Accountant

As an Accountant, you will be responsible for performing professional accounting work and providing authoritative advice to executive level management, external parties and other staff on policy and operations related to accounting and financial management matters. This position is in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), which establishes financial policies and procedures and oversees the formulation and execution of the agency's budget.

Major duties

Performs professional accounting work that requires the application of accounting theories, concepts, principles, and standards. Provides technical leadership in the design, development, operation, or inspection of accounting and budget systems. Oversee OCFO's activities on the annual Performance and Accountability Report in collaboration with other offices. Serves as the audit liaison for the agency's financial statement audit, to include gathering requested documentation, coordinating with other offices and our shared service provider and updating management on the status of the audit. Develops accounting cost policy, methods, and processes for compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Participates in the annual Farm Credit System assessment process and supports the budget team as needed on functions such as mid-year budget reviews.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT 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 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. In addition to the above basic requirement, you must meet the specialized experience statement below. You may qualify at the VH-40 (GS-14) grade level if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-39 (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position such as: Coordinating all accounting activities related to the development and publication of agency financial statements. Coordinating activities related to the development and publication of the agency's annual Performance and Accountability Report. Developing accounting cost policy, methods, and processes for compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Overseeing activities supporting the financial statement audit, to include review of documentation provided to auditors, coordinating with other Offices and Office of Inspector General (OIG) staff, and updating management as needed on the status of the audit. Providing technical leadership in the operation of agency financial management, systems, and processes. Performing professional accounting work that requires the application of accounting theories, concepts, principles, and 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, 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. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Current and former Federal employees (including VEOA eligibles) must have served one-year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the Federal service to meet time-in-grade restrictions per 5 CFR 300, Subpart F, by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours 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: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: College Accreditation | U.S. Department of Education