Accountant

Summary

The incumbent serves as an accountant in the Support Services Division. The purpose of the work is to ensure accurate reporting of all accounting, cost and budget data, and to facilitate the efficient use of allocated funds for the Regional Office (RO). Incumbent assists management in providing analytical and organizational expertise for all division activities, including financial, budgetary, and administrative.

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Duties

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Typical duties include, but are not limited to:

• Oversees all accounting functions. This includes operation and augmentation of the comprehensive accounting system for the various, complex, inter-related programs of the DVA.
• Oversees budgetary accounting and as required, exercises authority to commit the station to fiscal and accounting administrative actions involving the RO's funds and accounts.
• Assists in preparing and maintaining financial budgets, enforces compliance with good accounting principles and maintenance of all series of accounting records.
• Conducts internal audits and test audits to verify the validity and accuracy of accounting records and reports. Responsible for establishing and monitoring a system of internal controls to prevent over-obligation of funds, omission of obligation, or obligation of funds at a rate that would cause untimely exhaustion of station funds and violate the provisions of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
• Reports to management any omission or misstatement of obligations that may be considered delinquent obligations or any apparent statutory violations
• Develops and implements electronic applications and spreadsheets within the division and the RO; and prepares SAOs, internal control reviews and other division reports.
• Analyzes pertinent accounts, furnishes information for management that may provide the basis for establishing RO policies or corrective action with respect to rates of expenditures and determination of charges to be made for services furnished; and provides analytical and organizational expertise for all division activities, including financial, budgetary, and administrative.
• Serves as either primary or alternate liaison with ALAC and serves as ALAC POC within the RO, Liaisons with staff in the Finance section, division supervision and management, as well as other RO managers and supervisors, Liaisons with Treasury Regional Disbursing Office, IT Centers in Austin, Philadelphia and/or Hines; Treasury Disbursing Centers, Federal Reserve Bank, GAO and V ACO.
• Receives, analyzes, and interprets regulatory, fiscal, and accounting directives issued by VACO, the Comptroller General, Treasury, 0MB, etc.
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

Promotion Potential: None

Duty Hours: 8:00am to 4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: May be available as determined by the hiring office.

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD# : Accountant; 37347A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness & 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 period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period
• 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 I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 08/11/2026.

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.

• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. 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 you are a current VA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-11 (or higher).

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (IOR): This position is classified as a Professional/Scientific position and has an Individual Occupational Requirements that must be met to be found minimally qualified for the series. Additional information on the Individual Occupation Requirement can be found on the OPM qualifications website.

All applicants are required to have one of the following basic education requirements.

• Education : A degree in 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.

To be creditable, your 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;
• 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to the IOR, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education as described below

GS-11 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: One year of Specialized Experience, which was equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as maintaining and correcting accounting records; preparing, reviewing, and analyzing accounting records and statements; researching, interpreting, and analyzing pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and guidance to accurately administer financial programs and providing guidance and advising managers on accounting and financial matters.

OR

• Education Substitution : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 full years of progressively higher level education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in accounting, or a related field which was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting.

Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement.

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Volunteer Experience: 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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements: The work is principally sedentary.

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.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members : Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP),

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. (

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.