Job Summary

As an Accountant with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Financial Operations and Reporting, you will maintain accounting records, review financial transactions, reconcile accounts, prepare financial reports, identify discrepancies, and support financial operations and internal controls for programs administered by OPM.

Job Description

Basic Requirement for Staff Accountant GS-0510-09: Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level. 1. Degree: 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 2. 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. The applicant's 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; or 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: To Qualify for the GS-09: A. You must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing ALL of the following: Reviewing accounting records or financial transactions to verify accuracy and identify discrepancies; Reconciling accounts or financial records using established accounting procedures; Preparing accounting worksheets or financial reports using financial data from accounting records or systems; and Reviewing accounting transactions for compliance with established financial requirements and identifying errors. OR B. A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree of LL.B or J.D. Such education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position such as Accounting. OR C. A combination of education and experience to qualify at this level. To calculate your percentage of education, divide the number of graduate semester hours earned, in excess of 18 semester hours, by 18. If your education is in quarter hours, convert to semester hours by multiplying the number of quarter hours earned by 2/3rds. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide the number of months of full-time experience by 12. If your experience was part-time, convert to full-time by dividing the number of hours worked per week by 40 then multiply by number of months worked. Add the percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Merit promotion applicants must meet the time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. One year at the GS-07 grade level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS9 level. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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.