Accountant (Staff)

Summary This position is located in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), Office of Finance, Financial Management Division. USHMM is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America's national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. Responsibilities The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America's national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences. The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention. In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion. Duties include: Performs reconciliation of accounts to ensure subsystems agree to the General Ledger and/or Treasury balances and prepare journal entries to adjust balances as necessary. Prepares all federal financial reporting on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Reports include but are not limited to SF 224 Statement of Transactions, Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjust Trial Balance (GTAS), SF-133 Report on Budget Execution and Budgetary Resources, General Fund, Treasury Report On Receivables (TROR), and other internal financial reports. Approves accounts payable payments within federal payment systems, such as Secure Payment System (SPS) and International Treasury Services (ITS). Processes all Inter-Agency Agreements (IAA) and related payments within federal systems. Develops recommendations for improvements in internal controls and develops justification for financial/accounting policy to prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and discourage errors and irregularities. Prepares and emails daily federal Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) cash updates to the Controller, noting if the Museum is reported with any negative balances. Sends a daily donated cash position report to the CFO, Senior Financial Management Advisor, Controller, Budget Director, and Financial Accounting Manager. Prepares and processes journal entries for non-recurring reclassification requests. Collaborates with the Financial Systems Analyst and/or Senior Budget Analyst on journal entries to finalize amounts and resolve budget errors. Prepares and records recurring month end journals and all year end expense accruals. Supports financial statement audits by preparing and responding to Prepared By Client (PBC) requests and other audit inquiries. Interprets guidelines and drafts and/or enhances existing written procedures and processes. Conducts research, analyzes data, and resolves discrepancies as assigned. This includes identifying trends and patterns; modifying accounting and reporting systems to accept new kinds of data; and developing solutions and presenting findings. Provides federal systems technical support to users in the Office of Finance. Requirements Conditions of Employment On-line resumes must be submitted by 11:59pm EST of the closing date. You must be a suitable for Federal employment. You must be a U.S. citizen. You must be registered for Selective Service if applicable ( Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date. A one year probationary/trial period may be required. Payment of relocation expenses is not authorized. The USHMM is an equal opportunity employer. This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. The decision granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. As a condition of employment, all new hires must agree to direct deposit of their salary checks. Employees will have up to two (2) pay periods from the date they enter on duty to arrange for their direct deposit transaction. This is a Federal agency. Former employees who received a voluntary separation incentive (“buyout”) must repay the full amount of it if reemployed under any type of appointment or under a personal service contract within five years after separation with a buyout. Qualifications Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: 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. Basic Requirement: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher 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. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Must include at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provides 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; OR (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; AND (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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet at least three (3) of the required specialized experience statements listed below. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience for GS- 12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is the following: (1) reconciliation of accounts to ensure subsystems agree to the General Ledger and/or Treasury balances and prepare journal entries to adjust balances as necessary; (2) preparing all federal financial reporting on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis; (3) preparing reports, including but are not limited to SF 224 Statement of Transactions, Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjust Trial Balance (GTAS), SF-133 Report on Budget Execution and Budgetary Resources, General Fund, Treasury Report On Receivables (TROR), and other internal financial reports; (4) approving accounts payable payments within federal payment systems, such as Secure Payment System (SPS) and International Treasury Services (ITS); (5) processing all Inter-Agency Agreements (IAA) and related payments within federal systems; (6) developing and recommending improvements for internal controls and develops justification for financial/accounting policy to prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and discourage errors and irregularities; (7) conducting research, analyzes data, and resolves discrepancies as assigned. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). ***Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating. Education Education requirement for this position is listed under the Qualification Section. Additional Information A complete application consists of the following: • Resume NO MORE THAN TWO (2) PAGES showing relevant experience. Your resume must include information about your paid and nonpaid work experience related to this position including: job title, duration of employment (mm/dd/yy – mm/dd/yy), hours per week, duties and accomplishments, salary, and your education. For work in the Federal service, please include the grade level for the position/s. Your resume may be used to validate your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire. • If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service or other valid proof of eligibility (i.e., statement of service that shows service dates AND character of service). If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference see • Active Duty Service Members-- You must submit a statement of discharge/certification of release or an official written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days from the date the announcement closes. Enlisted Record Briefs and military identification do NOT qualify as official documentation. If the appropriate information is not submitted to confirm the discharge status, dates of service, etc., you will not be considered for this job opportunity under Veteran Preference procedures. To gain access to your DD-214 online please visit • 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 Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation if applicable. • Education. If this position requires proof of higher education, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in lost consideration.