Chief Accountant Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Chief Accountant roles qualify as specialty occupations under H-1B visa, requiring a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related field. Employers file a Labor Condition Application before sponsorship begins. Green card pathways via EB-2 or EB-3 are common for long-term hires in this role.
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PenFed is hiring a (Hybrid) Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer at our Tysons, Virginia location. The Chief Accounting Officer is the architect of a modern finance function, not only its steward. This leader will own the integrity of PenFed’s financial records while reshaping how accounting creates value: reliable and timely closes, automated controls, certified data, and insight that informs capital, pricing, and growth decisions.
As a member of the CFO's leadership team, the CAO will help translate the enterprise strategic plan into accounting operational and reporting readiness. That includes operational readiness for M&A and new business lines, a scalable operating model as the balance sheet grows, and a reporting framework that meets requirements of Management, the Board and NCUA.
We are looking for a CPA with deep financial-institution expertise who has led accounting operations, regulatory, GAAP and management reporting, and overseen accounting transformation at scale. The ideal candidate pairs technical command of GAAP with the instincts of a change leader who leads teams, retires legacy processes, and promotes and enables accounting as a strategic partner across the enterprise.
Responsibilities
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties and the position will perform other duties as assigned.
Strategic leadership and enterprise partnership
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the CFO and executive team, shaping decisions on capital allocation, product economics, balance sheet strategy, and growth investments.
- Translate the three-year strategic plan into accounting, reporting, and control frameworks that scale with the organization.
- Lead accounting due diligence for business combinations and loan portfolio purchases, and integration for credit union mergers, acquisitions, and new business ventures.
- Partner with Treasury, FP&A, Risk, and Lending on member- and product-level profitability, funds transfer pricing, and performance measurement.
- Anticipate and monitor emerging accounting, regulatory, and industry developments and position PenFed ahead of them.
Finance transformation and modernization
- Define and execute a multi-year accounting strategic roadmap covering close, consolidation, reconciliation, reporting, transformation, and the alignment of accounting personnel.
- Drive automation and AI adoption across accounting operations, targeting close optimization and a sharp reduction in manual journal entries and reconciliation points.
- Co-lead the finance data strategy: a single, governed general ledger and subledger architecture, certified data products, and clear data ownership.
- Champion and lead the strategic ERP platform modernization in partnership with Technology, Human Resources, and Procurement.
- Align the accounting operating model, including shared services, centers of excellence, and talent mix, to support growth without proportional cost.
Controllership, reporting, and policy
- Own the general ledger governance including the financial statement close process, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of all internal and external financial reporting.
- Deliver annual audited financial statements and oversee the quarterly NCUA 5300 Call Report preparation and submission.
- Establish and maintain accounting policy, including technical positions on transfers of financial assets, CECL, derivatives and hedge accounting, loan servicing, leases, and fair value.
- Produce Board and Audit Committee reporting that is clear, decision-useful, and forward-looking.
Internal controls, audit, and regulatory
- Maintain a robust internal control framework over financial reporting aligned to COSO, with an emphasis on automated and preventive controls.
- Serve as primary liaison to the external auditor and Supervisory Committee, and partner with Internal Audit on control effectiveness.
- Serve as a finance lead who engages with NCUA examinators and responds to regulatory findings with durable remediation.
- Support capital adequacy reporting that relies on the accuracy of net worth as a governing metric.
Talent and culture
- Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing team of 40 accounting professionals.
- Build modern skill sets in data, automation, AI and analytics alongside technical accounting depth.
- Create a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and service to PenFed's members and mission.
Qualifications
Equivalent combination of education and experience is considered.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting or a related field is required.
- Master’s Degree in Business Administration is preferred.
- CPA certification required.
- Minimum of fifteen (15) years’ of experience, ten (10) years in a senior management role with financial audit and/or in-house financial management experience gained in a large organization environment - all of which provides a level of skill and knowledge necessary to satisfactorily perform the essential job functions detailed herein is required.
- Proven track record of success facilitating progressive organizational change and development within a growing organization.
- Experience using AI tools, preferred.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position will supervise employees.
Licenses and Certifications
CPA certification is required.
Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an indoor office setting with moderate noise.
Most roles require working in an office setting with moderate noise and the ability to lift 25 pounds.
Travel
Ability to travel to various worksites and be on-call may be required.
Pay Transparency
The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $237,800.00 - $438,800.00
This position is eligible for an organizational performance based annual bonus, subject to board discretion and approval.
This position is eligible for an individual performance based annual bonus.
LI-Hybrid
Benefits
At PenFed, we offer a robust benefits package designed to support you both personally and professionally. You’ll have access to comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans; paid time off; and family-friendly benefits like paid parental leave, care support, and fitness center access. Financial wellness is encouraged through features like a 401(k) match, employee loan discounts, and fully paid life and disability coverage. We also support growth via education assistance, community involvement, and volunteer opportunities.
