Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. Due to the potential of a high volume of applicants, not all applicants may receive consideration. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The 'Rule of Many', Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

As a Financial Analyst, you will:

• Assist with the investigation of stakeholder complaints on trusts that are not in compliance with regulation, unpaid claims by trust providers, brokers/freight forwarders who fail to pay, and entities issuing trusts (financial institutions) and surety bonds (insurance companies). Develop procedures and processes for providers of surety bonds and trust fund agreements to notify FMCSA of any financial failure or insolvency of a broker or freight forwarder and initiate cancellation of the respective financial responsibility. Execute surety suspension/civil penalty procedures to suspend a surety/trust fund provider’s authority.
• Assist with conducting budget analysis and reconciliations for the Licensing & Insurance fee-based account on behalf of the Agency. This includes completing and evaluating the general ledger month and year-end procedures for the Licensing & Insurance fee-based account, including but not limited to journal entries, account reconciliation, adjustments, accounts receivable, credit and collection, and accruals that needs to be documented in a reconciliation spreadsheet.
• Supports the Self-Insurance Program, to include implementing a comprehensive Self Insurance Program for motor carriers that oversees the financial, operational, and economic soundness of corporate businesses in order to evaluate the accuracy and adequacy of statements concerning financial condition and business operations made by such businesses in connection with FMCSA self-insurance eligibility. 
• Analyze applications to enroll in the Self Insurance program, as well as requests to modify existing self-insurance authorizations. Review, analyze and audit a company’s financial statements and claims data to determine their ability to self-insure and ability pay their own claims on a quarterly and annual basis. This includes conducting a comprehensive evaluation of corporation finances and financial management operations and practices of commercial or other corporate organizations. Assist in determining if Collateral Coverages are adequate and if a company’s self-insured claims liabilities are secured by its letter of credit or trust fund.
• Assist with evaluating ATNW (Adjusted Tangible Net Worth)/Claims ratio that measures how much the company’s or its guarantor's net assets back up the total self-insured claims liabilities of the company. Review applications from States, cities, towns, and other municipalities to self- insure motor carriers that want to operate under their Risk Pools, including the risk pool’s financial condition, claims exposure, and continuous claims handling practices.
• Assist with program oversight and management of the Designation of Process Agents (Form BOC-3) process. This includes developing and implementing a Designation of Process Agents (Form BOC-3) program  that meets regulatory guidelines, that is operationally effective and efficient, and that supports the FMCSA mission.

The ideal candidate is a mid-career transportation professional capable of providing effective customer service support to motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, cargo tank facilities, intermodal equipment providers, insurance companies, financial institutions, process agents and members of the general public regarding their registration with FMCSA. Applicants must possess effective oral and written skills, research skills, and be capable of paying attention to details involved in the reviewing, analyzing, and processing of applications.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
• Direct Hire Authority/SME will be used to fill this position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

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

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the Grade 11 on experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:

• Experience using public (not government) accounting principles and Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP) in evaluating the financial health of a commercial company.
• Experience in 1 or more of the following functions: Analyzing cash flow, insurance claims, adjusted tangible net worth, liabilities, financial statements.
• Experience with assisting in providing oversight, guidance, and/or analysis of financial institutions that issue trust fund agreements and/or Insurance Companies that issue surety bonds or commercial insurance policies; and/or analyzing financial statements and preparing financial recommendations

To qualify for the Grade 11 on Education alone, you must have 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience using accounting principles and Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP) in evaluating the financial health of a commercial company.
• Experience in 2 or more of the following functions: Analyzing cash flow, insurance claims, adjusted tangible net worth, liabilities, financial statements.
• Experience in providing oversight, guidance, and/or analysis of financial institutions that issue trust fund agreements and/or Insurance Companies that issue surety bonds or commercial insurance policies; and/or analyzing financial statements and preparing financial recommendations

You cannot qualify on education alone at the Grade 12; you must have experience. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs):  Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Principles of Accounting - Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, standards, and practices (for example, double entry accounting, accrual accounting), including the full accounting cycle and the preparation of work sheets, financial statements, ledgers, and journals.
2. Information Management - Identifies a need for and knows where or how to gather information; organizes and maintains information or information management systems.
3. Manages and Organizes Information - Identifies a need; gathers, organizes, and maintains information; determines its importance and accuracy and communicates it by a variety of methods.
4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgement to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. 
5. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

For all types of 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, 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.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully. Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.  

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.