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Posted: April 13, 2026 (0 days ago)

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Accountant

National Institutes of Health

Department of Health and Human Services

Fresh

Location

Salary

$85,447 - $158,322

per year

Closes

April 17, 2026More NIH jobs →

GS-5 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $33,878 - $44,042

Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience. Bachelor's degree.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This entry-level accountant role at the National Institutes of Health involves applying accounting rules to manage finances, prepare reports, and support financial operations in a government health agency.

It suits recent graduates with a relevant degree or early-career professionals with accounting experience who enjoy detail-oriented work in public service.

A good fit would be someone organized, accurate, and interested in federal budgeting and compliance.

Key Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field (e.g., business administration, finance) with at least 24 semester hours in accounting
  • Combination of 4+ years accounting experience and education providing professional knowledge, including 24 hours in accounting or auditing
  • Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification (alternative qualification path)
  • For GS-11: 1 year specialized experience at GS-09 level, such as identifying accounting issues, preparing reports, and supporting audits
  • For GS-12: 1 year specialized experience at GS-11 level, including analyzing accounting policies and providing financial data to managers
  • Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 years graduate education in related field (for GS-11 alternative)
  • U.S. citizenship and ability to work in Montgomery County, Maryland

Full Job Description

This position is located in the immediate Office of the Director, Office of Financial Management (OFM).

The incumbent of this position serves as an accountant performing assignments related to implementing accounting principles, policies, activities, projects, and operations.

In order to qualify for an Accountant, GS-0510 position, you must have: A.

successfully completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree with major study in accounting, or in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting.

The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law; OR B.

a 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 AND includes 24 semester hours in either accounting or auditing courses; OR C.

a 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 AND must be a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor; OR D.

a 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 AND have completed the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement, provided that I meet (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 two higher level professional accountants or auditors have 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 in paragraph A; 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.

In addition, in order to qualify for an Accountant, GS-0510 position at the GS-11 level, you must have: A.

1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: Identifying accounting problems such as inadequate maintenance of fund controls, inaccurate records and reports, improper methods for document control, and lack of documentary evidence to support performance of regulatory reconciliations preparing documentation and audit trails to support transactions; preparing accounting statements and reports for both internal and external use on financial issues; OR B.

completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.M., if related; OR C.

a combination of post baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

In addition, in order to qualify for an Accountant position at the GS-12 level, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: analyzing and reviewing new or proposed revisions to accounting policies and procedures; providing financial operating plan data to program managers for use in decision-making; conducting research into significant accounting issues within an organization; providing advice and resolution to complex accounting situations.

In addition, in order to qualify for an Accountant position at the GS-13 level, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: planning and conducting studies to improve and implement the accumulation, processing and reporting of accounting and financial data and systems; examining, analyzing and interpreting accounting data, records and reports; advising management on accounting and financial management matters; reviewing and implementing new or revised accounting policies and procedures.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating.

Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy.

Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time.

Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer. Preview application questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12922574 Major Duties:

Serve as a staff accountant working with senior staff in planning, organizing, and implementing critical accounting projects, functions and activities.

Advise and assist management in order to correct deficiencies, resolve and improve weaknesses in accounting functions and to implement revised and/or improved accounting policies and procedures.

Provide interpretation of accounting regulations, policies and procedures.

Work with senior accounting, budget and IT staff in providing accounting and financial advice and technical assistance to management.

Conduct research into significant accounting issues and work with senior staff in providing advice and resolution to complex accounting situations.

Provide analyses of current policies and procedures; identify areas that need modification including new or improved technology and methods for producing work.

As a member of a work group, perform continual reviews of existing systems to determine adequacy in meeting the needs of the organization.

Ensure that proper internal controls exist in all manual and automated financial systems to prevent fraud, waste and abuse of program resources.

Analyze, develop and write documents such as position papers, proposals, justifications, and memoranda on numerous subjects.

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Posted on USAJOBS: 4/13/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 4/13/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: NIH-OD-MP-26-12922574