Duties

Summary

A successful candidate will serves as a Staff Accountant within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Financial Policy Team responsible for formulating and updating financial policy documents, including the Financial Management Handbook, Departmental directives, and regulations. The policy team develops, implements, maintains, and interprets Departmental accounting, budget, and financial policy including cost accounting, pricing of products and services.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Staff Accountant, you will:

• Serve as an accountant, providing advice and guidance covering a wide variety of financial policies and requirements based on discussions with senior team members, review, analyze, and interpret various financial documents and reports, and recommending solutions to major policy problems that impact financial operations.
• Coordinates with senior team members to provide financial policy advice to policy stakeholders, explains complex rules and regulations a manner that is understandable to non-financial personnel, works with team members to consult with the staff of other Federal agencies to gather information and to assure that the application of Federal accounting and financial policies by the Department is consistent with the practices and interpretation throughout the government.
• Interprets existing rules, regulations, and Doe policies to resolve issues and questions raised by the Department's management, integrated contractors, other Federal agencies, and representatives from the private sector who are affected by the Department policies and provides suggestions for solving identified issues; works with senior team members to recommend approaches to solving problems by giving consideration to the impact upon the offices which may be affected.
• Performs research to support team member in developing options and recommendations for the Director, Office of Financial Policy and Audit Resolution on Department policies, procedures, letters, memoranda, etc.
• Review federal accounting and financial policies to maintain current developments regarding assigned policy areas to cover specific accounting or financial management issues, including cash management, property, cost accounting, and administrative requirements identified by senior team members on the Departments financial policy.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.

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Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-9: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Assist in projects involving federal accounting and financial policies, supporting senior team members on specific aspects of major policy issues or works independently on policy issues that have a more limited impact or application; maintain current developments regarding assigned policy areas to cover specific accounting or financial management issues, assists staff of other federal agencies to gather information and to assure that the application of federal accounting and financial policies by the Department is consistent with practices and interpretation throughout the government.

OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree or combination of education and experience.

GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Responsible for assigned projects involving federal accounting and financial policies, supporting senior team members on specific aspects of major policy issues or works independently on policy issues that have a more limited impact or application; maintain current developments regarding assigned policy areas to cover specific accounting or financial management issues, including cash management, property, cost accounting, and administrative control of funds; provides financial policy advice to financial policy stakeholders; coordinates with senior team members to provide financial policy advice to management officials; translate complex rules and regulations, communicate the final result in an understandable manner to non-personnel; consults with the staffs of other federal agencies to gather information and to assure that the application of federal accounting and financial policies by the Department is consistent with practices and interpretation throughout the government.

OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or combination of education and experience.

Your application and resume should demonstrate that you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your application how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the KSAs identified below. Cite specific examples of employment or experience contained in your resume and describe how this experience has prepared you to successfully perform the duties of this position. DO NOT write "see resume" in your application!

Skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to assure managers that the application of Federal accounting and financial policies by the Department is consistent with the practices and interpretation throughout the government.

Knowledge and skills of Federal financial management requirements and procedures for budget formulation and execution and funds control.

Ability to gather and analyze information related to Federal financial management to plan and execute a variety of reviews and studies to solve accounting/financial problems.

Ability to develop and present complex ideas in a clear and concise manner in both oral and written communication.

Knowledge and skill to provide policy interpretation and direction regarding accounting systems and operations.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

CTAP/ICTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

A. 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.

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. 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.

Education Requirements:

The 0510 series has a positive education requirement. You must submit transcripts showing degree conferred and date issued.

Additional information

• The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets website.
• If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section.
• More than one selection may be made from this vacancy announcement.
• Some positions may require completion of a probationary period of up to 1 (one) year.
• Many positions require successful completion of a background investigation.
• All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register . If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government.

EEO Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/EEO_Policy_Statement
Reasonable Accommodation Policy: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Reasonable_Accommodation_Policy_Statement
Veterans Information: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Veterans_Information
Telework: www.telework.gov
Selective Service Registration: http://www.sss.gov/

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications necessary for this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

We will also verify that you are eligible for Merit Promotion positions by reviewing your previous Federal employment to ensure you meet Time-in-Grade requirements. If you are eligible to apply to Merit Promotion announcements based on Veteran or other non-competitive statuses, we will verify your supporting documentation prior to referral.

If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the definition of "well qualified" which is defined as having a score of 85 or better.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

Please carefully review the following list to determine what documentation you need to submit. Some documents may not apply to all applicants.
If you are unsure, click the link for each document type to read more.

ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a about what is expected in your resume." href="https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/How_to_create_your_resume" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resume supporting your specialized experience and responses to the online questionnaire.

• Your resume should list all work experience (paid and unpaid); you must list the full name and address of the each employer.
• For all types of work experience, you should indicate the start and end dates (include month, day, and year); you must also list the average number of hours per week that you worked.
• For paid work experience, please indicate your starting grade/salary for each position and the highest grade/salary you earned (if different).
• Your resume should also include any education and training you have completed (list the program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
• For more information about what to include in your resume, please view this USAJOBS Resume Tutorial video on YouTube.

Most DOE offices will allow you to submit a resume in the format of your choice (as an attached document or as a USAJOBS Resume Builder format). However, some offices may require one specific format. You will be notified at the time you click 'Apply Online' which type of resume is acceptable. It is important that you are complete and thorough in your resume. If any of the above information is not included in your resume, we may not be able to fully credit you for your experience.

Current and former Federal employees: Most recent SF-50 (Standard Form 50 - Notice of Personnel Action).

To properly verify status eligibility, your SF-50 must show the following. If you do not submit an appropriate SF-50, we cannot verify your status eligibility!

Full position title;

appointment type;

occupational series;

pay plan, grade, and step;

tenure code; and

service computation date (SCD).

If specific educational requirements are indicated for this vacancy: experience." href="https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Education" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Documentation verifying your educational claims which can include unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned and final grade. Please see the Education section for more information.

Veterans: authorities and the documentation you need to submit" href="http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">veteran eligibility documentation (DD-214 Member #4 Copy, VA Letter, Standard Form (SF) 15 as applicable). Please note: If you are a veteran who has not yet been discharged, you may provide a statement of intent to discharge from your agency to receive Veterans Preference under the VOW (Veterans Opportunity to Work) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

Persons with Disabilities: Individuals with intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities may apply for appointment through the Schedule A hiring authority. flexibilities for persons with disabilities" href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Certified verification of a disability from a licensed medical professional; a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or any Federal, state, or District of Columbia agency or U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits will be required.

Displaced Federal employees who qualify for CTAP/ICTAP: If you are a former Federal employee who was displaced due to a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) or surplused by some other means, please submit a copy of the separation letter or RIF notice from your agency. To be selected under I/CTAP, you must still be found well-qualified for this position. Please see the OPM Guide to Career Transition for more information.

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.