Summary This position is located in the Office of Compliance (OC), Finance Office, Business Center, Rural Development. The incumbent is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating functions related to external entities' compliance with Rural Development (RD) regulations related to financial assistance. Responsibilities Directs and coordinates the Division's activities relating to the development and evaluation of RD imposed awardees' accounting practices and procedures. Directs or oversees the performance of studies and analyses of practices and procedures concerning RD awardee accounting operations. Maintains liaison relationships with other Federal government agencies and with State level agencies regarding accounting procedures, methods, requirements, and developments. Responsible for determining, implementing, and evaluating policy and procedures governing borrower auditing requirements and the minimum standards for audit reports. Incumbent exercises first and second level supervisory responsibilities, including, but not limited to: Directs, coordinates, and oversees work through subordinate supervisors. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level (GS-14) in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. For the GS-15 level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience in the accounting field equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: the knowledge of accounting theories, concepts, principles, and practices to conduct a variety of assignments related to accounting and financial transactions. Experience in directing and coordinating the Division-level activities relating to the development, maintenance of external controls related to the operation of a multi-hundred-billion dollar loan portfolio accounting system. Experience in overseeing the External Compliance Reviews of project awards and Audited Financial Statement (AFS) reviews. Experience in reviewing of industry accounting standards and update of regulations affecting accounting operations of awardees. Experience in managing the development and implementation of strategic compliance efforts to ensure that the portfolio is sufficiently collateralized, and the risk of external fraud, waste and abuse is minimized. Experience in directing or overseeing the performance of studies and analyses of practices and procedures concerning RD awardee accounting operations. Experience in managing the overall Division's review of financial statement reporting provided by awardees and analyzing the work performance of CPAs whose audit services have indicated a deficiency or inadequacy. Experience in determining, implementing, and evaluating policy and procedures governing borrower auditing requirements and the minimum standards for audit reports. Experience interpreting legislation and/or regulations for applications and developing short, intermediate, and long-range plans for meeting Rural Development and CFO goals and objectives. Experience in dealing with organizations and advising higher level management officials; making decisions on work problems presented by subordinates; evaluating staff to ensure performance standards are equitable; making and/or approving selections for subordinate positions; hearing and resolving group grievances or employee complaints; reviewing/approving disciplinary actions; approving awards, bonuses, selections, overtime, travel and within-grade increases etc. Experience accomplishing Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) goals and objectives and recommending actions to eliminate such barriers. NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0510 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards 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. Education In addition to the specialized experience, applicants must meet the Basic Requirements as outlined below. Applicants must provide documentation (such as a transcript, CPA certificate, etc.) to show they meet the Basic Requirements, either Alternative A or Alternative B for this position. Failure to provide documentation may result in loss of consideration for this position. Alternative 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 Alternative 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: 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 Information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA). Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran's Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, certain military spouses, Schedule A Disabled, etc., explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Refer to PUBLIC LAW 114-47-AUG. 7, 2015 for more information. To be eligible for appointment to this position, the new hire must be cleared to come on board once the results of the fingerprint check, review of the OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and the candidate's Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (eQIP) entries have been reviewed and determined to be satisfactory. This position requires a favorable credit check as part of the background investigation. If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.