Clarification from the agency

See Requirements section of this announcement for information on who may apply. Please be advised that federal retired annuitant candidates may only be considered as a temporary employee if the role can be filled in that capacity.

As an Accountant, you will analyze the accounting accuracy of all financial data that is generated from the AOC's accounting system and provide accountability of all funds as well as assets and liabilities. 

Operational Accounting and Analysis

• Analyzing and reconciling general ledger accounts and accounting data to assess accounting data integrity.  
• Analyzing and accounting for the lifecycle of interagency agreements (IAAs) and related transactions.
• Performing general ledger account analyses, accounting for leases and property plant and equipment (PPE), Treasury reporting, and financial audit support.
• Analyzing supporting documents to ensure that the data included is internally consistent, and is accurately recorded in the financial system in accordance with all governing procedures for the reporting of such items.  In cases of inaccurate reporting, incumbent takes the necessary action to resolve any discrepancies.
• Reviewing accounting entries to determine the accuracy of the data recorded in the financial system.
• Reviewing and assessing the accounting impact of any changes to laws, regulations and financial management guidance to ensure that accounting processes are in compliance with overarching standards and guidelines.

Accounting Transaction Processing

• Processing accounting adjustments to general ledger accounts in the financial system to ensure that accounts reflect proper balances.
• Preparing and updating accounting entries to reflect AOC business actives such as billing and collections, acquisition and disposal of property, accruals, and other relevant accounting transactions.
• Preparing and posting non-recurring adjustments as needed to correct and reflect accurate general ledger account balances, as needed.

Financial Management and External Reporting

Provide support for maintaining efficient financial management processes and reporting AOC’s financial activities to external stakeholders. Such duties include, but are not limited to:

• Performing ongoing analysis to ensure that financial data is compliant with governing procedures and those transactions are accurately classified and presented in the financial reports. In cases of inaccurate reporting, taking the necessary action to resolve any discrepancies.
• Providing support for the preparation of the agency's audited financial statements.
• Assisting with the preparation of externally required financial reports, which include, but are not limited to external reports for submission to Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress.
• Working with management to propose or implement changes that promulgate efficient, compliant and well documented policies and procedures. Identifying and communicating impact of new regulations or financial management requirements on existing policies and procedures.

Financial Audit Support

• Working with external auditors on financial audits and reviews.
• Working collaboratively with auditors and colleagues to clarify and resolve audit issues.

**Duties quoted at GS-13 level; If selected at the GS-12, candidate will have non-competitive promotion potential to the GS-13.**

Conditions of employment

• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• You must meet the education requirement for Accountants
• You must meet the selective placement factor.

To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.  Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions.  It is available for your review on the OPM web site at OPM qualification standards

** All applicants must meet the following selective placement factor: 

• Skill using a financial management system to analyze financial and accounting data. 

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-11 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis: 

• Interpreting and applying accounting policies and procedures;
• Preparing or reviewing financial statements and other financial reports;
• Evaluating internal financial reporting controls and support auditor requests; 
• Analyzing, verifying, and reconciling fiscal transactions and/or records using a variety of accounting systems; and
• Preparing written communications to convey information related to accounting processes, policies and procedures for large scale organizations.

To qualify at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include the following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis: 

• Designing and performing accounting reconciliations in accordance with accounting policies and procedures;
• Establishing requirements, preparing and reviewing financial statements and other financial reports;
• Implementing internal controls over financial reporting controls and responding to auditor requests; and
• Applying professional accounting standards to recommend, interpret or develop accounting policies.

How you will be evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions. 

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

Accounting - Knowledge of traditional accounting practices including accrual, obligations, and costs methods.

Auditing - Knowledge of generally accepted auditing standards and procedures for conducting financial and compliance, economy and efficiency, and program audits.

Financial Analysis - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of financial analysis, forecasting, and modeling to interpret quantitative and qualitative data; includes data modeling, earned value management, and evaluating key financial indicators, trends, and historical data.

Financial Management - Prepares, justifies, and/or administers the budget for program areas; plans, administers, and monitors expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs and policies; assesses financial condition of an organization.

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).