Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 (VISN 6), at the Salisbury VA Medical Center (VAMC), in Salisbury, North Carolina, within the Accounting Section of the Fiscal Service. The incumbent is responsible for a wide variety of accounting functions, as well as, assisting with budget tracking and travel. Responsibilities Reviews a variety of transactions for completeness and accuracy Reviews and interprets all new and updated written policies affecting local accounting operations and assists with the implementation of local changes Utilizes sound judgement when implementing local accounting related procedural changes Performs financial assistance including analyzing reports, reconciling out of balances, and answering standard accounting inquiries for internal operating programs such as 1358 and Purchase Card regulations, running balance training, and cost center and budget object code guidance Updates local accounting procedures and resolves common technical problems for standard accounting transactions Monitors and controls accounts by timely recording, balancing, and scrutinizing for inaccurate accounts Reconciles accounts with manual and computer subsidiary accounts Analyzes and reviews station assigned reports to ensure that they are in balance, in proper format and the accounting data is valid and adheres to prescribed accounting principles Identifies and resolves common accounting transactions that create out-of-balance conditions in financial reports Prepares numerous monthly reconciliations of various appropriations within the limitations established by appropriation, allotment, apportionment work allowance, and purposes authorized by public law to ensure the FMS system's accounting reports are reflective of both the General Ledger control accounts and subsidiary documentation Works closely with the Centralized Accounting Unit (CAU) to help research and clear any out-of-balance issues on reconciliations and reports assigned to CAU including, but not limited to financial indicators for Salisbury VAMC, solving and troubleshooting rejects, and follow-up with service-line clerks and officials to aid with undelivered orders (UDOs) and accounts service payables (ASPs) Provides suggested solutions or actions to CAU, station GS 11 accountant, and Assistant Fiscal Officer Maintains an established decentralized double entry commercial type accounting system by processing journal vouchers for assigned programs to maintain General Ledger accounts Aids with compiling, preparing and verifying details in the accounting system(s) on a timely basis to prepare informative reports/responses of the station's operations, disclosing all essential financial facts for audits, suspense items, and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) inquiries Helps gather all relevant data for Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA) audits Responsible for timely monthly auditing of all purchase cards throughout the Station With the supervision of the Assistant Fiscal Officer (AFO), implements a sound auditing system that will lead to enforcement of proper VA policy throughout the station and sound practices across the entire facility Provides budgetary support and monitors the execution of certain Fund Control Points(s)/obligations with different sources and types of funding Monitors the status and availability of funds for each assigned program and disseminates the information accurately and timely when action is needed by budget staff and/or the Chief Financial Officer Works with the travel clerk, CWT program managers, and accounting technicians to ensure proper funding is made available in the FCPs and obligations at all times In the absence of the accounting technicians or travel clerk, the incumbent will cover all necessary workload and travel system needs for limited delay, coverage, and customer service for our Veterans and service-lines Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Ad Hoc Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD020350 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/18/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: A. Bachelor's degree (or higher) 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 in business law. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR, B. Combination of education and experience, which includes: 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. Your background must also include one of the following: a) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED); or, b) A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination (COPY OF CERTIFICATE REQUIRED); or, c) 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 above, provided that (1) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (2) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have 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 above; and (3) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. (TRANSCRIPT OR PROOF REQUIRED). You may qualify based on your experience and/or education 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, work that involves demonstrated knowledge in Financial Management System (FMS) and Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity (IFCAP) and reconciling data between these financial systems; review undelivered orders and conducting necessary follow-up with services, vendors, and contracting including date changes, passing receiving reports, requesting invoices, processing modifications, etc.; reviewing and reconciling accounts receivable accounts monthly and conducting necessary follow up with debtors, services, vendors, and payroll including posting follow up comments, posting payments, processing actions such as but not limited to waivers, disputes, repayment plans, etc. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successful completion of 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree with a major in a field appropriate to the work of this position is qualifying at the GS-9 grade level. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accounting Accounting Operations Budget Administration Financial Systems 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: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. There may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as focus group audio visual equipment, Xerox paper and books. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.