Qualifications
To qualify for an Accountant, your resume and supporting documentation must support:
A. Basic Requirement: A Bachelor's Degree or higher in accounting or 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. Applicants MUST submit a copy of their official college transcripts from an accredited educational institution which reflects that an accounting or equivalent degree was conferred and the date conferred. Failure to submit your transcripts may result in lost consideration.
OR
A. 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. Applicants MUST submit a copy of their official college transcripts from an accredited educational institution. Failure to submit your transcripts may result in lost consideration. 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.
AND
B. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and is directly in or related to this position. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, to qualify for the GS-11 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, to qualify for the GS-12 grade level, specialized experience must be at the GS-11 grade level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:
- GS-11 Qualifications: Maintaining the accounting records, and the preparation of financial statements and reports. Evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of daily accounting operations and existing procedures. Assisting in developing procedures and controls that apply to automated financial and/or operational program and/or systems.
- GS-12 Qualifications: Monitoring accounting systems covering assets, liabilities, expenses revenue and capital for business areas; Reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating trial balance and other financial statements to ensure conformance with established agency guidelines; Preparing financial reports or analyses as outputs and developing and implementing business activities that streamline the business activities that support these functions.
C. Education Substitution: GS-11 Qualification ONLY: Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education. See http://ope.ed.gov/accreditaUon/Search.aspx If using education to meet basic qualifications, YOU MUST SUBMIT A TRANSCRIPT as supplemental documentation. To qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you must possess a PH.D. or Equivalent Doctoral Degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PH.D. OR equivalent doctoral degree.
D. Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for grade levels GS-11 may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11.
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.