Accountant

Summary

This position is located within the Finance Management Service at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center. The incumbent serves as an Accountant for the Financial Operations Section within the Financial Management at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Accountant GS-09 - The incumbent of this position provides professional accounting services. Duties typically performed include the following:

• Responsible for the monthly reconciliation of subsidiary record balances with general ledger balances and ensuring corrections are made within the allotted time.
• Analyzing and reconciling a variety of accounts and transactions.
• Adjusting differences between the general ledger and subsidiary accounts; analyzing financial and statistical data from domestic and/or foreign business firms.
• Formulating a variety of routine financial reports and implementing fiscal year-end closing procedures for specific funds.
• Participation in internal and external audits, vulnerability assessments, systematic internal reviews, quality assurance programs, safety inspections, control point audits and any other audits involving cost, obligation, and/or the expenditure of appropriated funds.
• Developing procedures to be used in the design or modification of automated accounting systems; providing advice to management of organizations serviced;
• Working closely with higher level accountants in providing input and advice for the various accounting systems.
• Responsible for the appropriate obligation, costing, reconciliation and accounting VA financial programs and recording and accounting for the assets, liabilities, capital income and receivable collections throughout the station.
• Assisting management in applying financial data and recommending alternatives to resolve unique and difficult problems.
• Providing advice and assistance to coworkers and peers within the Consolidated Accounting Office as well as Network-wide Fiscal staff. May include other duties as assigned to accomplish the goals of the station 508 Finance Department.

Accountant GS-11 - The incumbent serves as an accountant supporting the Health Care System Chief Financial Officer and Accounting Section Supervisor.

• Incumbent performs duties consistent with accounting principles, standards and related requirements prescribed by the Controller General of the U.S. Duties include allotments, cost, capital asset, deposit funds, interoffice, revolving, trust funds, and appropriation accounting.
• The incumbent will classify, record, control, report, and analyze financial data to (1) show the cost of carrying our responsibilities, (2) provide a basis for financial planning (3) provide date for evaluating performance (4) show the status of financial condition and results of operations (5) safeguard public funds and other resources, and ( 6) assure compliance with applicable laws. In so doing, the incumbent is an important part of the agency's management control system.
• The incumbent renders technical advice on all phases of accounting matters including the analysis and interpretation of pertinent accounting data. Incumbent provides technical advice on the form and content of financial statements for use by local management consistent with established guidance.
• The incumbent conducts analysis of initial or irregular transactions which present accounting procedural problems. The incumbent will develop appropriate methods of accounting for transactions not sufficiently covered by existing procedures consistent with established guidance.
• The incumbent will monitor and/or conduct (1) periodic internal reviews, (2) periodic internal and external audits and other reports, and (3) evaluations and recommendations for the establishment of new controls or the deletion of present controls which may be ineffective. Incumbent will conduct routine reviews of accounting transactions ( such as fee and contract payments) which requires the application of generally accepted accounting principles to ensure technical accuracy of accounting records and compliance with VA regulations.
• Incumbent is responsible for the computation and processing of required end of month adjustments. Incumbent analyzes any initial or irregular transactions which present accounting procedural problems and when such analysis discloses that a transaction is not sufficiently covered by existing procedures, the incumbent is responsible for developing an appropriate method of accounting for the situation.

Promotion Potential: Full performance of this position is GS-11. If selected at the lower grade level 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.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 7:30am - 4:00pm. Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency need.

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Accountant/ PD11505A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For the GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): All applicants must meet one of the following for this position:

• An accounting degree; 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.") Note to applicant: You must submit transcripts (with conferred date for full degree credit). OR
• A combination of education and experience at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge that includes 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.

Grade Requirements: In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, you must also meet the following Minimum Grade Requirements listed below for each grade you are applying for.

GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Analyzes and reconciles a variety of accounts and transactions; Applies Federal Accounting regulations, procedures, policies and precedents sufficient to carry out accounting functions; Formulates a variety of routine financial reports and implementing fiscal year-end closing procedures for specific funds; Participates in internal and external audits, systematic internal reviews, quality assurance programs, safety inspections and expenditure of appropriated funds; and Assists in applying financial data and recommending alternatives to resolve unique and difficult problems.

OR,

Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree where such education/coursework demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position (Accounting/Finance).

OR,

Combination: You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above.

GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Analyzes accounting systems or modifies and adapts conventional accounting and analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems; Develops or modifies methods and techniques to resolve a variety of auditing problems; Plans, coordinates, and conducts audits and develops reports on working processes and accounting systems; Uses financial computer systems, such as the Financial Management System (FMS), and Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP); and Performs monthly reconciliation of subsidiary record balances with the applicable General ledger balances and ensure corrections are made.

OR,

Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree where such education/coursework demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position (Accounting/Finance).

OR,

Combination: You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accountability
• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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:

Additional information

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.

Help

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.

Review our 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.