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Accountant

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Nov 7, 2020

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Duties

Summary

Pathways Recent Graduates Program affords developmental experiences in the Federal Government intended to promote possible careers in the civil service to individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs. Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a civil service career in the Federal Government.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-12. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position. As an Accountant, you will:
  • Perform accounting, analysis, and reporting to maintain financial integrity. Ensure financial activities are accomplished in a manner consistent with applicable statutes, accounting standards, regulations, and other central government agency guidance; and validates the accuracy of financial reports.
  • Analyze and interpret accounting data and financial activities to determine compliance and appropriate application of Federal Accounting Standards and related financial management guidance.
  • Perform data analysis, reconciliations, trend analysis, and status reports to improve financial information and reporting. Conduct systematic examinations of financial records, transactions, reports, and system inputs and outputs in order to assess the effectiveness of financial management operations and controls.
  • Perform studies, evaluations, and analyses to develop and implement solutions that resolve accounting issues that support accurate, reliable and consistent financial information, establish sound internal controls, and result in a clean audit opinion on the Agencies Financial Statements.


Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals


Pathways Recent Graduates Program Requirements:
If selected, you must:
  • Adhere to the Recent Graduates Program requirements.
  • Adhere to an established work schedule.
  • Perform, successfully, the assigned duties listed in your position description.
  • Participate in Department training classes or programs.
  • Create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) with assistance from your manager.
  • Select a mentor within 90 days of your date of hire.
  • Attend regularly scheduled meetings with mentor.
  • Must sign Pathways Participant Agreement.

  • Following the completion of program requirements, selectees may be considered for non-competitive conversion to a career-conditional or term appointment. All conversion requirements will be identified in the Participant Agreement. Program requirements include but are not limited to:
    • Successful completion of at least 1-year of continuous service;
    • Demonstration of successful job performance;
    • Completion of at least 40 hours of interactive training; and
    • Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Recent Graduate may be converted.

    See additional "Conditions of Employment" noted below.

    The official duty station for this position will be in Washington, DC. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

    This position is located in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Financial Management (OFM). The mission of the OCFO is to lead the Department's Headquarters and Field office officials towards the understanding and practice of sound financial management in program development and operations, and in the stewardship of public resources.

    Qualifications

    You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing of this announcement.

    Specialized Experience:

    GS-09: Specialized experience is 1 year of experience at the GS-07 level or equivalent, which has equipped the candidate with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position successfully. Specialized experience includes:
    • Operating, maintaining or monitoring automated accounting systems; AND
    • Preparing reconciliations and reports; AND
    • Researching and analyzing accounting documents; AND
    • Interpreting and applying accounting policies and procedures.

    OR EDUCATION: 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree

    OR COMBINATION: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the educational requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.

    GS-07: Specialized experience is 1 year of experience at the GS-05 level or equivalent, which has equipped the candidate with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position successfully. Specialized experience includes:
    • Operating, maintaining, or monitoring automated accounting systems; AND
    • Preparing reconciliations, reports or audits.

    OR EDUCATION: 1 year of graduate-level education.

    OR SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Superior Academic Achievement based on a Bachelors degree that is demonstrated through class standing (upper 1/3 of class), grade point average (3.0/4.0 overall or 3.5/4.0 in major), or election to membership in a qualifying national scholastic honor society.

    OR COMBINATION: You may qualify on a combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent.


    Experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or 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/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

    Education

    Basic Education 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 oneof the following:
    • Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
    • A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
    • 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.

    Pathways Recent Graduates Program Education Requirement:

    To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduates Program, you must have within the previous two years, completed a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution; educational institutions must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Education.

    Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years from the date they completed their degrees or certification. You MUST submit a copy of DD-214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to a military service obligation.

    Education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.

    Additional information

    • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
    • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
    • This is a bargaining unit position.
    • This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
    • Recruitment incentives may be offered.
    • HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.

    HUD may convert a Pathways Recent Graduate non-competitively to term or permanent positions in the competitive service. The target position upon conversion is an Accountant with a full performance level of a GS-12. However, conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed. Recent Graduates must be U.S. citizens and meet the following requirements to be eligible for conversion:
  • Complete at least one year of continuous service;
  • Demonstrate fully successful job performance consistent with the applicable performance appraisal program;
  • Meet the OPM Qualification Standards for the competitive service position to which she or he will be converted;
  • Meet any other agency-specific requirements outlined in her or his Participant Agreement; and
  • Receive a recommendation for conversion from her or his first-level supervisor.

  • CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
    • Subject to a one year trial period.
    • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
    • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
    • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
    • 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.
    • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.

    HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics .

    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 résumé, 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: Education and Training, Specialized Experience, Systems and Technology, Business Acumen, Analytical, and Communication.

    Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference eligibles will be considered before non-preference-eligibles.

    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.

    To preview questions please click here .

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance
    Not Required

    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).

    All applicants are required to submit a resume either by 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/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips .

    FOR QUALIFICATION: If you are qualifying based on education, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion.

    FOR ELIGIBILITY: You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses showing title, number of credits, and grade from an accredited college or university verifying proof of degree.

    VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide .

    Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years from the date they completed their degrees or certification. You MUST submit a copy of DD-214 showing the duration and dates of service that precluded you from applying due to a military service obligation.

    For more information on veterans' preference refer to www.fedshirevets.gov .

    EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: Transcripts are required at the time of application submission for Pathways Recent Graduates position. For positions with a specific education requirement, submitted transcripts must also meet the specified education requirements. Official transcript(s) will be required if you are selected.

    All applicants are REQUIRED to submit all undergraduate and graduate college transcripts, including transcripts from transfer schools no later than the date indicated in the announcement. Transcripts may be unofficial at the time of application but MUST show graduation/confer date.

    A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

    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.

    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.

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