Accountant

Summary

This position is part of the Defense Human Resources Activity. The incumbent will support the Risk and Compliance Division in executing long-range tactical plans and accomplishing the organization's mission to provide world-class financial services support to develop and implement the best standard accounting, finance practices, processes, and procedures.

Duties

As a ACCOUNTANT at the GS-0510-14 some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Performs Financial Reporting and Overview of DHRA's reports submitted by Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and the Defense Agencies Initiative (DAI) system which includes ensuring financial transactions are processed timely and accurately, reviewed and reconciled to coincide with the DoD accounting metric standards.
• Performs feeder system reconciliations of discrepancies and ensures timely correction to produce accurate financial statements.
• Serves as the primary technical interface between external auditors (including Independent Public Accounting (IPA) firms and the DoW Office of the Inspector General) and Personnel Readiness Management Agency operational leadership.
• Carries absolute responsibility for interfacing directly with auditors through all exam phases (planning, internal controls testing, substantive testing, and reporting).
• Develops and certifies the agency's annual Assertion Package for Reporting Entity assessable units, formally documenting that internal controls over financial reporting are suitably designed and operating effectively.
• Manages the life cycle of auditor inquiries and provided by client (PBC) requests.
• Coordinates formal management responses to Notifications of Finding and Recommendation (NFRs).
• Serves as the authoritative expert responsible for ensuring absolute independence and segregation of duties across organizational financial operations.
• Establishes, maintains, and executes robust internal controls testing and audit liaison functions strictly independent of the core accounting division, in full compliance with GAO Green Book standards and federal audit guidelines.
• Identifies, mitigates, and resolves structural deficiencies to safeguard internal control integrity and prevent conflicts of interest.
• Serves as a senior technical authority within the Risk and Compliance Division, executing the agency's comprehensive internal controls testing program in strict alignment with Financial Improvement and Audit Remediation (FIAR) directives, OMB Circular A-123, and the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA), while overseeing systematic control evaluations across all assessable unit (i.e., Hire-to-Retire, Order-to-Cash, Property in the Possession of Contractors (PiPoC), Procure-to-Pay, Acquire-to-Retire, and Budget-to-Report) and enterprise-wide control (i.e., Entity Level Controls, Information Technology General Controls (ITGC), and Fraud Controls) pillars to safeguard organizational financial integrity.
• Identifies, analyzes, and documents systemic control gaps and deficiencies across all audited areas, provides strategic compliance recommendations to executive leadership, and validates the completion of corrective action plans to ensure absolute compliance with the CFO Act of 1990 and FFMIA standards.
• Performs mandatory civil service oversight, technical quality reviews, and formal fiduciary acceptance of all third-party commercial contractor deliverables, methodologies, and testing workpapers across all nine assessable unit and enterprise-wide control pillars; serves as the government's validating authority to ensure contractor execution complies with federal acquisition guidelines, inherent governmental responsibilities, and agency performance standards.
• Designs, establishes, and executes the agency's in-house fraud prevention program and forensic detection architecture, leveraging advanced forensic accounting acumen and fraud examination methodologies, to proactively identify high-risk financial anomalies and strengthen internal control structures against institutional fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service http://www.sss.gov
• Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Work Schedule: Full time
• Overtime: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Not Required
• Telework Eligibility: This position is eligible for situational telework.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS-14, if you fulfill the following qualifications:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the grade level in the Federal service:

• Planning, tracking and coordinating accounting efforts to pass an external audit.
• Coordinating with leadership and subject matter experts to coordinate and respond to prepared by client (PBC) audit requests (e.g., Payment Integrity Information Act (PIIA), Independent Public Accounting (IPA), Office of the Inspector General).
• Updating and maintaining organizational end-to-end business process narratives (i.e., process control narratives).
• Managing internal testing events to ensure timely and accurate completion of internal testing deliverables.
• Demonstrating exceptional urgency, initiative, accuracy, and meticulous tracking with identifying, describing, and communicating audit and internal testing deficiencies.
• Transforming an environment from being reactive compliance driven to being dynamic, strategically driven.

1. 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

2. 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:
   1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
   2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
   3. 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.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL OCUPATINAL REQUIREMENT FOR THIS SERIES? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application.
All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION may be qualifying if a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign education programs has deemed the foreign education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program or a U.S. accredited college or university has given full credit for the foreign courses.
Unofficial transcripts from U.S. Department of Education accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions listing your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned are acceptable for the application process. If selected, official transcripts are required before a firm job offer is made. A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable.
When relying on foreign education, submit transcripts and a copy of the equivalency evaluation results letter with a course-by-course listing. Documents must be in English or include an English translation. The hiring employer for this position does not evaluate degrees from foreign colleges or universities. For further information, visit: Foreign Education

Additional information

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: Selectee or incumbent must be able to obtain the appropriate certification level for their position. This is a Financial Management Level 3 Certified position. IAW Public Law 112-81 and DoD Policy the incumbent shall comply with the requirements of DoD FM Certification program within the allotted timeframe. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Re-employed Annuitant: This position does not meet criteria for re-employed annuitant. The DoD criteria for hiring Re-employed Annuitants can be found at:https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF?ver=LQ7feWw-8-5DI2tceUpmgA%3d%3d
All applicants must meet qualifications and eligibility criteria by the closing date of the announcement.
Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs (ICTAP eligibility): This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; Well qualified is defined as possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds the positions minimum qualifications. and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
Military Spouse Preference: In order to receive this preference you must choose the spousal eligibility in your application package referencing MSP Military Spouse Preference. Your preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency. If you are claiming military spouse preference and qualified for the position, your name will be placed below preference eligible veteran candidates and above non-preference candidates on a list sent to the hiring manager for employment consideration. To claim Military Spouse Preference (MSP) please complete the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist, save the document and attach it to your application package.
Priority Placement Program (PPP) DoD Retained Grade Preference (RGP): In order to receive this preference, you must choose to apply using the "Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference (RGP)" eligibility. If you are claiming RGP and are determined to be Well Qualified (score of 85 or above) for the position, you will be referred to the hiring manager as a priority applicant. Information and required documentation for claiming MSP may be found at the General Applicant Information and Definitions link below. To be eligible as a RGP, you must submit the following supporting documents with your application package: a signed Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD3145-1 (whs.mil)); a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) effecting the placement in retained grade status; or a copy of the notification letter you received regarding the RIF or classification downgrade.
As required by 5 C.F.R. § 302.106., DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities. All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. § 1194).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.