Accountant

Clarification from the agency

Recent Graduates: If you completed a qualifying degree, certificate, or industry-recognized credential within the previous two years, you may apply. If you are a veteran who was prevented from applying during the 2-year period due to your military service, you may apply if your degree, certificate, or industry-recognized credential was completed within the last 6 years. Enrolled students: If you will complete your degree requirements by December 31, 2026, you may apply.

This position is in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which provides policy leadership in strategic planning, budgeting and financial management to GSA. As an Accountant, you will:

• Review financial and/or management reports and assist in interpreting trends, spotting abnormal fluctuations and determining and/or recording required adjustments.
• Evaluate reports and data to determine that the effect of transactions are being properly charged to the appropriate user.
• Participate in ensuring that the day-to-day operations of the system or segments thereof are carried out in accordance with accounting principles, policies, and objectives of the accounting system.
• Analyze transactions in terms of their effect on assets, liabilities, and equity of the particular program and direct the correction of errors.
• Serve as a point of contact or reference in the handling of routine problems, either providing solutions derived from the direct application of well-established principles and practices or referring the problem to the supervisor.

Conditions of employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

Qualifications

To evaluate your qualifications, your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience described below. Your resume must not exceed two pages. To ensure your qualifications can be fully evaluated, we recommend including the following information: 

• Name, address, telephone number, email address;

• Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);

• Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement.

• Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts.

Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet experience requirements for each grade level you are applying to. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible.

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-05 salary range starts at $41,400 per year.

The GS-07 salary range starts at $51,283 per year.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.  

Accountant Basic Education Requirement: (you must meet A or B)

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

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; AND; (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.

Refer to OPM’s Accounting Qualification Standard for more information.

To qualify at the GS-05 level

To qualify at the GS-05 level, you need to meet the Accountant Basic Education Requirement listed above.

To qualify at the GS-07 level

To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must meet the Accountant Basic Education Requirement listed above AND at least one of the following:

Specialized Experience: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is work that provided a general knowledge of accounting procedures; review and analysis of prepared financial reports; and responsibility for entering and maintaining subsidiary ledgers; OR

Education Substitution: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate level education (18 semester hours or the equivalent) in accounting and/or auditing, or in a related field such as business administration, finance or public administration; OR

Combination of Education and Experience: combination of graduate level education and appropriate experience that together meet the qualification requirements of this position; OR

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA).  To claim SAA, submit documentation of one of the following:
1.      Class standing -- You must be in the upper third of your graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
2.      Grade-point average (rounded to one decimal point) of:

1. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum; or
2. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during your final 2 years of the curriculum.

3.      Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will use a method called Category Rating to assess your application.  Here’s how it will work:

You will be scored on the questions you answer during the application process, which will measure your possession of the following competencies:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Attention-to-Detail
• Self-Management
• Oral Communication
• Writing
• Technology Orientation
• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Skills
• Teamwork

Your answers to the questions will be used to place you in one of the following categories and standard score ranges:

• Best Qualified = Candidates scoring between 95 - 100 

• Well Qualified = Candidates scoring between 85 - 94  

• Qualified = Candidates scoring between 70 - 84

We will verify your answers to the questions in your resume.  If your resume doesn’t support your answers, we may lower your score, which could place you in a lower category.

Within each category, veterans will receive selection priority over non-veterans.

Additional hurdle assessments, such as narrative responses or other assessments, may be administered to applicants who meet the requirements of the first hurdle, e.g., the minimum qualification requirements. If additional assessments are used, you will be provided with further instructions.

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit.

Resume: Must not exceed two pages. Refer to the Qualifications section for resume requirements.

If you are claiming veterans preference: 
(a)DD-214 that shows your type of discharge, character of service and the dates of your active duty service.

(b) If you are claiming 10-point preference or derived preference (spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a deceased or disabled veteran), you must submit documentation that establishes your entitlement in addition to the DD-214:

• VA disability rating letter or other official documentation (refer to SF-15 for complete list).

• SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference 

Note: If sufficient documentation is provided to establish 10-point preference, preference may be granted based on the supporting documentation even if the SF-15 is not submitted. If selected, a completed SF-15 will be required prior to appointment.

IF YOU ARE:

Active duty military: Certification on a letterhead from your military branch that includes your rank, character of service (must be under honorable conditions) & military service dates including discharge/release date (must be no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted).

Current or former political appointee: Submit SF-50

Currently pursuing a graduate degree, but you are claiming Recent Graduate eligibility based on a previous degree, you must also include those transcripts.

College transcripts: Your transcripts must show a, b, and c:

(a) Proof of recent graduate status (within past 2 years or on track to graduate by DATE; or within past 6 years if you were prevented from applying due to your military service)

(b) Name of your college or university

(c) Date your degree was awarded

Certificate: If you received a certificate from a registered apprenticeship programs, (i.e., Job Corps, Climate Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps) or industry-recognized credential only when awarded from a qualifying career or technical education program. Your certificate must show a, b, and c:

(a) Proof of recent graduate status (within past 2 years or on track to finish by DATE; or within past 6 years if you were prevented from applying due to your military service)

(b) Name of qualifying career or technical education program

(c) Date program was completed

If you completed your education outside of the U.S., see Foreign Education information for guidance on what we can accept.

If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

Superior Academic Achievement: Submit transcripts as described above.  If you qualify based on your class rank or honor society membership, submit documentation of it.

Next steps

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