Our Purpose
Helping members achieve their dreams since 1935.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is one of America's largest federal credit unions, serving 2.8 million members worldwide with $29 billion in assets. PenFed offers market-leading certificates, checking and savings, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, and a wide range of other financial services, always with members' interests in mind. PenFed is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender.
Equal Employment Opportunity
PenFed management will maintain and observe personnel policies which will not discriminate or permit harassment or retaliation against a person because of race, color, creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, military or veteran status or obligation, the presence of a physical and/or mental disability or medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, and all statuses protected by applicable state or local law in all recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, overtime, position classifications, work assignments, facilities, promotions, transfers, employee treatment, and in all other terms and conditions of employment. PenFed will also prohibit retaliation against individuals for raising a complaint of discrimination or harassment or participating in an investigation of same.
PenFed will also reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can apply for a job or perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to PenFed. Contact human resources (HR) with any questions or requests for accommodation at Careers@PenFed.org.
Job Overview
PenFed is hiring a (Hybrid) Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer at our Tysons, Virginia location. The Chief Accounting Officer is the architect of a modern finance function, not only its steward. This leader will own the integrity of PenFed’s financial records while reshaping how accounting creates value: reliable and timely closes, automated controls, certified data, and insight that informs capital, pricing, and growth decisions.
As a member of the CFO's leadership team, the CAO will help translate the enterprise strategic plan into accounting operational and reporting readiness. That includes operational readiness for M&A and new business lines, a scalable operating model as the balance sheet grows, and a reporting framework that meets requirements of Management, the Board and NCUA.
We are looking for a CPA with deep financial-institution expertise who has led accounting operations, regulatory, GAAP and management reporting, and overseen accounting transformation at scale. The ideal candidate pairs technical command of GAAP with the instincts of a change leader who leads teams, retires legacy processes, and promotes and enables accounting as a strategic partner across the enterprise.
Responsibilities
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job duties and the position will perform other duties as assigned.
Strategic leadership and enterprise partnership
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the CFO and executive team, shaping decisions on capital allocation, product economics, balance sheet strategy, and growth investments.
- Translate the three-year strategic plan into accounting, reporting, and control frameworks that scale with the organization.
- Lead accounting due diligence for business combinations and loan portfolio purchases, and integration for credit union mergers, acquisitions, and new business ventures.
- Partner with Treasury, FP&A, Risk, and Lending on member- and product-level profitability, funds transfer pricing, and performance measurement.
- Anticipate and monitor emerging accounting, regulatory, and industry developments and position PenFed ahead of them.
Finance transformation and modernization
- Define and execute a multi-year accounting strategic roadmap covering close, consolidation, reconciliation, reporting, transformation, and the alignment of accounting personnel.
- Drive automation and AI adoption across accounting operations, targeting close optimization and a sharp reduction in manual journal entries and reconciliation points.
- Co-lead the finance data strategy: a single, governed general ledger and subledger architecture, certified data products, and clear data ownership.
- Champion and lead the strategic ERP platform modernization in partnership with Technology, Human Resources, and Procurement.
- Align the accounting operating model, including shared services, centers of excellence, and talent mix, to support growth without proportional cost.
Controllership, reporting, and policy
- Own the general ledger governance including the financial statement close process, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of all internal and external financial reporting.
- Deliver annual audited financial statements and oversee the quarterly NCUA 5300 Call Report preparation and submission.
- Establish and maintain accounting policy, including technical positions on transfers of financial assets, CECL, derivatives and hedge accounting, loan servicing, leases, and fair value.
- Produce Board and Audit Committee reporting that is clear, decision-useful, and forward-looking.
Internal controls, audit, and regulatory
- Maintain a robust internal control framework over financial reporting aligned to COSO, with an emphasis on automated and preventive controls.
- Serve as primary liaison to the external auditor and Supervisory Committee, and partner with Internal Audit on control effectiveness.
- Serve as a finance lead who engages with NCUA examinators and responds to regulatory findings with durable remediation.
- Support capital adequacy reporting that relies on the accuracy of net worth as a governing metric.
Talent and culture
- Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing team of 40 accounting professionals.
- Build modern skill sets in data, automation, AI and analytics alongside technical accounting depth.
- Create a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and service to PenFed's members and mission.
Qualifications
Equivalent combination of education and experience is considered.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting or a related field is required.
- Master’s Degree in Business Administration is preferred.
- CPA certification required.
- Minimum of fifteen (15) years’ of experience, ten (10) years in a senior management role with financial audit and/or in-house financial management experience gained in a large organization environment - all of which provides a level of skill and knowledge necessary to satisfactorily perform the essential job functions detailed herein is required.
- Proven track record of success facilitating progressive organizational change and development within a growing organization.
- Experience using AI tools, preferred.
Supervisory Responsibility
This position will supervise employees.
Licenses and Certifications
CPA certification is required.
Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an indoor office setting with moderate noise.
Most roles require working in an office setting with moderate noise and the ability to lift 25 pounds.
Travel
Ability to travel to various worksites and be on-call may be required.
