Clarification from the agency

College Graduates who have obtained a qualifying baccalaureate or graduate degree from an institution of higher education within the previous two years. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation (of not less than 4 years) begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty.

Videos

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 50 in the order they applied. Note: submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed.

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-12. At the GS-07 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-12.

Major Duties:

• Provides financial advice and performs accountant work for internal agency operating programs.
• Advises on and/or performs professional financial accounting duties.
• Develops accounting procedures and resolves technical problems in executing a computerized, integrated accounting system.
• Monitors and controls by timely recording, coding, balancing, and scrutinizing for inaccurate accounts.
• Administers accounting systems designed to track, reconcile, and report on agency operation and maintenance funding and/or appropriations
• Validates a variety of accounting data which is entered schedules and accounts.
• Reconciles Accounts and prepares balance sheets.
• Analyzes cost accounting reports, status of fund reports, and other financial reports for the preparation of summary statements and reports and proposes solutions and alternatives to problem areas.
• Identifies and resolves &complex accounting transactions that create out-of-balance conditions in financial reports.
• Validates current processes with respect to regulatory requirements.
• Performs quality assurance review of existing and proposed accounting processes to provide assurances as to financial integrity and conformance to Federal, laws and agency regulations and practices.
• Prepares instructions and guidance in the implementation and operations of accounting procedures/programs.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The grade progression for this position is (GS-7, GS-9, GS-11, GS-12).

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Not applicable, this is a remote position
Remote: This is a remote position.
Position Description/PD#: Accountant; 18566A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Physical Demands: The work is principally sedentary. Work is usually performed in an office setting.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/28/2023.

COLLEGE GRADUATE HIRING AUTHORITY REQUIREMENT: You must have obtained a qualifying baccalaureate or graduate degree from an institution of higher education within the previous two years. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation (of not less than 4 years) begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty.
AND
Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): This position includes an Individual Occupation Requirement that must be met in addition to the specialized experience and/or education requirement. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the IOR must be reflected in your application materials (resume and/or transcript). The Individual Occupation Requirements for this position are:

• 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. (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.

AND

You may qualify based on your education/experience/combination as described below.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part your qualifications on education.

Education: 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement
OR
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience in a position with reconciling accounts with manual and computer subsidiary accounts; validating data entered into a variety of accounts integrated into complex accounting systems; resolving technical problems in a computerized, integrated accounting system; analyzing reports and proposing solutions and alternatives to problem areas; holding discussions with employees to gather information.
OR
Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties.

To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

• Accounting
• Communications
• Critical Thinking
• Principles of Accounting
• Technical Credibility

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.