Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S. Citizens.

• Serves as a senior staff auditor to conduct audits of significant scope and mission impact on large or highly complex audits. Audits are to assess compliance, efficiency and effectiveness of programs where considerable variability exists.
• Plans audits covering broadly related and highly complex functions throughout DFAS. Develops and writes segments of the audit plan for highly complex DFAS-wide or corporate audits.
• Briefs management at entrance conferences to explain audit objectives, procedures, and scope, and obtains management’s input. Independently conducts audit survey to determine areas for detailed examination.
• Independently evaluates management processes and presents facts, conclusions, and recommendations clearly, and logically. Summarizes audit results and addresses management issues surfaced in the audit. Provides recommendations for corrective actions.
• Prepares complex audit reports which present findings and cite applicable regulations. Identifies causative situations and recommends corrective action for problems of significant complexity where differing opinions may be strong.
• For vacancies filled at less than the full performance level of the position, duties will be developmental in nature

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Background or Security Investigation - see the Additional Information field below for more details.
• Registered for Selective Service (males born after 12-31-1959)
• Suitable for Federal employment
• Obtain/Maintain Financial Management Certification
• New employees to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.
• Pay for first time hires to the Federal Government will typically be set at step 1 salary range for their respective grade level.
• We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of the closing date.

Qualifications

This position is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense via delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. We reserve the right to close this announcement early or to extend, as appropriate, based upon the needs of the Agency. Qualified application packages may be referred to management at various points in the selection process depending on the number and timing of applications received. Selections may be made at any point during the announcement open period..

Applicants MUST have related financial experience AND/OR a related financial degree (examples include: Finance, Accounting, Management, Actuarial Science, or related), in addition to meeting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) minimum qualification requirements. Substitution of combination of education and experience must still, in conjunction, minimally satisfy the DHA qualification requirement.

Human Resources will determine your qualifications for each entry grade level based on your interest and the additional following criteria. Resumes for federal government positions need more detailed work descriptions and accomplishments than a typical private sector resume. Please be sure to clearly describe this in your resume. Combinations of education and experience may also be sufficient.

This position has a positive education requirement. To qualify for this position you must meet one of the basic requirements described below:

(1) Completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree in accounting from an accredited college or university; 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. OR

(2) Candidates may also qualify through a combination of education and experience: At least 4 years of accounting experience or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge AND 24 semester hours in accounting/auditing courses, which may include up to 6 hours of business law, OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor.

You MUST send proof of education or of certification to be considered for this position. Click here for more information on who must submit documentation at the time of application and what documentation is acceptable: Transcripts and Certifications.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, qualified applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade in the Federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position.

• To be hired at the GS-7 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
  • One (1) year of experience applying applying knowledge of accounting or auditing laws, principles, systems, policies, methods, and practices to provide routine technical guidance to managers, employees and/or customers; gathering financial data from various sources related to a specific financial issue; and researching accounting or auditing policies and laws to resolve common issues. OR
  • One full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement which can be met by: 1. Grade point average of a 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale OR 2. Class standing in the upper third of the graduating class or major subdivision OR 3. Membership in a national scholastic honor society may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.
• To be hired at the GS-9 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
  • One (1) year of experience applying professional knowledge of accounting or auditing laws, regulations, policies and procedures to resolve problems relating to auditing and compliance review work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include analyzing financial and statistical data; providing professional accounting advice to managers; analyzing and reconciling accounts and transactions; formulating routine financial reports and implementing fiscal year-end closing procedures; evaluating audit programs and making recommendations. OR
  • Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education, Master's or equivalent graduate degree, may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.
• To be hired at the GS-11 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
  • One (1) year of experience independently performing duties involved with interpreting and applying professional accounting and auditing knowledge, standards and principles to assist in the planning, development and execution of audits related to financial management, operations, systems or performance audits. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include performing or advising on work consisting of a systematic examination and appraisal of financial records, financial and management reports, management controls, policies and practices affecting or reflecting the financial condition and operating results of an activity; Assisting in developing or modifying audit plans, programs, and techniques in dealing with audit problems; analyzing policies, procedures, internal controls, and activities; conducting operations audits to develop recommendations for improved economy and efficiency which results in cost avoidance or effects cost reduction. OR
  • Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.

• To be hired at the GS-12 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
  • One (1) year of experience conducting professional audits using the standards, theories, concepts, and practices of auditing, management, and accounting. Work conducting professional audits may include the following types of tasks: Analyzing an organization's accounting systems and operations to determine the degree of regulatory compliance and adherence to accounting principles or management practices of the function being audited; performing audits to determine the adequacy of internal controls and their operational effectiveness; writing reports of audit findings and conducting presentations to identify deficiencies and recommendations for improvements; or preparing audit plans, approaches and guidelines to examine a function or program using various audit techniques such as interviews, systems data gathering and statistical analysis.

GS 12 and above: Education is not substitutable for specialized experience at this grade level.

This position is developmental and selections may be made at the GS-7, GS-9, or GS-11 entry grade levels only. Once eligibility and qualification requirements are met, selectees will be eligible for promotion at management discretion to the GS-9, GS-11, and GS-12 grade levels without further competition.

Volunteer Experience: 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 to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You may qualify for consideration if meeting time-in grade, specialized experience, education requirement, 90 days after competitive appointment requirement, and all other qualification requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the announcement, unless otherwise indicated on the announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IMPORTANT NOTE - YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. ERRORS OR OMISSIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR RATING.

You will be evaluated on how well your qualifications, as demonstrated in your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses on the application, meet the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

DFAS recognizes the value of competencies gained through formal education and professional certifications. To ensure that consistent credit is given for these credentials in the selection process, DFAS has developed standard selection criteria to be used when filling positions in professional and administrative series. Selections for professional and administrative positions will be based on four categories of selection criteria: Experience, Other, Education, and Certifications.

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Resume: A two-page maximum resume is required. Applicant guidance on the two-page resume requirement may be found at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ or at http://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit. Your resume must demonstrate the quality of your work as it relates to the experience requirements outlined in the job announcement.
2. Transcripts and/or Certifications: All applicants to include current agency employees, must submit proof of education if the job announcement requires education to meet the basic qualification requirements, or if substituting education to meet the specialized experience requirements. For additional information on acceptable documents, click here Transcripts and Certifications. All applicants to include current agency employees/contractors must also document your education and/or certifications in your resume. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Other Supporting Documents.
The following supporting documents are ONLY required if applicable to your personal qualifications or status. They must be received by the closing date of the announcement
1. SF-50: Current and former federal employees, including those currently working for the agency, must submit their SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) reflecting their highest grade held on a permanent basis for at least 52 weeks, tenure, and appointment type. Failure to provide this document may result in disqualification.
2. Cover Letter: You may submit a cover letter which will be forwarded to the selecting official with your resume. Your cover letter will not be used to verify your qualifications or eligibility.
3. Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified up to and including the full performance level. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.
4. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist.
5. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist.
6. Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference. Click here to obtain a copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by 11:59 PM (EST) , 02/11/2026 or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded, or faxed is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

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