Accountant (USAHire)

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for this GS-09 Accountant position you must demonstrate:
(1) a passing score on the USAHire Assessment (see How To Apply) AND
(2) the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the federal 0510 series AND
(3) at least 52 weeks of Specialized Experience -- OR --
(4) Optional Education (separate from the education required for the IOR) -- OR --
(5) Combination of Specialized Experience and Optional Education


(1) USAHIRE ASSESSMENT - Look for a notification pertaining to the USAHire Assessment after you submit your initial application -- see HOW TO APPLY section for more information.

(2) INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR)

A. A bachelor's or higher degree in Accounting.

B. A bachelor's or higher degree in a related field (such as business administration, finance or public administration) which includes or is supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting (with no more than 6 semester hours in business law). (Highlight the 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses.)

C. At least 4 years of experience in accounting (or an equivalent combination of experience, college education and training that provided professional accounting knowledge) which includes:

(1) 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing (with no more than 6 semester hours in business law) OR

(2) a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor certificate (obtained through written examination) OR

(3) a degree that includes at least 15 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses. To claim this:

(a) you must have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing or a related field;

(b) two professional accountants must certify that you have demonstrated knowledge of accounting and related fields equal to successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described above; AND

(c) your education, training and experience must fully meet the specified requirements.

If you choose C, your resume must describe your 4+ years of full performance level experience in detail.

Applicants who don't meet the requirements of this IOR will be ineligible.

(3) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE must have been gainedin a federal position at or above GS-07 OR (if your position/experience is in another federal pay scale OR outside of federal service) by performing duties at a level equivalent to GS-07.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is work that primarily consists of applying accounting principles, practices and theories to support the financial activities of an organization by:
A. using automated systems to input and maintain financial data
B. reviewing financial obligations and accounting data for conformance to established policies
C. correcting or updating financial reports and/or financial statements
D. monitoring financial transactions to identify errors or trends and
E. performing accounting analysis or reconciliations to validate the integrity of data

If you have this experience, you must describe, in your own words, the duties you perform that pertain to the requirements for this position.

Since Specialized Experience also has a time component, it must be evident that the duties you describe are at the required level for at least 52 weeks.

Reviewers cannot assume you perform duties you don't describe.

An affirmative response to the online questionnaire is not sufficient to demonstrate experience.

SEE RESUME REQUIREMENTS UNDER REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.

(4) OPTIONAL EDUCATION: Applicants without Specialized Experience can meet Minimum Qualifications with:
A. a master's degree -- OR --
B. at least 2 academic years or graduate education leading to a master's degree.

Graduate education must be in a course of study that directly reflects the job-related competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the position and must be separate from the degree used to meet the IOR.

(5) COMBINATION: Applicants without the full amount of Specialized Experience or the full amount of Optional Education can meet Minimum Qualifications with a portion of each that can be combined to meet the full requirement:
A. Except for the 52-week requirement, Specialized Experience must be as described above.
B. Only graduate education beyond the first academic year can be considered.

HR will determine if the combination of experience and graduate education is sufficient to meet Minimum Qualifications.

NOTE -- you must submit transcripts to substantiate all claimed education.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (e.g., USAHire Assessment, IOR and Specialized Experience [and/or Optional Education]) must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

See EDUCATION and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS for more information on demonstrating your eligibility and qualifications.

Information on this job series can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0500/accounting-series-0510/


NOTES SPECIFIC TO THIS CAREER-LADDER POSITION:
The hiring office will conduct an initial formal training program for new hires.

This is a mid-level developmental position leading to the GS-12 full performance level. Assignments in this position are developmental in nature.

Management devises structured training and development activities to provide experience and technical competence in the methods, procedures, principles and techniques of the full performance level.

The supervisor defines objectives, priorities and deadlines, is available for consultation and assists with unusual situations, problems or studies that do not have clear precedents.

The incumbent consults with higher graded analysts to identify problems and methods of approach, but is expected to perform standard, routine duties independently.

The supervisor evaluates reports and other completed work for technical soundness, appropriateness of conclusions or recommendations, consistency and relevance.

During this period of training, management broadens assignments to enable the incumbent to eventually perform all the duties of the next higher grade.

Consideration for promotion is at the discretion of management and is based on the existence of higher-level work your ability to perform that work, administrative requirements and current agency and/or organizational restrictions.