Accountant

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/12/2026. 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 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. Preferred Experience: Prepares, reviews, and reconciles financial records, ensuring accuracy of appropriated fund accounts, cost centers, budgets, and general ledger activity. Performs financial analysis and provides accounting guidance to RCS and VA leadership, identifying discrepancies and ensuring compliance with accounting standards, VA policy, and Federal regulations. Assists in developing, monitoring, and executing the annual budget, analyzing resource utilization, and preparing reports on funds, obligations, and expenditures. Conducts internal control reviews and supports audit readiness by assessing compliance, preparing documentation, and recommending improvements to strengthen financial processes. Provides customer service to internal and external stakeholders by responding to inquiries, explaining accounting procedures, and using automated financial systems to manage and validate transactions. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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: Knowledge to analyze accounting systems analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems. Knowledge and skills to maintain an accounting system. Advises management on regulatory requirements, financial policies, the interpretation of data. Knowledge of program improvement through analysis of program operations and monthly reports. Skills in providing staff direction and guidance in the development and implementation on of procedures of an automated accounting system. Develop policies with respect to accounting program. Skills to develop and monitor local accounting internal control program. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LLM. if related. OR, (Transcript with a degree confer date MUST BE submitted, if using any part of education to qualify for this position) Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Accounting Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Problem Solving Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Technical Competence Veteran and Customer Focus 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 position has no physical demands. 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/.