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Forensic Accountant

Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation

Summary

Forensic Accounting is one of the most sought-after FBI careers. You will investigate financial crimes including corporate, healthcare, mortgage securities, and commodities fraud. Your expertise will also apply to counterintelligence, counterterrorism, cybercrime, virtual currency, organized crime, and public corruption investigations. The FBI is seeking Forensic Accountants nationwide for all of our field office locations.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/13/2026 to 04/24/2026
Salary
$63,795 - $99,404 per year

Salaries listed are the Base rate of pay for GS pay scale. A complete list of Pay Tables with locality pay can be found on www.OPM.gov.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Anchorage, AK
Little Rock, AR
Springfield, IL
Louisville, KY
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
DESTIMP-12935370-26-VL
Control number
864929900

Duties

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  • Provides knowledge with respect to accounting and financial practices, securities, banking laws and systems, conventional and non-conventional financial institutions, and profit/non-profit businesses. Develops or assists with developing new forensic accounting techniques applicable to various financial investigations.
  • Independently conducts forensic analysis of financial data. Conducts and coordinates the examination of financial aspects of the investigation in cooperation with case agents, prosecuting attorneys and others.
  • Assesses the value of financial evidence; unravels sophisticated techniques for moving funds and shielding illegal activity. Provides financial profiles of individuals and groups. Compiles detailed financial findings and conclusions to prepare in-depth forensic accounting reports.
  • Utilizes various computer applications to review and interpret implications on a vast number and variety of financial transactions, and other corporate, business, and financial processes, associations, and recordkeeping systems.
  • Produces detailed financial investigative reports and exhibits. May participate in subject and key witness interviews and testifies as needed as a fact and/or expert witness in judicial proceedings. Develops and provides forensic accounting presentations/briefings.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance
  • Some travel may be required
  • ALL applicants must verify completion of the basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
  • Selectee approved for hire will be required to attend a mandatory five-week Forensic Accountant Core Training Session (FACTS) held at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Once training dates are established, employees will be notified in advance.
  • In order to be given promotional consideration, current Forensic Accountants that have completed FACTS 18-02 or later must have completed their New Forensic Accountant Development Program (logbook) prior to the closing of this job opening.

Qualifications

GS-11: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

  • Performed examination and analysis over several financial investigative or audit areas. Analysis utilized accounting, auditing, analytical, technical, and/or investigative skills.
  • Provided knowledge of various accounting and financial practices, securities, banking systems, financial institutions, and/or businesses to colleagues or clients.

GS-12: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

  • Independently performed complex examination and analysis over several financial investigative or audit areas. Analysis utilized advanced accounting, auditing, analytical, technical, and/or investigative skills.
  • Provided guidance regarding forensic accounting and financial practices, world-wide securities, banking laws, regulations, and systems, financial institutions, and/or national and international businesses to various audiences.
  • Reviewed work and/or provided guidance to lesser experienced staff.

Education

Positive Education Requirement

This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic educational requirement by submitting a copy of their college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Applicants possessing certifications (e.g. Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, or Certified Internal Auditor) MUST provide proof of such certifications along with their college transcripts. Candidate MUST submit a transcript attesting to possession of the required education as described under the Basic Requirements Section of the vacancy announcement.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE BASIC REQUIREMENT BELOW:

A) Degree in accounting, or a degree 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) Combination of education and experience: 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. The applicant's background must also include one of the following:1) 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law.2) A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination.

OR

C) Completion of 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 of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has 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 has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that 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, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

All degrees must be from an accredited college or university. Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:

GS-11: Applicant must have a 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.

GS-12: Education cannot be substituted for Specialized Experience at the GS-12 level.

All applicants MUST verify completion of this requirement by submitting a copy of ALL college transcripts by the closing date of this job opening.

Additional information

To attract and retain highly qualified candidates, selectees may be eligible for a recruitment incentive of up to 20% or, for eligible current federal employees, a relocation incentive of up to 20%. Eligibility for a relocation incentive requires proof of a change in residence and an assignment at a worksite in a different geographic area greater than or equal to 50 miles from the prior worksite. Employees must sign a written service agreement completing a specified period of employment with the FBI at the new duty station. Recruitment and relocation incentives cannot be combined.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are found minimally qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.

The competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.

Competencies:

  • Accounting
  • Analytic Thinking
  • Collaboration
  • Customer Service
  • Technology Application

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI's mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. We employ 38,000 people at locations around the globe. In addition to our Headquarters in Washington, D.C., we have 56 Field Offices in major U.S. cities, plus more than 350 satellite offices, called resident agencies, in cities and towns across the nation. In addition, we have more than 60 international offices, called legal attaches (legats), in U.S. embassies worldwide.

Agency contact information

Autumn S. Hartzell
Email
ashartzell@fbi.gov
Address
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20535
US

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