Accountant

Summary

"The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), through strategic partnerships, prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard America's people, property, and institutions." We are a unique inter-agency organization preparing the next generation of law enforcement officers to meet our Nation's most pressing security challenges." Click here to learn more.

An incentive may be authorized. See additional info section.

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Duties

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Serving as a Accountant GS-0510-7/9/11 makes you a valuable member of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) team and mission. This position is located in the Chief Financial Officer Directorate under the Finance Division within the Billing and CARS Branch.

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an accountant responsible for providing professional accounting services to FLETC. This includes participation in: administering the fully integrated computerized accrual accounting operations for the various funds and appropriations; preparing internal and external reports, that reflect FLETC's financial status; conducting activities connected with the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA), the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act, Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), Government Management Results Act (GMRA); and operating and maintaining the Electronic Certification System (ECS).

Typical duties include:

• Performs professional accounting tasks and services for FLETC, DHS serviced components and other stakeholders; plans and conducts research and analysis related to financial decision-making processes for the Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjusted Trial Balance System (GTAS), Treasury Information Executive Repository (TIER), and Standard General Ledger (SGL).
• Independently analyzes, conducts periodic reviews and reconciles SGL accounts, accounting records and supporting schedules or documentation. Will also serve as an "Authorized Certifying Officer" for the disbursement of funds.
• Provides professional accounting advice and assistance. Independently conducts research, performs analysis, and assists senior accountants in preparing, reviewing, and analyzing financial statements that reflect the status of FLETC's financial condition.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation to access, safeguard, and store classified national security information on a regular basis; must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret (2N - Non-Critical Sensitive) security clearance.
• Current and former federal employees within the General Schedule (GS) must meet the time-in-grade requirements outlined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state issued driver's license to conduct official government business.
• You will need to set up direct deposit for payroll.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
• This position is eligible for telework based on agency policy.
• Occasional travel may be required.
• Overtime may be required.
• Working on weekends and federal holidays may be required.

Qualifications

A resume must be no more than two pages. If an applicant's resume exceeds two pages, the USAJOBS database will not allow the application to be submitted. For additional assistance, please visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements

Basic qualifications for the GS-0510 Accountant Series:

• 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:

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.

You must submit a copy of your college transcripts, certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor for verification in order to be considered.

In addition to the education requirements, you must possess the Specialized Experience:

You qualify for the GS-07 grade level: if you possess one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to perform accounting analysis or reconciliations to validate the integrity of data; AND assisting senior staff members with accounting or financial management assignments; OR
• One full year of graduate level education at an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR
• A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application; OR
• A bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement, which is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership:
  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.
  2. Grade-point average (GPA) - Applicants must have a GPA of:
     
     
     • 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their 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
     • 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
  3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

For the GS-09 grade level: You qualify at the GS-09 grade level if you possess one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to perform accounting analysis or reconciliations to validate the integrity of data; Advising staff on accounting or financial management policies or procedures; AND making recommendations to improve internal controls in accounting processes or policies or resolve audit findings; OR
• A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree in accounting or auditing; OR
• A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the first year may be used to qualify for the GS-09 level.

For the GS-11 grade level: You qualify at the GS-11 grade level if you possess one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in Federal service, that demonstrates the ability to apply accounting theories, concepts, principles, or standards to the financial activities of an organization; Reconciling administrative or specialized accounts to validate the integrity of accounting data; AND analyzing accounting systems in order to modify or adapt accounting practices to solve accounting problems.; OR
• A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. equivalent doctoral degree in accounting or auditing; OR
• A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above that, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. This will be calculated using your resume and unofficial transcripts or a list of courses/course hours submitted with your application.

NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used to qualify for the GS-11 level.

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: must submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution listing the college/university, degree confirmation date(s) and applicable courses for the position you are applying to.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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.

Re-employed annuitants' annual salaries will be reduced by the amount of their retirement annuity and by further cost of living increases. FERS retirees receiving a FERS annuity supplement must also be aware that, like social security benefits, their FERS annuity supplement is subject to an earnings test and may be reduced if the salary earned is more than the social security exempt amount of earnings. Additional information is available on OPM's website or by contacting OPM.

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 here:

A relocation incentive is generally a single payment intended to offset some of the relocation costs experienced by the selectee. A relocation incentive may be authorized.

A recruitment incentive may be authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is not authorized.

This position may be filled at the GS-07, GS-09 or GS-11 level. If selection is made at a lower level, promotion to the next level will happen without competition.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and FLETC policy, FLETC is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at FLETC are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to View email address on click.appcast.io.

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.