Accounting Technician

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

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Duties

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Primary duties encompass monitoring the obligation status of the Salaries and Expenses (S&E) appropriation, the Buildings and Facilities (B&F) appropriation, Trust Fund Operations, and Inmate Deposit fund accounting. The incumbent is responsible for providing administrative and financial support services and maintaining the daily status of accounting data reflected in the Financial Management Information System (FMIS).

Manages purchase orders, contracts, travel authorizations, government transportation requests, and other source documents and assures they are obligated against the proper appropriated and non-appropriated funds. Reviews documents for coding accuracy and ensures accurate and timely entry into the on-line accounting system.

Maintains automated obligation records and source documents on a daily basis. Prepares, reconciles, and ensures funds are available for obligation accruals, adjusts accruals in the month and quarter in which the obligation is incurred and ensures accurate entry into automated accounting system. Recording of the obligations into undelivered orders and/or accounts payable shall be performed in accordance with GAO Title 7 and other government-wide accounting standards and in conformance with applicable auditing standards.

Perform travel functions in the FMIS Travel Module such as establishing a Travel Authorization (obligation), issuing Travel Advances and preparing Travel Vouchers.

Resolve Travel Advance problems at time of settlement due to the restraints of the module. Research and follow-up will be required when reconciling the Travel Advance account.

Assists in the preparation of monthly account reconciliations and adjustments of accounts for prior year appropriations. Work will involve the Building and Facilities Appropriation, the Trust Fund, the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation, and various multi-year appropriations.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.
• Selective Service Requirement:

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

• 1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
• 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
• 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility:
  • A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter),
  • Most recent performance appraisal, and
  • Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
  • See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP or ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here:

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements:

Education:

GL-05: Successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.

GL-07: As a general rule, education is not creditable above GL-05 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Experience:

GL-05 and GL-07: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are:

GL-05:

• Experience in performing accounting support work in an office or medical environment.
• Experience in using and understanding accounting procedures related to appropriation funding, allotments, obligations and disbursements and analyzing the interrelationship of accounts that are affected by varied transactions.
• Experience examining incoming transactions (vouchers, cash receipts, invoices, tax forms, etc.) to ensure that value accounting codes, signatures, prices, services, and receipts are complete and accurate.
• Experience processing accounts payable and settling payment vouchers.

GL-07:

• Experience in validating, monitoring, controlling and maintaining transactions and accounting records for multiple accounts.
• Experience in maintaining control accounts and subsidiary accounts.
• Experience in processing accounting transactions for a wide variety of functions including obligations, accrued expenditures, disbursements, appropriation refunds, reimbursable orders, earnings, collections, expenditure vouchers, cost transfers, rejected transactions, inter-fund bills, and other accounts in connection with the general ledger.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

GL-05 only: Have a combination of education and experience. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to successfully perform the duties of this position as described above.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable .

ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for original appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

Special Conditions of Employment Section:

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

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.

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.