Clarification from the agency

All US Citizens

In this role as an Investment Company Accountant, you will be responsible for:

• Examining, analyzing, and evaluating financial statements, disclosure, and other financial information included in filings made by registered investment companies (RICs) and business development companies (BDCs) and determining whether these items fully and fairly reflect financial condition and operating results considering U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) requirements and applicable to investment companies under FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 Investment Companies (ASC 946) as well as Regulation S-X and other applicable requirements and guidelines.
• Performing research, data analysis, or targeted reviews of financial statements relevant to current initiatives and market events, trends, or conditions utilizing monitoring and data analysis tools to identify financial reporting issues, valuation or other measurement outliers, potential disclosure deficiencies, or other key metrics for evaluation of disclosure compliance by RICs and BDCs. Preparing memoranda and reports summarizing the results of such examinations and analysis, citing material deficiencies, and communicating and resolving such deficiencies directly with registrants, their counsel, or their accountants.
• Reviewing new registration statements for financial reporting and disclosure compliance, including application of GAAP, particularly with emerging asset classes or unique strategies that may have complex accounting concepts. Additionally, involved in the review of financial information for other registration statements, including those made in connection with investment company mergers and acquisitions.
• Participating in external discussions with registrants, their counsel, accountants, independent auditors, and other experts representing registrants with respect to accounting, auditing, or financial reporting matters raised in review of RIC and BDC filings.
• Participating in internal discussions with the Chief Accountant, Disclosure Assistant Directors, and other staff within the Division and throughout the Commission with respect to, among other things:
• Technical accounting, auditing, or financial reporting concerns arising in the examination and analysis of financial information contained within RIC and BDC filings; and
• Significant or unusual accounting, auditing, or financial reporting concerns regarding emerging asset classes, including hard to value assets, unique derivative instruments, and new or innovative investments, like those in the fintech space, and other novel strategies employed by RICs and BDCs; and
• At times, may be requested to present on accounting topics relevant to RICs or BDCs to staff within the Division or to others throughout the Commission.

Conditions of employment

• CITZENSHIP: You must be a US Citizen.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/)
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
• DRUG TESTING: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
• PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: This appointment may require completion of a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A. Applicants must possess a degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semester hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.--OR--
B. An appropriate combination of education and experience----courses equivalent to a major in economics, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Examples of qualifying experience include individual economic research assignments requiring planning, information assembly, analysis and evaluation, conclusions and report preparation; supervisory or project coordination assignments involving a staff of professional economists, and requiring the evaluation and interpretation of economic information; or teaching assignments in a college or university in economic subjects in combination with one of the following: (1) personal research that produced evidence of results, (2) direction of graduate theses in economics, or (3) service as a consultant or advisor on technical economics problems.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement.

SK-14: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-13 level:
ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information:

Disclosure Guidance and Advice - Applies accounting expertise, and knowledge of industry issues and current topics, to provide guidance and recommendations to others.
Disclosure Examination - Reviews and analyzes disclosure documents in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, accounting principles, standards, and Commission, Division, and Office positions and interpretations to determine compliance with SEC and industry regulations.
Workload Management - Effectively prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes.
Critical Thinking - Considers a variety of factors, general and subject matter-specific, when making decisions and determining next steps in a case.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this announcement.

Your resume and application package will first be reviewed to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements outlined in the announcement. If you are found minimally qualified, the Office of Human Resources will contact you to request an Accomplishment Record. You will have 3 business days from the date of the request to submit it. Failure to submit the Accomplishment Record on time will remove you from further consideration. Because of the short turnaround time, you are strongly encouraged to begin preparing your Accomplishment Record in advance.

Once your Accomplishment Record is received, a rating panel will review both your resume and your narrative responses. Your Accomplishment Record must clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the competencies listed in the Qualifications section.

Click here for guidance on writing your Accomplishment Record.

Your resume must provide evidence that supports the claims in your Accomplishment Record. Each narrative must describe one specific, relevant example from your experience or training. Responses are limited to 300 words per competency; any text beyond this limit will not be reviewed.

You must provide one document containing your narrative responses for all four competencies. Failure to address each competency annotated on the announcement or failure to provide the correct document will result in loss of further consideration. Please note: A Performance Appraisal does not satisfy the requirement for an Accomplishment Record.

Required Accomplishment Record Format:

Applicant First Name and Last Name
Competency Title

• Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained
• Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved)
• Describe the specific actions you took
• State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment
• Name and email address of someone who can verify this information

Reference checks may be conducted as part of the final selection process, and you will be notified before any contacts are made.

Basis for Rating: The rating panel will evaluate applicants' accomplishment records and resume, then place them into one of the following categories:

• Highly Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has extensive skills and experience in most of the job related competencies.
• Well Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has a moderate amount of skills and experience in most of the job related competencies.
• Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but may have a limited amount of experience in several of the job related competencies.

Top ranked applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further review and consideration. The hiring office may directly contact recommended candidates for interview(s).

To preview the Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12969238

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Required: Your responses to the Questionnaire.
• Required: Resume - Resumes should include relevant work experience, with specific employment dates, that demonstrates qualifications for the specialized experience and competencies as outlined above. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position. Resumes that exceed two pages will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration. For resume writing tips, visit USAJOBS and the SEC careers page.
• Required: Unofficial Transcripts/Registration/License - If education is a qualification for this position, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts with your application. If the position requires an active professional license or registration, you must submit a copy with your application. Official documents will be required if selected.
• Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.)
• Required, if applicable: Veteran's Preference Documentation (DD-214, Member Copy 4 or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge. Disabled veterans and other applicants eligible for 10-point Veteran's Preference please include: documentation to validate your claim - VA letter, SF-15, etc).

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