Accountant
What you'd do
This position is located in the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Business Center (BC), Chief Financial Operations Office, Financial Management Division (FMD). This position serves as an Accountant and is responsible for providing leadership, evaluation and technical direction related to assigned programs or systems.
Major duties
Assists the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in setting Mission Area-level financial management priorities. Works with management, senior operating and subject matter experts in the development, maintenance, and enhancement of new and existing subsidiary ledger and reporting systems and policies. Provides guidance for all the varied financial operations and systems’ accounting processes to ensure the soundness of the internal control structure. Develops policy, accounting requirements, procedures, and system requirements necessary to support accurate and complete accounting and reporting for financial data to be properly supported and represented in the financial statements. Leads or actively participates in the development of policies and procedures for new systems and processes and/or major revisions to existing systems and processes. Maintains relationships and communication with financial system stakeholders and working with and providing expert advice to develop or enhance financial/accounting processes and systems. Collects and analyzes data and numerous sources of information to ensure changes are complete, applied and accomplished. Communicates and coordinates with the varied and many financial and business divisions and national offices of FPAC to develop, maintain, enhance and provide analysis on accounting policy. Develops and implements program improvements and briefs senior officials on program status. Determines adequacy and acceptability of accounting and financial reporting systems and prescribes and recommends, via oral and written communications, needed changes to top and senior management officials. Supports and drives General Ledger Integrity, Reporting, and Policy to achieve measurable results as denoted by Financial Management’s performance metrics.
What you need to qualify
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts. Basic Requirement: GS-0510: 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement For the GS-14 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: Providing professional accounting services to customers in the application of accounting theories, concepts, principles or standards to independently negotiate solutions for issues related to operational accounting and finance work; Independently applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to evaluate agency-wide financial programs; and Providing technical expertise for agency financial resource management systems. Education cannot be substituted for specialized experience at the GS-14 level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. You must meet this requirement by the closing date of this announcement.
Before you apply
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