Accountant

Summary

There are four (4) positions that will serve as an Accountant within Centralized Financial Service located at Veterans Affairs (VA) Southeast Health Network, Health Service Area (HSA) 2.1 in Roanoke, Virginia.

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Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

The purpose of the four (4) positions are to perform professional accounting work that requires application of accounting theories, concepts, principles, and standards to the financial activities of governmental, quasi-governmental, or private sector organizations. Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintains general ledger control accounts, and subsidiary records for medical care, administration and medical facilities appropriations, research, general post and suspense account funds for all serviced medical centers.
• Examines a variety of financial statements and documents for completeness, internal accuracy and conformance with uniform accounting classifications and other accounting requirements.
• Analyzes a variety of accounts and transactions.
• Reconciles reports and financial data, pointing out inconsistencies or errors.
• Reviews obligations by verifying fund control balances.
• Proposes required modifications to serving stations based on review and analysis.
• Validates construction costing and processes expensing transactions to prevent overstatements of the general ledger accounts.
• Uses multiple accounting systems to post payments and prepare progress reports, electronic running balance reports and monthly work in process reconciliation reports.
• Performs other related duties assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; 7:45am - 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Requirements

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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.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following Basic Requirements to qualify for this Accountant position.

A. Bachelor's Degree (or higher) (Transcript Required): accounting; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting. The twenty-four (24) hours may include up to six (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-

B. Combination of education and experience (Transcript and Details of experience Required): at least four (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 (24) semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to six (6) hours of business law; or

2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination (Certification Required) ; or

3. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., fifteen (15) semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the twenty- four (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 four (4) year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of twenty- four (24) semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. (Transcript and full details required)

-AND-

In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following minimum qualification requirements.

Specialized Experience: Possess one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: applying accounting practices, concepts, and principles to manage control of an assigned station obligations including: reviewing obligations by verifying fund control balances between financial systems, validating vendor information, and reviewing and analyzing costing/accounting data for accounting standards and policy compliance. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

- OR-

Substitution of Education for Experience (Transcript Required): Successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate-level education that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: One (1) year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, eighteen (18) semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study.

- OR-

Superior Academic Achievement at the GS-7 level (Transcript Required): (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following:

1. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in college, university or major subdivision.

2. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two (2) years of undergraduate study.

3. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two (2) years of undergraduate study.

4. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

For a list of recognized honor societies please visit For more information regarding SAA please visit

- OR-

Combination of Education and Experience (Transcript Required): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed related graduate-level education and specialized experience, as described above, are also qualifying for this position. To calculate the combination of experience and education, determine the amount of experience you have as a percentage. Then determine the amount of education you have as a percentage. Add the two percentages; the total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify for the grade level.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly of a sedentary nature. Some walking, stooping, or bending is required. The employee often carries files, folders, or boxes. The work does not require any special physical effort.

Work is performed in a normal office setting. The work setting is adequately heated, lighted, and ventilated.

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

IMPORTANT: 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

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.

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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.