Summary This position is located at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Veteran Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Asheville VA Medical Center (VAMC), Fiscal Service. The incumbent serves as the Accountant and performs the full range of professional accounting work requiring the application of sound accounting principles, theories, concepts and practices. Responsibilities Major Duties Not Limited to the following: Reviews transactions recorded throughout the system to assure accuracy and uniformity of appropriation charges and accounting concepts applied. Provides accounting expertise and fiscal services to subordinates as well as department, top management and/or VA Central Office (VACO) financial management. Provides training to accounting technicians, control point officials, service/service line chiefs, and fund control clerks throughout the Medical Center. Participates in decision making sessions and advises a number of program managers on regulatory requirements, financial policies, the interpretation of data, and program improvements through analysis or program operations, monthly reports, and special system edits. Responsible for the maintenance, reconciliation and auditing of accounts in a general ledger covering the full range of assets, liabilities, income, expense, cost accounting and budgeting. Monitors unfavorable trends or deviations and suggests necessary corrective action. Manages processing and inputting of reconciliation's and audits as directed by the Accounting Unit (CAU). Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD041020 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/03/2024. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: A. Bachelor's degree (or higher) 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, B. Combination of education and experience, which includes: 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. Your background must also include one of the following: (a) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law. (b) A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination (COPY OF CERTIFICATE REQUIRED). (c) 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 above, provided that (1) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (2) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have 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 above; and (3) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. (TRANSCRIPT OR CERTICATE REQUIRED) Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Professional knowledge of budgetary and accounting theories, practices, methods, and techniques necessary to independently accomplish the completion of a wide variety of accounting assignments pertaining to general ledger accounting, interoffice accounting, revolving fund accounting, budgetary accounting, cost accounting, deposit fund accounting, and trust fund accounting. Comprehensive knowledge of various accounting concepts that must be applied to a variety of accounting situations and transactions to ensure the successful implementation and effective operation and maintenance of various automated and manual accounting systems utilized by the VHA such as FMS, PAID and VISTA. The in-depth knowledge and understanding of these accounting systems and how they interface with other automated systems is necessary to operate and maintain the Medical Center's overall accounting program within prescribed guidelines. Working knowledge of the Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement System (IFCAP) and its interrelationship with the FMS system in order to analyze and solve system problems that may arise. Extensive knowledge in personal computer programs and the use of spreadsheets and word processing documents to include developing graphs from the data entered into these programs. Thorough knowledge of all fiscal activities and their correlation in order to advise management with respect to financial data and resources to manage Medical Center programs. Knowledge of Federal statutes, VA Handbooks, Directives and guidelines, Comptroller General Decisions, and the regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department, General Accounting Officer (GAO), Office of the Inspector General (G) and the Office of Management and Budgeting (OMB). Skill and ability to analyze the various accounting systems to ensure integrity and in adapting analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accounting Operations Computer Skills Customer Service Organizational Awareness 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: the work is principally sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conference away from the work site. Some employees may carry light items, or drive a motor vehicle. No special physical effort or ability is required to do the work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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. 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.