification from the Armed Forces (Statement of Service) documenting active duty dates, expected discharge/release date, campaign medals/badges, and character of service (a certification is any written document from the Armed Forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged/released from active duty service in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) within 120 days after you submit the certification)
VETERANS WHO ARE NOT ENTITLED TO PREFERENCE
- If you are unable to apply within two years of receiving your degree due to military service obligation, submit your DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge).
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.