SEC Academic IPA Mobility Program (Formerly Known as an Academic Fellowship)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) invites qualified accounting professors to express their interest and complete a temporary assignment via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program. This is an Academic IPA Assignment (formerly known as an Academic Fellowship) at its headquarters next to Union Station in the heart of Washington, D.C. for the 2023–2024 academic year. The Academic IPA Assignment at the SEC provides an unparalleled opportunity for accounting academics to be directly involved in the work of the SEC and to gain insight into the SEC's oversight and regulatory processes. It provides experience that will greatly enhance subsequent research and teaching activities, and is a remarkable way to spend a sabbatical year or a leave of absence. One Academic IPA Assignment is available in the Office of the Chief Accountant.

Office of the Chief Accountant

The Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) is responsible for accounting and auditing matters arising in the SEC’s administration of the federal securities laws, which are designed to enhance the transparency and relevancy of financial reporting for investors. The Chief Accountant serves as the principal adviser to the Commission on accounting and auditing matters.

Academic IPA Assignment Description

OCA greatly values the academic community’s contribution to high quality financial reporting that underpins the functioning of our capital markets. OCA is interested in candidates with credentials in the area of auditing or financial reporting. The Academic IPA serves as a resource for OCA in auditor, registrant, and rule-making matters that can benefit from academic accounting research, and the Academic IPA participates in OCA projects that frequently involve the SEC's oversight of standard-setting. The Academic IPA Assignment was formerly known as an Academic Fellowship. This program, which has existed continually for over 40 years, is for research-oriented faculty members with an interest in working closely with OCA leadership and staff on registrant, auditor, standard setting, and rule-making issues. Responsibilities of the Academic IPA include assisting in analyzing policy issues based on economic and accounting theories to better inform OCA leadership about strategic issues, for example, through the development of research models and data analysis.

Requirements and Eligibility

Requirements include a PhD in accounting (or similar), strong written and verbal communication skills, and a robust research background in auditing or financial reporting. Preferences include professors who have an active CPA license or equivalent technical expertise and professors who have tenure at their institution.

The IPA Mobility Program requires candidates to hold career (i.e., not time-limited) positions at a college or university for at least 90 days prior to an Academic IPA Assignment. Candidates must have U.S. citizenship. All assignments are also contingent upon the candidate passing an extensive background check. The candidate must provide financial disclosures prior to assignment and divest of securities deemed necessary by the Office of the Ethics Counsel.
Compensation, Benefits and Qualifications

An Academic IPA is placed on an assignment at the SEC under the IPA Mobility Program, which allows the professor to continue as an employee of their school (i.e., college or university). The professor continues to be paid by the school and receive its benefits package. The SEC, in turn, reimburses the school for the professor's salary and benefits. Benefits are reimbursed to the school as a percentage of the professor’s salary, which is based on a rate comparable to what is received by a similarly situated Federal Government employee at the SEC. Under an IPA agreement, relocation expenses to and from the Washington, DC area are generally reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and standard SEC policies, which apply to IPA assignments. Academic IPA Assignments generally involve a 12-month period beginning August 1 each year. Compensation for the SEC Academic IPA Assignment is typically 12/9s of the professor's academic-year salary, up to a maximum of pay grade SK-16 (for 2022–2023 that amount is $260,479 plus related benefits in Washington, DC).

Note: The salary cap does not mean that the Academic IPA’s maximum 12-month salary is $260,479. Rather, $260,479 is the maximum salary that the SEC will reimburse to the school. The employing school is permitted to compensate the professor more than this amount.

COVID-19
Due to COVID-19, the SEC is currently in an optional telework posture through at least March 27, 2023. Depending on the SEC’s return-to-office policies, this position may be eligible for some telework in accordance with the SEC's telework policy.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

Application Information and Procedures

To apply, you must electronically submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter that summarizes your qualifications. Candidates with either auditing- or financial reporting-focused research interests will be considered. Applications must be emailed to Steph Grant at grantst@sec.gov. Candidates should provide a copy of two relevant working papers or recently published articles. Application reviews for the 2023–2024 Academic IPA Assignment will begin as received and continue until February 20, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. Interviews will be conducted virtually.

To find out more about the experiences of previous Academic IPAs, see articles by Susan D. Krische, Roger D. Martin, and T. Jeffrey Wilks in Accounting Horizons (June 2013); Bjorn N. Jorgensen, Cheryl L. Linthicum, Andrew J. McLelland, Mark H. Taylor, and Teri Lombardi Yohn in Accounting Horizons (September 2007); Steve Kolenda and Patricia Fairfield in the Financial Reporting Journal (Summer 2000); and Thomas J. Linsmeier in Accounting Horizons (September 1996).

To discuss the nature of the Academic IPA Assignment and the outstanding professional development experiences it offers, you may contact the current Academic IPA in the Office of the Chief Accountant, Steph Grant (grantst@sec.gov).

To apply, you must electronically submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter that summarizes your qualifications. Candidates with either auditing- or financial reporting-focused research interests will be considered. Applications must be emailed to Steph Grant at grantst@sec.gov. Candidates should provide a copy of two relevant working papers or recently published articles.

Application reviews for the 2023–2024 Academic IPA Assignment will begin as received and continue until February 20, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. Interviews will be conducted virtually.

The mission of the SEC is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. The SEC strives to promote a market environment that is worthy of the public's trust.