Accountant

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation(FPAC) Business Center (FBC), Performance, Accountability, and Risk Division (PARD).
The incumbent serves as an Accountant and is primarily responsible for executing assigned business cycles in planning, coordinating and execution of the evaluation and assessment of internal controls over financial reporting as required by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-123, Appendix A.

Duties

• The incumbent participates with other PAR leads/project managers to evaluate the severity of control deficiencies resulting from the tests of key internal controls.
• Ensures financial reporting is timely and accurately prepared in accordance with accounting principles and regulatory requirements.
• Ensures that over financial reporting/financial statements for the assigned business process cycles.
• The incumbent prepares and executes, test plans of the key internal controls over financial reporting/financial statements.
• Partners with FPAC's audit liaison officers to assist in the annual financial statement audit, specifically as it applies to the assigned business process cycle.
• Works with the independent auditors to enable knowledge transfer of business processes, including the key internal controls within the business processes regarding internal controls.
• Ensures financial reporting/reporting, participates with others in the development and implementation of new accounting.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected, you may be sent instructions on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are unable to reimburse for any fees incurred.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period unless previous federal service is creditable. During this time your employment will be evaluated, and we may consider: your performance and conduct, the needs and interests of the agency, whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government, and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. If education is required or being used to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
Basic Requirement:
GS-0510:
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
In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education listed below.
Specialized Experience Requirement
For the GS-07 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in federal service or comparable experience not gained through federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: (1) Assisting with preparing financial reports or journaling entries..
OR
Education at the GS-07 grade level: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree or a bachelor's degree in: Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR. from an accredited college or university.
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. SAA is based on:

1. Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR
2. Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR
3. Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).

Education

College Transcript: If qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your college transcript with course number and department (i.e., Bio 101, Math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours, and grade earned. If a relevant course is not clearly qualifying (e.g., special topic, seminar, research, thesis, obscure or misleading course title, etc.), please submit an official course syllabi and/or detailed course description from the university/college to ensure proper evaluation.
Your education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited toward qualifications. You may verify accreditation by visiting the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website. We will verify your education accordingly.
Foreign Education: You must submit verification that education completed in a foreign institution, was recognized by an accreditation body accepted by the U.S. Department of Education. You must include a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. Your transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
You may submit an unofficial copy of your transcript at the initial phase of the application process. However, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting transcripts.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP 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 applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
Promotion Potential: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
Locality Pay: The salary for each location may vary depending on geographically defined locality pay areas. Locality tables may be found at Office of Personnel Management Salaries and Wages.
Telework: This position is eligible for telework as determined by the agency policy.
Incentives: Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.
Bargaining Unit:

• Washington, DC,this is a AFSCME Bargaining Unit position.
• Kansas City, MO,this is a NTEU Bargaining Unit position.
• St. Louis, MO and Fort Worth, TX, this is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.

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.

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.