Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 50 in the order they applied.

Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed.

This announcement is non bargaining unit.

Major Duties:

• Monitor and analyze financial data and reports to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with accounting standards.
• Reconcile accounts, research transactions, and resolve discrepancies to support financial statements and management reports.
• Support, plan, or lead internal control reviews of financial reporting, operations, or systems, including documenting findings and test results under federal frameworks, including OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A.
• Identify risks, inefficiencies, or control weaknesses and recommend corrective actions.
• Prepare documentation and analyses, including narratives, flowcharts, working papers, and testing results.
• Advise management on internal control requirements, compliance issues, and best practices in financial management.
• Provide oversight or guidance for financial processes, systems, and reporting to ensure controls are effective and accurate.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework (Adhoc only).
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD00103A, PD00102A, and PD00101A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of lightweight items. Some travel may be required.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period (OR INSERT "2-year 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 INSERT "trial period"), your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/29/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.
• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

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 of credit in business law. (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.")

OR

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.

AND

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Analyzing financial data and reports for accuracy and compliance.
• Written communication skills, with experience developing structured reports, process narratives, and/or findings summaries.
• Supporting internal control reviews and/or audits, including documentation and testing of financial processes.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively high level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree;

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Masters Degree or Master's or Equivalent Graduate Degree.

GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Planning and conducting internal control reviews under OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A, or similar internal control frameworks.
• Identifying risks or control gaps and recommending corrective actions.
• Documenting controls and evaluations with narratives, flowcharts, and test procedures.

GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Leading and conducting complex internal control evaluations and risk-based audits/reviews under OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A, or similar internal control frameworks.
• Developing written products that assess the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls, including analyzing deficiencies and recommending improvements.
• Advising management on internal control requirements, compliance, and financial standards.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Demonstrates experience analyzing financial data, reconciling accounts, and resolving discrepancies to support accurate financial reporting.
• Demonstrates experience planning, conducting, or leading internal control reviews, including identifying risks, documenting findings, and recommending corrective actions under federal frameworks (e.g., OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A).
• Demonstrates ability to advise management on internal control requirements, compliance, and financial management processes to strengthen internal controls and improve efficiency.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accountability
• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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; religions; 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.