Accountant

Duties

Summary

PLEASE NOTE: Based on the current hiring restrictions, selectees may be subject to additional approvals prior to an offer being extended.

Located in Fiscal Accounting, Division and Branch as assigned. Assisting with formulating Fiscal Accounting policies and standards; performing accounts reconciliation and reporting; and processing, certifying, recording, and reporting receipts and expenditures accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with governing regulations.

Responsibilities

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-09. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

• Participate and assist in developing policies, guidelines, procedures, and controls for Fiscal Accounting related issues.
• Ensure that procedures are in compliance with statute, generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and with guidelines issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Fiscal Service, the Department, and other relevant authoritative sources.
• Participate and assist in the preparation, review, analysis, and/or submission of financial statements that are in compliance with other governing regulations. In addition, the incumbent provides support for routine financial, budget, and management reports that are submitted to the Department, OMB, the United States Congress, and other stakeholders.
• Operate, maintain, and monitor financial management systems according to established procedures and required schedules. This may include providing support and assistance in determining the feasibility of proposed and mandated accounting system changes and enhancements as well as performing any testing required for implementing such changes.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - 1-2 times a year
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
09

• Job family (Series)
  0510 Accounting
  Similar jobs
  • Accountants

• Requirements
  
  Requirements
  
  Conditions of Employment
  • Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.
  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  
  
  If you do not meet any of the categories listed above, you may wish to apply under announcement 21-FS-489-P, which is open for any U.S. Citizen or U.S. National to apply. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.
  
  The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.
  
  Qualifications
  
  You must meet the following requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
  Specialized experience: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that is directly related to the position and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this grade must include ALL of the following:
  
  • Operating, maintaining or monitoring financial management systems; AND
  • Reconciliation of accounting documents; AND
  • Interpreting and applying accounting policies and procedures.
  OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
  OR You may qualify with a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, your total qualifying experience is calculated as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then, your education is calculated as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. The two percentages are added together. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. Note that only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level can be combined with the appropriate level of experience to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-9 grade level.
  Specialized experience: For the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service that is directly related to the position and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this grade must include ALL of the following:
  
  • Operating, maintaining or monitoring financial management systems; AND
  • Reconciliation of accounting documents.
  
  OR You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: completed at least 1 full year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent) or have a bachelor's degree and meet one of the following requirements for superior academic achievement: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
  OR You may qualify with a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, your total qualifying experience is calculated as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level. Then, your education is calculated as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. The two percentages are added together. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level.
  
  For the GS-05, applicants who meet the basic requirements described in the individual occupational requirements are fully qualified for the specified entry grade: GS-05. See Education Requirements.
  In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:
  For the GS-09, you must have been at the GS-07 level for 52 weeks.
  For the GS-07, you must have been at the GS-05 level for 52 weeks.
  For the GS-05: You may be advanced to the GS-05 position if you have held a position no lower than GS-03 in the preceding year under your latest non-temporary competitive appointment OR have held a position at GS-05 or higher under a non-temporary appointment at any time in the past.
  Education
  
  Education Requirements: 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 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.
  The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Additional information
  
  
  • We will not pay relocation expenses.
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a bargaining unit position.
  • This position is a moderate riskposition.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules, no 4/10's.
  
  CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
  
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Public Trust ? Background Investigation will be required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation. Periodic reinvestigation is required no later than five years after selection and at least every succeeding five years.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  
  
  How You Will Be Evaluated
  
  You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
  
  Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a ?not qualified? determination.
  Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical, Communication and Systems & Technology. Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
  Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration.
  If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score of 90or better to be rated as ?well qualified" to receive special selection priority.
  
  To preview questions please click here.
  
  Background checks and security clearance Security clearance
  
  Not Required
  Drug test required
  No
  

• Required Documents
  
  Required Documents
  
  A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
  All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips.
  CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES - Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment:
  
  
  • Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The ?position occupied? block on the SF-50 should show a ?1? and your ?tenure? block should show a ?1? or ?2?.)
  • If you are currently on a Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA), submit a copy of an SF-50 showing that. Also, you must submit a copy of your DD214 or other documentation showing dates of service and type of discharge and any other applicable documents such as SF-15, VA letters, etc.
  • Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.
  
  Land Management Eligibles must provide all required documentation to verify eligibility, prior performance, and qualifications for the target position. You can find information on the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act and eligibility HERE. Land Management Eligibles must compete under competitive merit promotion procedures and meet all applicable requirements as such (time-in-grade restrictions do not apply).
  CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.
  If you are applying under a special hiring authority (e.g. Military Spouses, Interchange Agreement, VEOA, VRA, Schedule A Disability, etc.), please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be eligible under one of these authorities, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
  Education Documentation: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
  Recommended Documents:
  In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:
  Current Performance Appraisal
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
  

• Benefits
  
  Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:
  
  
  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
  • Ten paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
  • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
  
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
  

Help This job is open to

• Individuals with disabilities

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Land & base management
Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
Military spouses
Family of overseas employees

Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is, or was, working overseas.
Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
Veterans
Clarification from the agency

All candidates who are: Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, Federal employees currently serving on a VRA, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, eligible for special hiring authorities (e.g., the Schedule A appointment for persons with disabilities, or covered by an Interchange Agreement), or Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) or Land Management employees eligible under Public Law 114-47.