Clarification from the agency

MERIT PROMOTION (MP) VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT - Current Federal employees with competitive status; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses. Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement.

This position is located in the Office of Audit, Quality Assurance and Operations Directorate with the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General.

The Office of Audit performs complex audits of EPA programs that align with the EPA's top management challenges, and makes recommendations to combat fraud, waste and abuse and enhance efficiencies in achieving its mission of protecting human health and the environment. To further its mission, the Office of Audit also performs the following functions: Advises OIG personnel and others concerning program operations and audit approaches. Works with senior officials from the EPA; the Office of Management and Budget (0MB); other federal, state, and local offices; professional organizations and environmental organizations to further coordination, customer service and results. Prepares reports and delivers presentations on audit methods, findings and recommendations. Conducts research on and stays abreast of methods that can be used for audits.

Individuals with environmental science, environmental engineering, social sciences, public health science, or other sciences, accounting, business administration, finance, policy analysis, public policy, public administration, or related degrees are strongly encouraged to apply.

Individuals who are Certified Environmental Auditors, Certified Professional Environmental Auditors, or Certified Process Safety Auditors are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

The ideal candidate will perform the following duties:

• Serve as a Senior Auditor ensuring the integrity of the audit/evaluation products that are signed by the Inspector General and issued to Congressional members.
• Provide direction to OIG senior leadership and staff in maintaining and improving project quality and demonstrates personal leadership that inspires others and achieves results.
• Assist in the development of performance goals and measurements.
• Analyze quality assurance issues and trends. Recommending corrective actions as applicable.
• Serve as OIG national technical expert for assigned area of responsibility advising OIG personnel and others on auditing and evaluation standards.
• Provide resources, including guidance documents, audit and evaluation tools, and training courses to ensure compliance with standards, increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Conditions of employment

• Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
• EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.

Conditions of Employment 

• Background Investigation Required.
• Must meet education requirements. 

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Salary will be determined based upon location selected

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the tentative employment offer may be withdrawn.

If you are a male born after December 31, 1959 you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about e-verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.

This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for Financial Auditors and Attestation Auditors

1. Degree: accounting, auditing; or a degree including auditing courses 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.

   or

2. 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.

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: 

QUALIFICATIONS INFORMATION

You may qualify for the GS-14 grade level, if you possess at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level performing the following duties: 

1) Designing, implementing, and administering quality control and assurance activities for audit evaluation assignments;
2) Gathering and evaluating financial or programmatic data and presenting findings;
3) Preparing various reports and documents obtaining recommendations to improve internal controls and/or improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations to senior management officials; AND
4) Providing direction to senior leadership and staff in maintaining and improving project quality.

Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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. 

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. After the vacancy closes, we will review your application package to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your responses to the questionnaire, resume and supporting documentation will then be reviewed. Your resume must support your responses to the self-assessment questions or your score may be lowered. The best-qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited to an interview. 

ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 90.

Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, salary, duties performed for each position, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level/pay band.