Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Labor's (DOL), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE), Strategy and Administration (S&A) Office, Cost & Price Determination Division.

-This position is inside the bargaining unit

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties may include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Serves as a senior accountant providing key input into policy development and or implementation at the agency headquarters level and serves as a key advisor to management in the area of indirect cost negotiations.
• Develops appropriate cost methodologies to recognize, determine, accumulate, and report costs of activities on a regular basis for management information purposes. Reviews legislation and regulations to interpret for users and develops regulations and guidelines for program users.
• Conducts complex pre-award reviews of direct and indirect costs proposed by prospective contractors. Prepares a written report for the Contracting Officer to use in contract negotiations and as requested, discusses and negotiates questionable estimated costs directly with the prospective contractor at contractor negotiations.
• Develops and maintains a variety of personnel contacts with high levels DOL officials, State and Local and private agencies, and other institutions to discuss cost elements and to provide guidance and assistance in the implementation costs policies, guides and procedures related to indirect cost function.
• Participates with DOL program and fiscal personnel in the development of policies, guides, procedures and standards governing all aspects of the indirect cost negotiation for department-wide application.
• Manages and or accomplishes the most complex negotiations which involve extremely difficult or controversial issues that require highly specialized experience or broad policy interpretation of indirect cost rates/cost allocation plans for use by State and local governments, commercial and non-profit organizations on Federal grants and contracts.
• Develops and presents training programs on cost principles, indirect costs and other related areas grantee/contractors, DOL staff, state agencies and other connected parties. Training includes lecturing at workshops and seminars sponsored by DOL and other organizations, as well as individual technical assistance on-site visits with grantees/contractors.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14 - This position is at the full promotion level (FPL).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain the Moderate Risk/investigation level.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Basic Requirement

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. (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. 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; 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 1; 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.

Specialized Experience

In addition, applicants must also have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service. This experience must have equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Specialized experience is defined as experience in performing indirect cost proposals and pre-award cost reviews using accounting and financial data in compliance with the applicable Federal cost principles.

YOUR APPLICATION MUST INCLUDE EVIDENCE OR DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor's Telework Program.

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Additional selections may be made if authorized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Categories

Category A (Best Qualified) - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B (Well Qualified) - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C (Qualified) - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualifications requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Cost Accounting - Knowledge of the principles, procedures, and methods of cost accounting, including the use of historical cost, market value, or present value to measure cost; methods for assigning cost to accounting periods; and cost allocation, cost accrual, depreciation, and unit cost.

Cost Estimation and Analysis - Knowledge of the principles, practices, and methods used to determine, estimate, and analyze costs, including determining life cycle costs, application of cost models, and evaluation of cost realism.

Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Leadership - Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

Negotiation - Works with others towards an agreement that may involve exchanging specific resources or resolving differences.

Teaching Others - Helps others earn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job, advises others on technical issues.

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered "well-qualified." Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The information you provide on your resume may be verified by a review of your work experience, employment start/end dates/hours worked and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the vacancy questions. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume. Your evaluation may also include a review by a Human Resources Specialist or panel and may include other assessments (ex. interview, panel review, written test, writing sample, etc.)

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

- Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions, and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD214. Your DD-214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; and the proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty ). Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference. For more information, go to http://www.fedshirevets.gov/hire/hrp/vetguide/index.aspx

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted. Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.
You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

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.