Duties

Summary

This announcement will produce certificates of qualified applicants who will be referred for employment consideration based on the hiring needs of agencies across the Federal government. Individual agencies may have additional requirements prior to the selectee being brought onboard and/or as conditions of employment after the selectee is brought onboard (e.g., financial management certification).

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Accountant, your typical work assignments might include:

• Performing aspects of the accounting function, including review, research, and reconciliation;
• Preparing and inputting accounting data into a financial system;
• Preparing and formulating internal and external accounting reports;
• Reconciling cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other general ledger accounts;
• Analyzing and correcting all differences between the subsidiary ledger balances and the control account balances in the general ledger;
• Providing accounting information and guidance to program officials;
• Providing advice and guidance to agencies and other customers on financial matters relating to the customer's particular issue(s); and/or
• Preparing, reviewing, and analyzing internal and external financial statements and reports.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Varies - Some positions may require travel.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None - Some positions may have promotion potential to higher grade levels.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USA Hire assessment.
• Travel and security clearance requirements will vary depending on the position being filled. A Public Trust--Background Investigation may be required.
• Some positions may require a pre-employment drug test and/or random drug testing during the period of employment.

This is a Recent Graduates position in the Pathways Program. To be eligible for this position, you must be a recent graduate from a qualifying associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate program from a qualifying educational institution within two years of the closing date of this announcement. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.

This program provides entry-level developmental experience with the potential to lead to a career in the Federal government. More information about the Recent Graduates Program can be found here: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/students/

NOTE: A qualifying educational institution means: (1) A public high school whose curriculum has been approved by a State or local governing body, a private high school that provides secondary education as determined under State law, or a homeschool that is allowed to operate in a State; and (2) Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education: (i) A technical or vocational school; (ii) A 2-year or 4-year college or university; (iii) A graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or (iv) A post-secondary homeschool curriculum.

This announcement will be used for vacancies at various Federal agencies. If agency-specific requirements apply, you will be notified by the individual agency after you are referred for consideration.

Qualifications

Basic Requirement :
A. Degree : Bachelor's or higher 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 of business law. (The term "accounting" means accounting and/or auditing for this occupational series. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor".) OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience : At least four years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge with a background that also includes one of the following:

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

Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), 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 above, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering of 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 above; 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.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, applicants must also meet the appropriate Minimum Qualifications requirement below for the grade level(s) to which they are applying.

Minimum Qualifications :

To qualify for the GS-07 level, you must meet one of the following:
A. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) : To qualify for SAA, you must have completed all requirements for a bachelor's degree in one of the fields identified in the Basic Requirement above and meet one of the following:

A grade point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;

A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in the applicant's major field of study, or those courses in the applicant's major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study;

Rank in the upper one-third of the applicant's class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or

Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. OR

B. Graduate Education : One full year of graduate education in accounting or other directly related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR
C. Specialized Experience : At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service, including the following:

Assisting with the planning and development of financial statements, cost analyses, estimates, and/or studies in support of accounting and financial management programs;

Preparing accounting reports, statements, and data which point out trends; and

Assisting with the implementation of solutions for accounting and operational problems. OR

D. Combination of Graduate Education and Experience : Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet qualification requirements. To compute, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your graduate education as a percentage of the graduate education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

To qualify for the GS-09 level, you must meet one of the following:
A. Graduate Education : Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in accounting or other directly related field. OR
B. Specialized Experience : At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service, including the following:

Assisting senior accountants in determining the results of accounting analyses;

Developing financial statements, cost analyses, estimates, and/or studies in support of accounting and financial management programs; and

Assisting in formulating recommendations on the direction and guidance of an organization's financial management programs. OR

C. Combination of Graduate Education and Experience : Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet qualification requirements. To compute, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your graduate education as a percentage of the graduate education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of 1 year may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-09 grade level.

To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following:
A. Graduate Education : Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in accounting or other directly related degree. OR
B. Specialized Experience : At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service, including the following:

Performing analytical studies on complex problems using analysis techniques such as operations research, simulation, modeling, and statistical analysis;

Determining the results of accounting analyses for use in the operation and administration of an accounting program; and

Reviewing activities involving the analysis of accounting records. OR

C. Combination of Graduate Education and Experience : Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet qualification requirements. To compute, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your graduate education as a percentage of the graduate education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Only graduate education in excess of 2 years may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-11 grade level.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Education

One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study.

Foreign Education : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests : If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (i.e., resume and supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position.

All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified. Names of all candidates in the Best Qualified category will be sent to the hiring officials for employment consideration (unless a sufficient number of qualified veterans are found - in which case, only those names will be initially certified).

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Arithmetic
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but applies veterans' preference in a different way, specified by statute, by placing preference eligibles ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet all of the qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). An appointing official may not pass over a preference eligible in the same quality category without following the pass-over procedures set out in the applicable statute.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed under each position held.
2. Other supporting documents:

• Copies of your transcripts or an appropriate course listing that shows how you meet the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualifications of the position. The transcripts may be unofficial or photocopy at time of application, but you will be required to provide official transcripts if selected.
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here . ( https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire )

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.