Accountant

This position is located in the Collections Branch, Cash Reporting Division, Office of Accounting and Finance, Finance Office, Rural Development. The incumbent of this position provides accounting and financial management services.Qualifications: Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.
In addition to the Minimum Qualifications below, applicants must meet the Basic Requirements as outlined in the Education section of the job announcement.
For GS-07 Grade Level: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates the knowledge of accounting theories, concepts, principles, and practices to conduct a variety of assignements related to accounting and financial transactions. Experience in entering, analyzing, and researching financial transactions, collaborating with team members, and communicating issues to the Team Lead or Supervisor OR Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). OR Completion of one full year of graduate level education. The education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying at this grade level.
Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
1. Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses.
2. Grade-point average - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed bases on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.
3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.
For GS-09 Grade Level: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Experience entering and analyzing financial transactions in various automated and manual systems and reporting and correcting discrepancies. Experience in working with Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. Experience providing customer assistance to internal and external customers. Experience revising standard operating procedures as necessary and providing training to other team members OR
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree OR master's or equivalent graduate degree directly related to the work of this position. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying at this grade level.
NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0510 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards
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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.Education: In addition to the Minimum Qualifications in the Qualifications section of the announcement, applicants must meet the Basic Requirements as outlined below.
Applicants must provide documentation (such as a transcript, CPA certificate, etc.) to show they meet the Basic Requirements, either Alternative A or Alternative B for this position. Failure to provide documentation may result in loss of consideration for this position.
Alternative A: 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
Alternative B: 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:

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;
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; (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.