Clarification from the agency

Current federal civilian employees in the competitive service on permanent career or career-conditional appointments; Former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Current federal employees eligible under Interchange Agreements; and, Applicants eligible under special hiring authorities (Schedule A, etc.).

Fraud doesn’t stop, and neither do we. We’re the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General, an independent oversight office within ED charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness in ED programs. If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America’s students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you! We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more.

Often referred to as America’s watchdogs, it’s the OIG’s job to help ensure that the hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients.

The OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K–12 schools, and more. We also conduct criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials—any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding.

We tackle new and emerging issues head-on and continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities. We consistently expand our expertise by training and developing our staff. This dedication has enabled the OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime.

If you’re looking for a career rather than just a job and are interested in shaping the next generation of Americans tackling tomorrow’s challenges, consider joining our team.

Audit Services is responsible for all audit, inspection, and other activities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in ED programs and operations. To help facilitate its work and meet its functional requirements, Audit Services employs teams that are aligned to provide oversight of assigned functional areas. 

As a Financial Auditor at the GS-13 level in the Non-Federal Audit and Financial Statement Oversight Team, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

·       Review and/or provide oversight of others charged with reviewing—the work of independent auditors or audit organizations conducting non-Federal financial statement audits and financial-related audits to determine whether applicable standards and requirements were followed and whether there was appropriate support for the opinion expressed.

·       Review and/or provide oversight of others charged with reviewing—the work of independent auditors contracted to perform the annual ED financial statement audit to determine whether applicable standards and requirements, including contract requirements, were followed.

·       Independently provide accurate and timely audit technical assistance to non-Federal auditors, grant recipients, ED officials, and others, to include developing or assisting in updating audit guidance and presenting on related matters.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• May be required to complete a background clearance and fingerprint check.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;

• the needs and interests of the agency;

• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and

• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the vacancy questionnaire as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week.

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).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for Financial 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 meeting the Basic Requirement above, the incumbent must also meet the minimum qualification requirements below.

Minimum Qualification Requirements
You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-13, if you possess the specialized experience.

Specialized experience for the GS-13:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or equivalent public or private sector experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the three (3) following duties or work assignments below:

1. Knowledge of practices, methods, and techniques of accounting and auditing, including professional standards, and the ability to develop, modify, or adapt those methods and techniques, in order to perform reviews of audit documentation for non-Federal audits and Federal financial audits, provide technical assistance, and revise audit guidance.
2. Knowledge of government organizations, programs, activities, and functions, and of the laws, policies, regulations, and precedents governing audits of Federal agencies and non‑Federal entities receiving Federal funds.
3. Knowledge of participatory skills to work in a team environment and the ability to effectively communicate, both orally and writing, with officials at various organizational levels, within and external to the OIG and ED.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) 
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs):

1. Strong understanding of auditing and attestation standards, as well as auditing requirements found in the Single Audit Act, Uniform Guidance, Compliance Supplement, ED statutes and regulations, and OIG audit guides. 
2. Ability to work individually and on a team. 
3. Ability to provide constructive feedback to peers.
4. Strong understanding of auditing standards, as well as Federal financial auditing requirements found in OMB Bulletins, Treasury guidance, and GAO Financial Audit Manuals.
5. Ability to provide constructive feedback to peers.
6. Strong understanding of auditing and attestation standards, as well as auditing requirements found in the Single Audit Act, Uniform Guidance, Compliance Supplement, ED statutes and regulations, OIG audit guides, OMB Bulletins, Treasury guidance, and GAO Financial Audit Manuals. 
7. Ability to communicate technical advice effectively to various types of audiences.

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and vacancy questions, this position requires an online assessment.

Eligibility and Minimum Qualifications 

Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will review your submitted resume and documents to determine if you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, including any required education, experience, and/or selective placement factors. You will be rated as ineligible if you are outside of the area of consideration (i.e., who may apply) or your application is missing any required documents. You will be rated as not qualified if you do not possess the minimum qualification requirements. If you are found to meet both the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements, you application will be referred to a Subject Matter Expert (SME) Resume Review Panel.

SME Resume Review

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine whether you meet the required specialized experience and will assess the quality of your experience and the extent to which you possess the required KSAs by comparing your submitted resume and documents against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. (The vacancy questionnaire is the list of questions in the automated system that you will have an opportunity to answer once you apply for the position). 

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the vacancy questionnaire, and the result of the Monster Competency Based Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):  

Non-Supervisory: Oral Communications, Writing, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork, Technology Orientation, Customer Service, Attention to Detail and Self-Management.

Referral and Selection 

If you are found to be amongst the most highly qualified applicants, you will be referred to the selecting official. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview, check your references, and/or request that you submit a writing sample or complete a written assessment or exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position.