Pay Transparency
The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $237,800.00 - $438,800.00
This position is eligible for an organizational performance based annual bonus, subject to board discretion and approval.
This position is eligible for an individual performance based annual bonus.
LI-Hybrid
Benefits
At PenFed, we offer a robust benefits package designed to support you both personally and professionally. You’ll have access to comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans; paid time off; and family-friendly benefits like paid parental leave, care support, and fitness center access. Financial wellness is encouraged through features like a 401(k) match, employee loan discounts, and fully paid life and disability coverage. We also support growth via education assistance, community involvement, and volunteer opportunities.
Our Purpose
Helping members achieve their dreams since 1935.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is one of America's largest federal credit unions, serving 2.8 million members worldwide with $29 billion in assets. PenFed offers market-leading certificates, checking and savings, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, and a wide range of other financial services, always with members' interests in mind. PenFed is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender.
Equal Employment Opportunity
PenFed management will maintain and observe personnel policies which will not discriminate or permit harassment or retaliation against a person because of race, color, creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, military or veteran status or obligation, the presence of a physical and/or mental disability or medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, and all statuses protected by applicable state or local law in all recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, overtime, position classifications, work assignments, facilities, promotions, transfers, employee treatment, and in all other terms and conditions of employment. PenFed will also prohibit retaliation against individuals for raising a complaint of discrimination or harassment or participating in an investigation of same.
PenFed will also reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can apply for a job or perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to PenFed. Contact human resources (HR) with any questions or requests for accommodation at Careers@PenFed.org.
See all 37+ Chief Accountant Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Chief Accountant roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Chief Accountant
Align your credentials to U.S. standards
If your accounting degree is from outside the U.S., get a credential evaluation from a NACES-member service. Employers and USCIS need confirmation your qualification is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's in accounting or finance before filing begins.
Target employers with active LCA history
Use OFLC public disclosure data to identify companies that have filed Labor Condition Applications for accounting roles. Firms with repeated filings for Chief Accountant or Controller positions are already familiar with the sponsorship process and less likely to hesitate.
Use Migrate Mate to find verified sponsors
Search Migrate Mate's job board, which lists employers with verified LCA sponsorship history for accounting roles. This filters out postings where sponsorship is listed as theoretical but rarely followed through, saving you time in the application stage.
Verify prevailing wage before negotiating
Look up the prevailing wage for Chief Accountant using the OFLC Wage Search before salary discussions. Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL-determined level, so knowing the floor prevents offers that can't survive the filing process.
Flag CPA licensure requirements early
Some employers list CPA licensure as a requirement for Chief Accountant roles, which can complicate sponsorship if you're licensed in another country. Clarify during interviews whether your international credential or a U.S. CPA equivalency pathway satisfies their actual compliance needs.
Plan your PERM timeline for EB-2 or EB-3
If your employer intends to sponsor a green card, PERM labor certification typically takes 12 to 18 months before an I-140 petition can be filed. Raise this conversation at the offer stage so recruitment advertising requirements don't delay your long-term status unnecessarily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Chief Accountant role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes. Chief Accountant positions consistently qualify as specialty occupations because they require a bachelor's degree or higher in accounting, finance, or a directly related field as a standard industry requirement. USCIS looks at whether the degree is a minimum entry requirement for the role, and for Chief Accountant positions at most employers, it is. A general business degree without an accounting concentration can sometimes trigger a Request for Evidence.
Which visa types are available for sponsored Chief Accountant positions?
H-1B is the most common nonimmigrant path for Chief Accountants, subject to an annual cap and selection process. Candidates from Australia may qualify for the E-3 visa, and those from Chile or Singapore may qualify for H-1B1 visa, both of which have separate caps and no lottery. For permanent residence, EB-2 applies if you hold an advanced degree, while EB-3 covers skilled workers with a bachelor's and two or more years of experience. TN visa classification does not cover the Chief Accountant title under the USMCA profession list.
What degree does an employer need to demonstrate for a Chief Accountant H-1B petition?
The employer must show that the Chief Accountant role normally requires a bachelor's degree in a specific field, not just any degree. USCIS expects the job description to list accounting, finance, or a closely related discipline as the minimum. Roles that accept any bachelor's degree, regardless of major, often fail the specialty occupation test. The O*NET profile for accountants and auditors supports the degree-in-field requirement and is frequently referenced in RFE responses.
How do I find employers actively sponsoring Chief Accountant roles?
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified sponsorship history for accounting roles, so you can focus on companies that have already navigated the filing process for this position type rather than those listing sponsorship as a possibility without demonstrated follow-through.
Can a Chief Accountant on H-1B change employers without losing status?
Yes. Under H-1B portability, you can start working for a new employer once your new employer files an H-1B transfer petition with USCIS. You don't have to wait for approval before beginning the new role, as long as the petition is properly filed. The new employer must file a fresh LCA certified by DOL and submit an I-129 petition. Your specialty occupation classification carries over as long as the new role also qualifies.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Chief Accountant jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.