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Accountant

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
This job announcement has closed

Summary

We are looking to fill Accountant, GS-0510-7/9, positions in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Click on "Learn more about this agency" for more details!

You will serve in a trainee capacity performing limited-scope, entry-level accounting work that requires you to be equipped with well-established and basic accounting principles, theories, concepts, and practices.

This announcement has been extended through June 6, 2024.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/24/2024 to 06/06/2024
Salary
$55,924 to - $88,926 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Woodlawn, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 5% for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Recent graduates
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
11 - Please see note in the "Additional Information" section.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
HHS-CMS-RG-24-12422669
Control number
792536900

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Duties

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  • Provide technical and operational guidance to staff in the processing of accounting documents and vendor invoices.
  • Assist senior accounting or financial management professionals to accomplish substantial segments of larger and more complex projects associated with CMS' financial reporting responsibility.
  • Formulate a variety of routine financial reports for specific CMS programs and funds.
  • Analyze debt collection activity, commercial banking activities, and the financial operations of demonstration payment programs to determine compliance with existing debt management policies and regulations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply for this position.
  • You must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • You must meet all program, qualification and education requirements.
  • You will be subject to a background and suitability investigation.
  • You must sign a Pathways Participant Agreement before starting employment.
  • You will be required to report to the Woodlawn, MD office on a regular basis.

Qualifications

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: You must be ELIGIBLE and QUALIFIED in order to be referred to Hiring Managers.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Am I considered a Recent Graduate?


GPA Requirement: You must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the unweighted 4.0 scale upon completion of your academic degree or certificate program. (GPA 2.95 is rounded to 3.0 and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.)

To be eligible as a Recent Graduate:

  • Individuals who within the previous 2 years, completed a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Therefore, you must have completed your educational program no earlier than May 30, 2022. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which they completed their degrees (or certification). Therefore, veterans must have completed your educational program no earlier than May 30, 2018.
  • To verify your eligibility as a Recent Graduate, you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your possession of the required education. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); and (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major; AND (4) the date your Degree was conferred. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion at time of application will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position.
To be eligible as a Degree Candidate for Spring 2024:
  • Individuals who are degree candidates for this current semester/term, i.e. Spring 2024, scheduled to complete a qualifying Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, professional, vocational or technical degree or certificate program AND degree/certificate has not been conferred at time of application.
  • To verify your eligibility as a Degree Candidate for Spring 2024: you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your education completed to date. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); AND (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major. If referred and selected, you must submit an additional unofficial transcript that confirms the date your degree was conferred before an Official Offer can be made. Degree must be conferred by June 30, 2024. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position.
Note: For those applying as Degree Candidates for Spring 2024, you will be required to submit an additional transcript that confirms the above major or course requirements and the date your degree was conferred. Degree requirements must be completed during the Spring 2024 semester and the degree must be conferred by June 30, 2024. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Do I qualify at the GS-07 or GS-09 Grade Level?

In order to qualify for the GS-07, you must meet one of the following:
  • Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) inputting financial data into an automated financial system; 2) assisting with preparing accounting reports; AND 3) performing routine or limited reviews of financial information.
    - OR -
  • Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level by possessing at least one full year of graduate level education. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended - OR -
  • Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND one of the following provisions of superior academic achievement:
    • A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.
    • A grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in your major field of study, or those required courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study.
    • Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision.
    • Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. - OR -
  • Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements at the GS-07 grade level. The percentage of your total qualifying experience the education must equal to 100% to qualify for this grade.
In order to qualify for the GS-09, you must meet one of the following:
  • Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) performing account reconciliation activities; 2) examining accounting processes or systems in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; AND 3) verifying the accuracy of accounting data or transactions within an accounting database.
    - OR -
  • Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level by possessing a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. - OR -
  • Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-07 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-09 grade level. Therefore, only education in excess of one full year of graduate level education may be used to combine education and experience.
ALL TRANSCRIPTS are required at the time of application to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to substitution of education for experience and combination of experience and education. Please see "Required Documents" section below on what documentation is required.

Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12422669

Education

Continued from Qualifications Section:

NOTE: If you are using specialized experience to qualify for this position, your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration.

NOTE: A certificate program is defined as post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study (30 undergrad credits/18 grad school credits) that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, all candidates must have the following educational requirements:
- A bachelor's 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. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.)
- OR -
- A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.).
- OR -
- A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.)
- OR -
- A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND 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 related field, e.g.; valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two high 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. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT AND WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS CERTIFYING ACCOUNTING KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION.)

Additional information

Bargaining Unit Position: Yes-American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923
Tour of Duty: Flexible
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure: Not Required

**THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION**

Workplace Flexibility at CMS: This position has a regular and recurring reporting requirement to the CMS office listed in this announcement; however, CMS offers flexible working arrangements and allows employees the opportunity to participate in telework combined with alternative work schedules at the manager's discretion. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Supervisory positions must report a minimum 2 times per week and non-Supervisory positions must report a minimum of 2 times per pay period.

Salary Range by Grade:
GS-07: $55,924 - $72,703
GS-09: $68,405 - $88,926

For more information about pay based on locality, please visit the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Salaries & Wages Page.

Conversion Eligibility: Recent Graduates may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a career, career-conditional, or term appointment after successful completion of the Pathways Recent Graduate program. The position to which converted may have a full-performance level up to a GS-12.

NOTE - Full Performance Level (FPL): Employees selected for this position may be eligible for promotion up to the GS-11 level while in the Pathways Program and up to the GS-12 level after successful completion of the Program. There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Accountability
  • Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Recent Graduate candidates will meet the qualification requirement consistent with the OPM qualification standards applicable to the position being filled. Recent Graduate candidates who meet all requirements will be placed in one of the following categories based on category rating and selection procedures:
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements
If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

The category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of professional or scientific positions at the GS-09 level or higher). Veterans' preference applies to selections made under the Pathways authority in accordance with Part 302 of 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

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