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Supervisory Cost Accountant

Department of Labor
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE)

Summary

This position is located in the Cost/Price Determination Division (CPDD) of the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive. CPDD is responsible for the development and maintenance of a uniform approach to the determination of indirect costs and cost allocation plans, and the issuance of indirect cost rate agreements for Department of Labor contacts and grants. Activities are based on the requirements of 2CFR Part 200, OMB Circulars and Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR).

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/14/2026 to 04/20/2026
Salary
$143,913 - $187,093 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—The selectee will report to the assigned DOL office location in Washington, DC on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy. This is not a remote position.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MS-26-CHI-OSPE-12923647-JLU
Control number
864979600

Duties

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The following are the duties of a GS-14 Supervisory Cost Accountant:

  • Establish effective cost methods to identify, track, and report activity expenses for management.
  • Interpret laws/regulations and develop clear guidelines for program users.
  • Develop and deliver training on cost principles, cost determination and allocation, indirect costs, and related topics for Cost/Price determination.
  • Lead negotiations involving policy interpretation of indirect cost rates/cost allocation plans for organizations on Federal grants and contracts.
  • Resolve conflicting points of view between the auditor and grantee/contractor officials.
  • Provide policy interpretation and guidance to staff.
  • Plan, coordinate, and review the work of staff.
  • Manage change in project direction, scope, structure, and content.
  • Recognize weaknesses and potential problem areas in current policy/procedures.
  • Recommend policy change and assist in the formulation of such policies.
  • Maintain relationships with other entities to discuss cost components and the implementation of cost policies, guidelines, and procedures related to indirect costs.
  • Other duties as assigned

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be at least 16 years old.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Qualifications

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of 04/20/2026 the announcement closing date.

You must meet both the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Supervisory Cost Accountant, as described below.

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: 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. (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.")

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. Twenty-four 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 Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
3. 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 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, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

Specialized Experience:

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Performing indirect cost proposals and pre-award cost reviews using accounting and financial data in compliance with applicable Federal cost principles, such as the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (FAR) Part 31 and the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS).

Examples of specialized experience include
- Developing cost methodologies to recognize, determine, accumulate and report cost activities.
-Managing and executing negotiations of indirect cost rates and cost allocation plans for stakeholders such as state, local, commercial, and non-profit entities.

In addition, candidates must demonstrate experience either, leading a team OR providing advice/guidance OR training to others in interpretation of Federal cost principles.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

You may not be aware, but in the regulations for agency ethics programs, there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states: Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interest and enforce government ethics laws and regulations, including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure reports. In addition, supervisors are responsible, when requested, for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Supervisory Financial Disclosure (If applicable): This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click here for Additional Information.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

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.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12923647

SME Resume Panel Review

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to assess your technical qualifications based on the competencies listed below. Applicants who meet the required qualifications will advance to the next stage of the hiring process.

For each below competency, SME(s) will provide a rating of 0-Not Applicable, 1-Awareness, 2-Basic, 3-Intermediate, 4-Advanced, or 5-Expert based on the content of your resume.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

  • Cost Accounting
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Leadership
  • Problem Solving


Clickhere for Evaluation details.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) will be considered well-qualified if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management

Begin a challenging career with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and you will help shape the workforce of tomorrow. DOL offers rewarding opportunities to contribute to a noble mission; to serve and protect American workers, prepare them for new and better jobs, and to ensure the safety and fairness of American workplaces.

The Department of Labor values its customers. Every DOL employee is responsible for delivering good customer service through accurate, courteous, efficient, and effective transactions.

The Department of Labor does not make unfavorable hiring decisions on the basis of an applicant's previous or current unemployment, or the fact that an applicant has experienced financial difficulty through no fault of his/her own and has undertaken good faith efforts to meet his/her financial obligations. Consideration is given to financial status in relation to appointments only where required by law, regulation, or Executive Order.

Applicants with disabilities can contact the vacancy point of contact listed on the job vacancy announcement to request reasonable accommodations needed for the application process.

Agency contact information

Jodine Uppole
Phone
312-353-8809
Email
uppole.jodine.l@dol.gov
Address
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
200 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20210
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/office-of-the-senior-procurement-executive

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