Summary Incumbent serves as an accountant in the Support Services Division. The purpose of the work is to ensure accurate reporting of all accounting, cost, and budget data, and to facilitate the efficient use of allocated funds for the Regional Office (RO). Assists management in providing analytical and organizational expertise for all division activities, including financial, budgetary, and administrative. Responsibilities Major Duties: Examines, certifies, and audit vouchers submitted for payment, while assessing compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Ability to communicate either by phone or correspondence with veterans, fiduciary, other offices with inquiry results. Prepares fiscal, administrative, and other statistical reports as deemed appropriate and/or as required and serves on such other projects as directed. Responds to inquires from Congressional Offices, Regional Counsel and Office of the Inspector General. Must have a thorough understanding of the various benefits programs and the payment procedures and regulations applicable to each program administered by the Department. Independently performs reviews for accuracy and consistency of data such as audits, debts, and reimbursement. Ensures that recurring reports are accurately complied and completed on time. Provides technical advice to all Regional Office employees on complex and unusual benefit award adjustments, special payment issues, and accounts receivable actions on the applicable computer applications. Ability to use specific VA computer applications, in addition to Microsoft excel, Word, and other electronic database applications. Performs accounting reviews and payment function checks for discrepancies and advises management with proposed plan to prevent future unassociated fund situations. Provides administration support to management staff for personnel management, budget administration, procurement, and other financial related activities. Serve as subject matter expert in all areas of the Financial Operations section. Oversee the work off the Financial Specialist and ensures appropriate separations of duties are in place and the financial integrity of the regional office is maintained and upheld. Develops procedures and coordinates activities across functional lines with other divisions, Regional Offices, service organization, and with the other government departments or agencies. Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Responsible for planning organizing, assigning, and reviewing the work performed within the Operations area. Must be well versed in all facets of the financial and general operating procedures for the Regional Office, which requires substantial technical and managerial expertise. Serves as a Certifying Official authorizing all financial transactions, adjustments, and Collections. Ability to conduct the most detailed audits and analysis. Skilled in completing oral and written presentations that are clear, concise, and logical. Promotion Potential: GS-11 Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Yes, per Agency guidelines Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: GS07 PD# 37357A , GS09 PD# 37538A , GS11 PD# 37347A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/21/2024. 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-07,GS-09, GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6 or higher. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: All applicants are required to have one of the following basic education requirements: A. Degree 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. (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: 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. 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 non conformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. GS-7 In addition to the Basic Requirement above (IOR) to qualify, You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would include: Specialized experience is defined as work that involves: professional working experience that would typically include experience with the basic accounting and budgetary methods and procedures, experience using and inputting data into financial systems, and experience assisting in the presentation of financial statements and reports. GS-09 In addition to the Basic Requirement above (IOR), to qualify, applicants 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. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves knowledge of and demonstrated expertise in accounting theories, practices, methods, and techniques; governmental accounting operations and requirements; analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems; automated systems design practices and limitations; and the ability to create written communications to include letters, memorandums, operating procedures, and directives to convey information relating to the accounting process. GS-11 In addition to the Basic Requirement above (IOR), the applicant must also demonstrate specialized experience to include reconciling accounts, validating a variety of accounting data, which is then entered into an accounting system or systems; ability to manipulate excel proficiently with large data pools; ability to clearly, concisely and proficiently convey analytical findings to various levels of lower level and upper level management of the agency. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: GS-07: 1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement in addition to basic education basic requirements) GS-09: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in addition to basic education basic requirements) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07/09 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. 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 of a sedentary nature. The work is usually performed in an office setting. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.