Clarification from the agency

Applicant must be willing and eligible to become a member of the Iowa Army National Guard. Recruitment incentive $3,000 Eligibility: First appointment as a federal employee or a former federal employee with a break in service of 90 days or more.

As a FINANCIAL SERVICES TECHNICIAN, GS-0503-8 your duties are below.

1. Performs broad-in-depth financial analysis of inter-related accounting, logistics and computer file systems concerning pay, accounts payable, and various travel entitlements, using multiple procedures, processes and techniques to evaluate alternatives and arrive at decisions, conclusions and recommendations. Analyzes diverse financial management technical methods, techniques, precedent cases, and procedures to resolve an extensive range of difficult financial technical issues or problems.
2. Performs in-depth analysis, complicated pay, travel, and accounts payable issues involving substantial corrective action and/or complicated adjustments and resolves issues, including assessing unusual circumstances or conditions. Utilizes experience and judgment, rather than guides, to fill in gaps, identify sources of information, and make working suppositions about what transpired to decide approaches, and resolve specific problems. Develops variations in approaches to fit specific problems or deals with incomplete, unreliable or conflicting data in the process of work performance in order to validate transactions and resolve inconsistencies.
3. Analyzes particular facts of financial transaction problems/issues, verifies and evaluates data; obtains additional information to reconcile discrepancies or inconsistencies; and applies pertinent fiscal laws, regulations, precedent decisions, and procedures to determine appropriate action for resolution. Performs research regarding many different and unrelated processes and methods relating to financial transactions for analysis of complex and unusual financial transactions. Analyzes results, applies personal initiative and judgment to make recommendations, which may result in changing guidelines affecting internal, state, and National Guard Bureau (NGB) level processes and procedures.
4. Analyzes and resolves tax processing problems based on soldier inquiries or internal control audits/reviews, ranging from Permanent Change of Station (PCS) issues and combat tax exclusion pay to refunds of erroneous tax collections. Ensures complex tax issues involving tax documents, Do It Yourself (DITY) moves, and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) payments are accomplished accurately and timely.
5. Interprets data to identify problems, determines nature of the problem or issue, decides approaches to use to resolve issues, and recommends solutions for systemic changes to enhance operations. Uses independent judgment to reconstruct incomplete files, devise more efficient methods for procedural processing, gather and organize information for inquiries, or resolve problems referred by others. Interprets user requirements in designing new ad hoc reports or modifications to standard financial and management systems, resulting from regulatory, system, or force structure changes.
6. Researches, interprets, analyzes, and applies regulations, policies, procedures and legal decisions to work and/or resolve complex financial issues/problems. Uses public law; fiscal law; Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Army (DA), Forces Command (FORSCOM), NGB, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) regulations; Standing Operating Procedures; Comptroller General Decisions; and policies and issuances to execute the full range of financial and commercial services.
7. Performs or conducts research, investigates and solves problems involving reconciliations of discrepancies (Electronic Funds Transfer rejects, pay/personnel/travel mismatches) to identify, analyze and provide solutions regarding multiple entitlements, payments to personnel in various duty statuses and assorted payments to commercial vendors, including computation of interest due. Sorts complicated factual information and applies a variety of financial methods to resolve issues.
8. Performs complicated actions to solve problems associated with processing actions regarding multiple pay, travel, and accounts payable financial systems. Incumbent uses related financial regulations and rulings covering diverse types of transactions to function as the technical authority for resolving an extensive range of financial issues or problems.
9. Performs varied duties, involving financial services payment systems (travel, accounts payable, and pay; i.e. Joint Uniform Military Pay System Uniform Standard Terminal Input System (JUMPS), Operational Data Store (ODS), Standard Financial System ReDesign1 (SRD1), Defense Travel System (DTS), Integrated Automated Travel System (IATS), etc., by applying a series of different and unrelated methods, processes and techniques involving established financial management systems.
10. Performs other duties as assigned. D1986

Conditions of employment

NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED: This is an excepted position that requires military membership in a compatible military assignment in the Iowa Army National Guard. Selectee will be required to wear the military uniform. Acceptance of this excepted position constitutes concurrence with these requirements as a condition of employment.

APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 01/03/2025 . FAILURE TO PROVIDE COMPLETE INFORMATION MAY RESULT IN YOUR NOT RECEIVING CONSIDERATION FOR THIS POSITION. Please refer to the Qualifications and Evaluations Section of this Announcement to understand the qualification requirements, and the How to Apply Section for detailed instruction on applying.

SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: Employment is subject to attaining and maintaining a clearance as required by this position. If the selectee does not possess the applicable security clearance when hired, application must be made within 30 days of the start date. Failure to make application for the required security clearance will result in termination of employment.

Failure to complete prescribed courses may be cause for reassignment or termination of FTS.

This is a Financial Management Level Certified position IAW the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012, Public Law 112-81, Subtitle F-Financial Management, Section 1599d. Incumbent shall comply with the requirements of this certification program.

Certification Level 1: THIS IS A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Level 1 Certified position designated as such in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012, Public Law 112-81, Subtitle F-Financial Management, section 1051, amending 10 United States Code, section 1599d. Incumbent of this position is required to comply with all Department of Defense and Department of the Army requirements of this certification program. This certification requirement is a condition of employment for this position. Failure to obtain this certification within the required time may subject the incumbent to adverse action.

Qualifications

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address the minimum/specialized experience needed for the position in their resume will not be referred for consideration.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: GS-0503-8: Must have experience in the following:

1. Experience in basic finance program training or competencies that provided knowledge of financial principles and procedures.
2. Experienced in the identification of issues/problems involving the full range of financial services.
3. Experiences in providing analysis, validation, processing and correction of financial transactions.
4. Must understand the basic principles and concepts of the National Guard financial business program requirements.
5. Must have private or public finance program experiences, along with competencies, that provided knowledge of financial principles and procedures.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for this position:

1. Knowledge and skills of the procedures and techniques to conduct difficult and responsible analysis and determinations within a complete financial management system to validate transactions and to perform research to resolve inconsistencies.
2. Comprehensive knowledge of and skill in determining appropriate payments to vendors by applying Prompt Payment Act, tax law, contract law, account code structure, invoice processes, and Grants and Cooperative Agreement regulations.
3. Knowledge of fact finding, investigative and problem-solving techniques involving reconciliations of discrepancies (Electronic Funds Transfer rejects, pay/personnel/travel mismatches and pay timeliness) that identify, analyze and recommend solutions regarding financial services, multiple entitlements, and payments to personnel in various duty statuses and commercial vendors which may include computation of interest due.
4. Knowledge and skill in applying principles and practices involving data protected under the Privacy Act. Knowledge and skills regarding records management.
5. Knowledge and skill of auditing procedures in order to analyze the full range of pay, travel, and accounts payable pay authorizations and entitlements to determine compliance with multiple laws, regulations, policies and issuances.
6. Knowledge of the organizational structure, functions, policies, and processes of the state's National Guard, to include relationships to state entities under DSCA operations.
7. Knowledge of training techniques and program instruction regarding the full range of financial transactions. Knowledge and skill in providing quality and time sensitive customer service techniques.