Summary This Accountant position is located in the Finance department within the Manchester VA Healthcare system. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Responsibilities The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Conducts daily examination of various accounting transaction listings, cost reports, financial statements, project fund balances, and work orders to ascertain accuracy and completeness of data. Reviews and analyzes programs and procedures related to receiving, validating and recording accounting transactions affecting the asset, liability, expense and revenue accounts of supported activities. Evaluates General Ledger account balances; analyzes subsidiary ledgers for accuracy and integrity of data and performs necessary research to reconcile account balances. Directs the assignment of project and cost codes, accounting classification and file maintenance and provides information for transmitting data to appropriate office. Analyzes and reviews ADP maintenance listings and determines what additions, modifications, and deletions to data base are needed. Researches operating finance and accounting data interprets data and furnishes the data to various organizations to be used for guidance in establishing and programming costs and obligations for current and future operations. Performs liaison function between local operating elements and the finance office in such matters by gathering and interpreting pertinent data and deriving solutions day-to-day finance and accounting matters in accordance with accounting principles, policies and objectives of the accounting system. Develops, prepares, and revises regulations, information papers, etc., for project and revolving fund accounting control and reporting instructions. Prepares and implements supplemental accounting procedures, reports, and modifications to existing procedures as required by regulatory guidance and/or work situations. Assists in controlling financial operations by controlling obligations and/or expenditures within limitations established by appropriation, allotment, apportionment work allowance, and purposes authorized by public law. Manages summary cost accounts verifying validity and accuracy of accounting transactions and data. Recognizes significant account variances and assists higher level staff in the proper research and reconciliation of all accounting records. Determines proper work methods and develops work sheets and forms necessary to complete assignments. Applies a thorough knowledge of the total accounting system and of well-established accounting principles, techniques and regulations to process a wide variety of transactions. Recommends adaptations to guidelines and procedures to control transactions of an unusual or complex nature. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Compressed: May be available at Supervisory Discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD028640 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: This is a Bargaining Unit Position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. May be required to attend conferences at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Current employees must submit copies of their most recent SF50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (competitive or excepted). In some cases, more than one Sf-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.-This position is in the Competitive service. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/25/2024. Basic Education Requirement: Applicants who do not meet basic education requirement are ineligible for further consideration. 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 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 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. Additional Qualification Requirements - In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must also possess specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below to qualify for this position.You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ensuring efficient allocation of resources for assets through the entire lifecycle; Determining, formulating and recommending operating policies relative to the management of material; Planning and coordinating with fiscal, acquisition, clinical and administrative operations in the managing and integrating of supply chain operations; Overseeing the planning and coordination of periodic inspections, inventories and change of hand receipt accounts. In addition to the above, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-9 level. Must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-9 level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year of graduate education. (e.g., 1.5 years, or 27 credits, of graduate education leading towards a master's degree would substitute for 50% of the required experience.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accounting Operations Auditing Principles of Accounting Technical Competence 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary. No special physical demands are required.For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Agency Contact listed for this Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA).