Duties

Summary

As an Accountant/Senior Policy Accountant, you will provide expert accounting guidance, education and support to meet the overall mission of the agency, analyze complex accounting practices and evaluate compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Bank Supervision Policy / Chief Accountant Office

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Accountant/Senior Policy Accountant, you will:

• Serves as a senior staff member in the OCA responsible for formulating, interpreting, advising and training on accounting policy and reporting standards for national banks and/or thrifts. Conducts research of accounting rules, regulations standards, publications and practices and banking regulation to provide comprehensive interpretation and responses to complex accounting issues. Studies and interprets current GAAP and identifies appropriate solutions to complex accounting and reporting issues raised by examiners, banks and thrifts, and the accounting profession. Analyzes specific bank and thrift accounting practices for compliance with GAAP and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Works with and coordinates policy revisions and development with staffs of the accounting standard-setters, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and representatives of the other regulatory agencies (i.e., FDIC, Federal Reserve Board), as appropriate. Serves as an expert accounting resource and provides authoritative interpretations of accounting guidance and standards.
• As an OCC representative, conducts outreach to the banking industry by attending, presenting, training and participating as panel members at bank industry conferences, annual and quarterly meetings and presentations with banks, thrifts and public accountants.
• Develops possible policy responses and presents recommendations, action plans and/or strategies for implementing policy response options to OCC senior management.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Up to 25% travel is required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
06

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
• Complete a background investigation (unless already completed).
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9 . Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Travel occasionally.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• File an OCC Financial Disclosure Form.

Click here for important information about OCC ethics standards, such as the requirement that new hires divest their bank securities.

Successfully complete a background investigation that includes criminal history, financial history (including a credit check) and other information.

Qualifications

In order for your application to be considered, you must meet the following requirements within 60 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. A degree in 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

B. 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. Your background must also include one of the following:

a) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; or

b) A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or

c) 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

In addition to meeting the BASIC REQUIREMENTS above, you must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the next lower level in the Federal service. You must have specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level, NB-V or NB-V.2 (GS-11 equivalent). Examples of specialized experience for this position includes:

• Experience analyzing bank or financial institution accounting practices to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., GAAP); and
• Experience interpreting and advising on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) relating to financial institutions; and
• Experience analyzing and developing accounting policies for banks or financial institutions.

(*Financial institution includes organizations under the jurisdiction of the FFIEC or its member agencies. This includes organizations that provide financial services (i.e., lending, deposit taking, investing, insurance, payment services, etc.) to consumers and businesses. Examples of financial institutions include: banks, thrifts, credit unions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, specialty lenders, investment companies, and government sponsored entities, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.)

The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector, or through volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis.

To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Education

Please see Qualifications section for education.

Additional information

• Salary range includes 20% geographical pay.
• One or more positions may be filled in any of the locations specified above.
• If you are a current OCC employee who previously received a waiver determination permitting you to retain bank securities due to extenuating circumstances, please note that this determination may be rescinded if the nature of your duties changes. We strongly suggest that you discuss the potential implications of any change in duties on a prior securities determination with your ethics official.
• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more positions.
• Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information and instructions.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
• Click "Print" to review the entire announcement before applying.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating:

Your application will be evaluated in the following areas:

• Accounting Policy and Principles Knowledge
• Accounting Policy Analysis
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories (Outstanding, Excellent, or Qualified) depending on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference eligibles in that category.

Referral : If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) , you must be rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well-qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must be assigned to the Outstanding or Excellent category.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A complete application includes: 1) A resume, 2) vacancy question responses, and 3) submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

RESUME: All applicants are required to submit a resume by either creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please review Resume Tips .

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing actual or expected dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15 , along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form.

For more information on veterans' preference view FedsHireVets .

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) or INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions .

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS: In addition, you may submit the following:
- Cover letter
- Recent performance evaluation (be sure to redact/remove all sensitive information prior to submitting)

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.