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Accountant

Department of Agriculture
Agriculture, Office of the Chief Financial Officer
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Accountant positions are located in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Pegasys Financial Services in Kansas City, MO. The incumbents independently plan and perform a variety of work assignments/projects and analyze and/or evaluate program operations in areas such as accounting transactions, problems, reports, systems, and other related areas that can have an impact on the effectiveness of the Division meeting its goals and objectives.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/21/2019 to 09/04/2019
Salary
$42,391 to - $81,563 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Kansas City, MO
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel 1-2 times per year may be required to attend training and may include overnight stays up to one week.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
19-OCFO-PFS-903010-G-JV
Control number
543261000

Duties

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  • Create and submit reports from complex data systems.
  • Provide professional and technical assistance and/or advice to team members, program offices, client agencies and vendors.
  • Analyze abnormal balances and recommends and/or processes corrective adjustments.
  • Assist in the determination of required adjustments to accounting records and create proposed worksheet adjustments to financial statements.
  • Identify and document system processing issues and submit written summation to management.
  • Perform user acceptance testing on system enhancements.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or US National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134, all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Qualifications

Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the appropriate specialized experience requirements. To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. The following link provides more information on the qualifications for these positions: Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards.

You must possess the Basic Requirements indicated below, plus additional specialized experience and/or education to be considered eligible for this position. This position has a positive education requirement; therefore, a legible copy of your college transcripts is required to be attached to your application prior to the closing date of the announcement; applicants who fail to submit their transcripts will not be given credit for their education.

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; religious; 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.

Basic Requirements:
Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study 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 (this can include up to 6 hours in business law).
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 AND Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
OR
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 Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination;
OR
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, 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 for a degree; 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.

GS-07: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience or equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level; OR 1 year (18 semester hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Master's degree or higher that included coursework directly related to this position; OR a combination of graduate level education (more than 18 hours) and specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level) that is directly related to the position that together meets the qualification requirements for this position; OR Superior Academic Achievement. Click the following link to determine if you are eligible: Superior Academic Achievement (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=purpose)

Specialized experience for the GS-07 grade level is defined as experience working under the guidance of a supervisor or higher-level professional, following established policies and procedures in processing a variety of financial transactions into an automated financial/accounting system, ensuring data is entered correctly and researching and processing rejected actions.

GS-09: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level; OR a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level. The education must have been earned in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

Specialized experience for the GS-09 grade level is defined as experience following established policies and procedures in reviewing and processing a variety of financial transactions in an automated financial/accounting system including analyzing financial information for discrepancies and making corrective adjustments, creating and analyzing accounting systems reports for discrepancies and responding to a variety of customer inquiries on financial transactions.

GS-11: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level; OR 3 years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree; OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level) and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.).

Specialized experience for the GS-11 grade level is defined as experience adhering to established policies and procedures in reviewing and processing a variety of complex financial transactions in an automated financial/accounting system including analyzing financial information for discrepancies and making corrective adjustments, creating and analyzing accounting systems reports for discrepancies, reconciling general ledger accounts, and researching and responding to a wide range of customer inquiries on a variety of accounting topics.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See above for education requirements.

Additional information

  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
  • Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).
  • Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information.
  • This is a GS-0510-07/09/11 career ladder opportunity. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by Management. However, promotion is not guaranteed.
  • This position is eligible for telework.
  • This position is in the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) bargaining unit.

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 your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

  • Accounting
  • Problem Solving
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10579449

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