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Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.  This position is located in in the Smithsonian Institution, Office of Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Under Secretary for Museum and Culture, Archives of American Art (AAA).

Overview

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Location
few vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Ad-Hoc
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$102,415 - $133,142 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Promotion potential
12
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-Time, Permanent
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent - Federal
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
25R-CW-314575-MPA-AAA
Control number
882995000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current Smithsonian Institution employees with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility only. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Duties

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Financial Specialist is responsible for planning and executing financial management studies that analyze administrative processes such as budgeting, finance, procurement, and property management.

In this position, you will:

  • Advise management officials and department heads on financial operations, budget execution, travel payments, and financial compliance requirements; research and resolve complex financial, travel issues, and provide recommendations consistent with applicable policies, procedures, and internal controls. Manage budgeting, accounting, and payment operations by monitoring obligations, expenditures, commitments, and available balances; processing and overseeing travel reimbursements, vendor invoices, and other financial transactions; performing reconciliations; analyzing spending trends and financial data; identifying discrepancies; and recommending corrective actions.
  • Assist with budgeting, accounting, and payment operations by monitoring obligations, expenditures, commitments, and available balances; reviewing and processing travel reimbursements, vendor invoices, and other financial transactions; performing reconciliations; analyzing spending trends and financial data; identifying discrepancies; and recommending corrective actions to support effective financial management and budget execution.
  • Coordinate procurement and acquisition-related financial activities in collaboration with Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR), program officials, and other stakeholders; compile procurement packages, obtain required vendor quotes and supporting documentation, verify the availability of funds, and ensure financial and administrative requirements are satisfied before obligations are established. 
  • Serve as the Accountable Property Officer (APO) and oversee the accountability and control of assigned personal property, including inventories, transfers, disposals, reconciliations, and resolution of discrepancies; assist with the management and coordination of facilities operations for the Washington, DC and New York City offices, including facility service requests, repairs and maintenance, space requirements, safety and security needs, building access, and other operational requirements; and coordinate with facilities personnel, vendors, contractors, and internal stakeholders to facilitate and track facility-related activities and requests.
  • Develop, prepare, and assist with financial reports, budget projections, reconciliations, statistical and trend analyses, and executive summaries to support management decision-making and financial performance monitoring; analyze financial data, identify trends and discrepancies, and recommend corrective actions; and assist with audit readiness, internal control reviews, audit findings and recommendations, corrective action plans, and process improvements to strengthen financial accountability, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

  • Assisting in the planning and execution of financial management studies analyzing administrative processes such as budgeting, finance, procurement, and property management.
  • Reviewing and reconciling internal reports from the financial management system to ensure accuracy and consistency.
  • Collaborating with other organizations to resolve accountability issues and provide financial management guidance.
  • Providing human resources management services, including personnel actions and time and attendance.


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, 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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Additional information

This position is included in the bargaining unit.  

Current or Former Political Appointees: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Office of Human Resources. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and,
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position.  However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  1. Knowledge of Congressional, OMB, OPMB, and programmatic budget processes, procedures and requirements to formulate, justify, and monitor the execution of appropriated and no appropriated accounts.
  2. Ability to analyze data from accounting systems (ERP) alongside cuff records to produce accurate financial reports and visual representations of data.
  3. Skill executing funds in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Smithsonian Institution contracting policies, practices, and procedures.
  4. Skill utilizing human resources management systems to enter and retrieve staffing data.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.


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Smithsonian Institution

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Agency contact information

Carla Whittaker
Phone
202-633-6426
TDD
202-633-6409
Fax
202-633-6401
Email
whittakercr@si.edu
Address
SMITHSONIAN
Office of Human Resources
POB 37012, 600 Maryland Avenue, MRC 517
Suite 5060
Washington, District of Columbia 20013-7012
United States

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