This position is located within the Office of Audit.
This position serves as an entry-level Auditor in a work unit under the direction of Assistant Inspector General for Audit (AIGA). The AIGA is responsible for all audits of the USDA and its worldwide operations and programs, and for the management of staff of approximately 300 auditors, information technology specialists, and administrative support personnel.
Summary
This position is located within the Office of Audit.
This position serves as an entry-level Auditor in a work unit under the direction of Assistant Inspector General for Audit (AIGA). The AIGA is responsible for all audits of the USDA and its worldwide operations and programs, and for the management of staff of approximately 300 auditors, information technology specialists, and administrative support personnel.
Recent graduate who has, within the previous two years, completed a qualifying Associate's, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate, professional, vocational or technical degree or certificate program. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree due to military service obligation have up to six years after degree completion to apply.
Works as a member of a team to perform a variety of technical auditing engagements that are structured to provide the incumbent with experience in the application of auditing principles, procedures, and techniques.
Conducts research and gathers information through observation, interview, record review, and other available sources (i.e. applicable laws, directives, manuals etc.).
Tests and analyzes data to verify that it is complete, applicable, and sufficient to meet objectives of the audit test procedure or the audit engagement in general. Summarizes data to identify patterns, trends, recurrences and prevalences.
Applies sound auditor judgment and develops findings that are supported by evidence and makes recommendations for corrective action(s) that are viable.
Identifies and reports any unusual or questionable accounting or program practices, procedures, or operations.
Prepares clear and concise audit documentation, audit products, and other written/electronic products, and assists the lead auditor in writing segments of draft and final audit reports.
Effectively plans and prioritizes individual workday to remain actively engaged and works to meet task assignment completion timeframes.
This includes planning and prioritizing individual work in relation to other engagement team members and work unit colleagues to foster a productive group/team environment.
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/
Public Financial Disclosure Required (OGE 450)
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Must sign a Pathways Program Participant Agreement.
Qualifications
In order to meet basic eligibility requirements for the Excepted Service Pathways Recent Graduates appointment, applicants must meet the definition of a "Recent Graduate" at the time of application. Recent Graduate means an individual must, within the previous two years (except for eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree or certificate completion to apply), have completed a degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Qualifying degrees include an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree.
NOTE: Students who will be graduating in May 2023 are eligible to apply for Recent Graduate positions. However, candidates cannot be appointed to a Recent Graduate position until proof of graduation on an official transcript is provided.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following requirements.
You must first meet recent graduate program eligibility to be considered for this position. You may then qualify for the position based on education, experience or a combination of both as detailed below. The following requirements must be met prior to appointment/enter on duty date.
BASIC REQUIREMENT:
This position has a positive education requirement. You must verify completion of the qualification requirements listed below by submitting a copy of your transcripts and/or certifications.
A. 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 in business law.
OR
B. 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:
Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
A certificate as a 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 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 MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENT ABOVE, APPLICANTS MUST ALSO MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATION FOR THE SELECTED GRADE(S) BELOW.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-07:
Specialized Experience for GS-07: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service, or the equivalent to in the private sector which includes: Working as a trainee accountant or auditor performing basic audit and/or accounting tasks or duties, or shadowing a coworker in the examination of routine financial documents, files, or casework.
Substitution of Education for Specialized Experience:
GS-07: One full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the competencies of the position.
OR
Equivalent Combination of Education and Experience: To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement: Applicants who meet the criteria for S.A.A. as evidenced by one of the following three methods: in the upper third of their graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses; OR have a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two (2) years of the curriculum, or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the applicants major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two (2) years of the curriculum; OR the applicant is a member in one of the national scholastic honor societies.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-09:
Specialized Experience for GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service, or the equivalent to in the private sector which includes: Performing audit steps and tasks of limited difficulty and complexity such as conducting evaluations, examinations, or other fact-finding studies and preparing draft audit reports using a practical application of auditing standards, procedures, and technology. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience and unpaid internships.
Substitution of Education for Specialized Experience:
GS-09: A Masters 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. with major study in accounting, auditing, or related discipline may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.
To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
EDUCATION STATEMENT - Individual Occupational Requirement: This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your unofficial college transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement.
Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to beginning employment. Most colleges and universities offer unofficial transcripts online - please check your school website to obtain a copy quickly.
All academic degrees or course work must be completed in an educational institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.edu.gov/.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.
Additional information
Recent Graduate appointments are intended to last for 1 year. Recent Graduates who satisfactorily complete all the USDA Recent Graduates Program requirements may be non-competitively converted to a Term or Permanent appointment in the competitive service. Conversion is not guaranteed. Recent Graduates converted to Term appointments may later be non-competitively converted to a Permanent competitive service position.
Upon successful completion of the Recent Graduate Program requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.205 (qualifications, one year continuous work experience, satisfactory performance, mandatory training completion, etc.) you may be non-competitively converted to a term, career conditional or career appointment within 120 days to an:
Auditor, GS-0511-07/09/11/12 career ladder position. The full performance level (FPL) of the position to which converted may be up to the GS-12 level.
NOTE: An agency is not required to convert any individual in a Pathways position, to a position in the competitive service, whether upon completion of degree requirements or otherwise. Conversion to a competitive service position is not an entitlement.
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.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures and USDA policy using category rating. Applicants who meet basic minimum qualifications will be placed in one of two or three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Category placement will be determined based on applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:
Auditing
Problem Solving
Written Communication
Teamwork
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. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
Education is required. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions.If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS .
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Office of the Inspector General
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
Education is required. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions.If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment.Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSHIREVETS .
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Office of the Inspector General
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20250
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
