Sr Accounting Specialist

Summary / Objective

The Senior Accounting Specialist supports USDA Rural Development and related USDA financial operations through federal accounting, reconciliation, reporting, financial systems validation, internal controls, and audit readiness. The role resolves complex accounting issues, prepares and validates financial data, supports Treasury and DATA Act reporting, and develops accurate, supportable documentation aligned with federal standards and USDA/RD requirements.

Essential Functions:

Accounting, Reconciliation, and Policy Support

• Perform monthly and quarterly reconciliations, including FBWT, SF-224, General Ledger, adjusted trial balance, financial statement, DATA Act, funds-control, source-system, and cash tracking reconciliations.

• Analyze accounting, loan, grant, and credit reform data to identify differences, root causes, system issues, control gaps, and corrective actions.

• Prepare and document journal entries, accruals, corrections, financial statement adjustments, supporting schedules, and reconciling items.

• Support obligations, disbursements, collections, transfers, Treasury borrowing/repayment activity, disbursement certification, and accounting procedures.

System Accounting and Financial Systems Support

• Support accounting system testing, data table validation, reconciliation workbooks, reporting tools, system interfaces, and source-system feeds.

• Validate accounting outputs, reconciliation logic, financial reporting data, retroactive calculations, interest accruals, amortization schedules, and cash application results.

• Develop ad hoc accounting, reconciliation, financial management, and data validation reports for management, audit response, and operational decisions.

Financial Reporting, Treasury, and DATA Act Support

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting deliverables, including adjusted trial balances, financial statement schedules, account analyses, and explanations of reconciling items.

• Support Treasury reporting, SF-224 updates, FBWT reconciliations, Treasury borrowing and repayment activity, and related documentation.

• Reconcile DATA Act files, assess reporting accuracy and completeness, and recommend improvements to reporting methods and controls.

Audit Readiness, Internal Controls, and Compliance

• Review transactions, reconciliations, reports, and processes for compliance with policy, controls, and accepted accounting practices.

• Prepare audit-ready schedules, reconciliations, explanations, supporting documentation, corrective action support, and management responses.

• Support OIG, GAO, independent audit, management review, and oversight requests; identify recurring exceptions and recommend corrective actions.

Technical Guidance, Communication, and Continuous Improvement

• Provide technical guidance, quality review, issue-resolution support, and clear written/verbal communication to staff and stakeholders.

• Review work products for accuracy, completeness, supportability, procedural compliance, and readiness for management, federal review, or audit response.

• Support onboarding, training, process improvement, special projects, and ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 quality and information security requirements.

Competencies

• Federal accounting, reconciliation, Treasury reporting, FBWT, DATA Act, and government financial management

• General Ledger, adjusted trial balance, loan/grant accounting, financial statement support, and financial systems analysis

• Internal controls, audit readiness, accounting research, data validation, reporting, and advanced Excel

• Policy interpretation, technical writing, documentation, quality review, process improvement, and professional integrity

Required Education and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required; accounting coursework strongly preferred.

• Five or more years of accounting, reconciliation, audit support, financial reporting, government financial management, or financial systems experience required; seven or more years preferred.

• Federal accounting experience preferred, including Treasury, DATA Act, SF-224, FBWT, General Ledger, adjusted trial balance, source-system, funds-control, or cash tracking reconciliations.

• Advanced Excel and strong written communication skills required.