Auditor (Forensic Accountant) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-CFPB-28-P Department Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Salary $128,117.00 to $182,344.00 Grade 53 to 53
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/27/2024 Close Date 12/11/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in Enforcement in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Enforcement's mission is to aggressively and consistently enforce Federal consumer financial laws to protect consumers from harm, including by partnering with other federal and state agencies.



This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

U.S Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior federal experience is required.

Duties

As an Auditor (Forensic Accountant), you will:

  • Plan and conducts forensic financial investigations. Compiles, analyzes, and assesses complex financial, non-financial, and operational data, and provides advice to litigators and investigators regarding investigational approaches and techniques.
  • Analyze data to trace assets and chain of custody, identify fraud, and understand market data.
  • Adapt or develop computerized applications to assist in analysis and presentation of financial evidence.
  • Conduct financial/economic analyses in different contexts, including quantifying harm to consumers, conducting restitution analyses, and valuation of businesses, including assessing the financial condition of the entity.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

This opportunity is also open to Status Candidates under announcement 25-CFPB-27-MP. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply.

Key Requirements:
  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with CFPB. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow CFPB to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized Experience for CN-53:

To qualify at CN-53, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade/band (CN-52, GS-12 or equivalent). For this position specialized experience is defined as:
  • Compiles, analyzes, and assesses financial, non-financial, and operational data to identify trends, anomalies, and patterns to prove violations of law; AND
  • Evaluating and summarizing financial statements, tax filings, bank statements, and other information to detect discrepancies; AND
  • Prepares visual summaries of financial and other data to be used as evidence for administrative or civil litigation proceedings and provides either written or oral testimony; AND
  • Analyzes and assesses an individual's and/or entity's financial condition in context of enforcement actions and litigation.
Education: This position has a positive education requirement. In addition to the specialized experience, you must have the following:

A bachelor's degree in accounting or auditing, or in a related field such as business administration, finance or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting/auditing (which may include up to 6 semester hours of business law);

OR

At least 4 years of experience in accounting/auditing, or an equivalent combination of experience, college-level education and training that provided professional accounting/auditing knowledge. To qualify on this basis, your background must include one of the following:

1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses (which may include up to 6 hours in business law); or
2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
3. Completion of a degree that included substantial coursework in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement, provided that (a) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing or a related field such as valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have demonstrated a 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 above; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement for 24-semester hours in accounting/auditing, your education, training and experience fully meet the specified requirements.


The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

Education Requirements:

A bachelor's degree in accounting or auditing, or in a related field such as business administration, finance or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting/auditing (which may include up to 6 semester hours of business law). OR

At least 4 years of experience in accounting/auditing, or an equivalent combination of experience, college-level education and training that provided professional accounting/auditing knowledge. To qualify on this basis, your background must include one of the following:

1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses (which may include up to 6 hours in business law); or
2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
3. Completion of a degree that included substantial coursework in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement, provided that (a) you have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing or a related field such as valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that you have demonstrated a 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 above; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement for 24-semester hours in accounting/auditing, your education, training and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
  • This is a bargaining unit position. The Union that represents CFPB employees is the National Treasury Employees Union ("NTEU"), Local Chapter 335.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  • Bureau employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions, which applicants may review at www.oge.gov. In addition, employees must comply with the Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (5 CFR 9401), which, among other things, prohibit an employee or the employee's spouse or minor child from owning or controlling a debt or equity interest in an entity supervised by the Bureau. Regulations also impose restrictions on the outside activities of certain Bureau employees, including examiners and attorneys. Applicants may review the Bureau ethics regulations and a summary of the regulations at www.consumerfinance.gov. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Bureau Ethics Office at EthicsHelp@cfpb.gov.

CFPB uses an experience-based process to set pay for employees. Experience is evaluated and credited using the employee's résumé. To ensure that all of your prior work experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, details, part-time, self-employment, secondary jobs, etc.) is considered and accounted for, please ensure that your résumé covers the following:
  • your entire work history with specific start and end dates (MM-DD-YYYY) provided for each listed position
  • hours worked per week for each position
  • degrees and the dates conferred (MM-YYYY)
Part-time experience will be credited pro-rata based on a 40-hour work week, while work of 32 hours or more will be rounded up to full-time experience. If you have multiple positions that have overlapping start and/or end dates, only 40 hours of experience will be credited for a given work week. Refer to Resume Tips for more information on how to submit a comprehensive résumé. See information on our base pay ranges and salary structure.

Our comprehensive benefits are among the most generous in the federal government. They include:- Challenging and rewarding work benefiting American consumers - Opportunities for development and advancement- Comprehensive Federal health, vision, dental, life, and long-term care insurance programs- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201706_cfpb_benefits.pdf

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting: Ana.GuzmanEvans@cfpb.gov
What are criminal history inquiries?

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Accountability, Arithmetic, Attention to Detail, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Mathematical Reasoning, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., résumé, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A (highest quality category), B (middle quality category), or C (minimally qualified category), depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score in the middle category or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents.
Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation. In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.

CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents you must submit in order to be eligible.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:

For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

See our tips on the application process and printable checklist to ensure each step of the application is completed.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

Please review the entire announcement before applying.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

You may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation as part of the job application process if you need one due to a disability, pregnancy; childbirth; or related medical conditions, or religion. Learn more about reasonable accommodations.

If you applied for a job at CFPB and think you may have been subjected to unlawful discrimination related to your application, you have rights. Learn more about raising an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) issue.

  • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
  • Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
  • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
-Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen
-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.

For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed. Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12625035

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
DIVISION OF ENFORCEMENT
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online application is submitted, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your résumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.