Summary
The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is in the Office of Finance and Accounting (OF&A). The Office of Finance and Accounting is responsible for the integrity of the SI's internal controls; financial policies and procedures; and the planning, directing, and managing of its accounting and financial services programs.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This position is open to all U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.
Note: Federal employees with permanent status or individuals eligible for special appointing authorities may also apply to Job Announcement #24R-ST-310475-MPA-OF&A
More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Duties
The supervisory accountant is responsible for the overall management of the General Accounting and Reporting Team that prepares federal accounting data, records, and reporting. The position is responsible for federal reporting in Treasury systems such as GTAS, CARS, TROR, etc in accordance with OMB and Treasury guidance. The position supports the production of the federal parts of the Smithsonian financial statement and reporting along with audit support.
In this position, you will:
- Performs all the major aspects of a supervisor. Functions as a senior advisor responsible for providing professional advice and guidance to senior management and unit level personnel regarding complex accounting issues and financial reporting needs.
- A professional knowledge of generally accepting accounting principles, procedures, and practices especially related to non-profit accounting and /or US federal accounting.
- Provides professional advice and guidance to the Director and senior managers on difficult and controversial problems and issues; advises managers on programmatic issues regarding their organizations.
- Demonstrates expertise in analyzing and reconciling financial accounts and in developing and preparing reports in response to specialized reporting needs.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
- May need to complete a Probationary Period
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
- Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
Conditions of Employment
Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.
Qualifications
Basic Qualification Requirements:
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:
- Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; or
- 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.
You must submit a copy of your unofficial college transcripts, certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor for verification in order to be considered.
In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience as described below:
GS-14 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as supervising and/or leading a staff performing accounting operation activities; preparing annual financial statements for audit review by an independent accounting firm and for publishing in an agency/organizational report; resolving unprecedented issues, independently interpreting policies, regulations, procedures and implementing policies based on the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
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.
Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Education
There is no education substitution for Specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants for this position may be evaluated in multiple stages. The first stage is an evaluation of your responses to the online multiple-choice questions that assess your experience, education, and/or training for the job related competencies below:
- Skill in managing, leading, directing, and supervising staff towards meeting an organization’s program requirements.
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and financial regulations, procedures, and budget processes.
- Ability to communicate verbally to advise management on complex financial and managerial accounting methods and procedures.
- Ability to communicate in writing to prepare comprehensive reports that present financial or research findings.
Applicants who meet or exceed minimum qualifications will be assigned to one of three category groups based on job-related criteria:
- Best Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and excels in most of the job related competencies above.
- Better Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and satisfies most of the job related competencies above.
- Good Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but does not satisfy most of the job related competencies above to a substantive degree.
This category rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three", but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. A selecting official may make selections from the highest quality category (Best Category) provided no preference eligible in that category is passed over to select a non-preference eligible in that category unless the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 3317(b) or 3318(b) are satisfied. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. Applicants who have not submitted a resume in the USAjobs system and/or have not answered all of the vacancy questions will not be considered for this position.
Important Note:
Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide sufficient information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
Your application package should include the following documents:
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Resume - Your resume can be uploaded and attached to your application or created using the USA Jobs on-line resume builder. Ensure your resume contains the job title (including the occupational series and grade if it is Federal), job-related qualifications, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary for each employment period. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is submitted. Failure to include this information may result in disqualification for the position.
For assistance with creating a resume, please click here.
- Proof of Veteran's Preference - DD214 (Member 4 Copy), if you are a veteran. Additionally, applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, as well as additional documentation required by the SF-15, such as a VA letter.
- Unofficial school transcripts, if the position has an education requirement or if you are using education to qualify. If selected for the position, you must provide an official transcript before appointment.
- Proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study, if applicable.
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A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination, if applicable.
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
Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note:
- You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you).
- You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process.
- The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
- If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
Next steps
At the end of the application process you will be able to create and save a PDF file that contains your responses to the assessment questions. You may save this file as initial receipt of your application. After the job announcement closes, you will receive an email from the Smithsonian with confirmation of receipt. The Smithsonian receives many applications for each job. Each application is reviewed carefully which may take a few weeks. We will send you an e-mail to update you as we go through phases of the application review process. You may also check your application status by logging into www.usajobs.gov and selecting the tab "My USAJOBS;" e-mailing vacancy.info@si.edu; or by contacting the Office of Human Resources Representative listed. Additional Information:
- Tips on applying for Smithsonian jobs are available at https://www.si.edu/OHR/howtoapply.
- The Smithsonian does not pay relocation expenses but recruitment incentives may be authorized.
- The Smithsonian embraces diversity and equal employment opportunity (www.si.edu/oeema).
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