Supervisory Accountant

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Department of State employees within the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS) and CTAP employees only.

• Establishes and maintains worldwide accounting systems and policies.
• Resolves technical accounting and financial management problems; and provides expert advice on allotment account issues and problems.
• Communicates and renders interpretations of Departmental and Government accounting policies, priorities, requirements, and guidelines.
• Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignments and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised.
• Evaluates worldwide allotment accounting operations and takes necessary actions to ensure effective and efficient implementation of worldwide Allotment Accounting responsibilities.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F.

All applicants MUST meet one of the basic qualification requirements described below for this position:

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

A. Applicants must have a degree from an accredited college or university in accounting and/or auditing 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 and/or auditing. (The 24 semester hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law);

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: Have 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

AND meet 1, 2 or 3 below:

1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses. (This can include up to 6 hours of business law.)

2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor obtained through a written examination.

3. Have at least 4 years of experience in accounting AND 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 described in paragraph A above, AND (a) have 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 determined that I have 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 above; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, my education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination OR panel recommendation that includes all the requirements as described under Combination of Education and Experience #3 above by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic qualification requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

• Experience providing leadership and program oversight in the allotment accounting operation for the organization.
• Experience using the theories, concepts, principles and practices of accounting and financial management in order to analyze and resolve accounting issues.
• Experience preparing statements for accounting activities, ensuring effective use of financial automated systems.

In addition, applicant's experience must also demonstrate that the candidate possesses the following qualities:

• Ability to assign, review, and supervise the work of others;
• Objectivity and fairness in judging people on their ability, and situations on the facts and circumstances;
• Ability to adjust to change, work pressures, or difficult situations without undue stress;
• Willingness to consider new ideas or divergent points of view; and
• Capacity to "see the job through."

How you will be evaluated

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

The evaluation process consists of the ApplyGov Competency Based Assessments for which applicants will be assigned a score between 70 and 100.  A resume review by subject matter experts will be conducted for the top qualified candidates based on total score.  Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.  

You will be assessed on the following job-related competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):  

Supervisory: Oral Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Customer Service, Leadership, Planning & Evaluating, Influencing/Negotiating, Strategic Thinking, Human Capital Management.] 

Set aside at least 2 hours to take the external assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. There are timed sections that must be completed within the allotted timeframe.

Your score from the external assessment (i.e., Supervisory) will remain on file for 180 days, allowing you to apply for multiple DOS-announced positions without needing to retake the assessments.

Top applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. The assessment is used to measure the degree in which your background matches the competencies and KSAs required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies: 

• Knowledge of researching and interpreting US laws and regulations related to accounting / auditing procedures.
• Skill in developing and applying financial management techniques.
• Ability to assess and/or contribute to the development of accounting systems.
• Knowledge of financial analysis and evaluation techniques.
• Ability to perform personnel supervisory duties.

Resume review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).  If meeting basic qualifications through education only or a combination of education and experience, applicants will not be referred to the SME panel but will be reviewed by the HR Specialist for referral. 

Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.  Qualified non-competitive candidates must be deemed best qualified based on the applicant assessment in order to be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview. 

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application may result in your removal from consideration. 

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

1. Resume limited to two pages showing relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours per week worked/volunteered. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must support your answers to the completed online assessment questions. Resumes longer than two pages will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered further.

2. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education.  See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

3. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable.  See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information. 

4.  Most recent SF-50s (Notification of Personnel Actions), if you are a current eligible DOS employee (per 3 FAM 2313.4(a)(5)), including current employees applying under a non-competitive hiring authority. The SF-50s must show: effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information (e.g., promotion, within-grade increase, and separation SF-50s). Award SF-50s often do not show the required information. 

5.  Performance appraisal, strongly encouraged for current eligible DOS employees. Submit a copy of your most recent (i.e., usually within the last 18 months) final (i.e., not a mid-year review) official (i.e., signed by the rating official and in original format) annual performance appraisal for the hiring manager’s consideration. If a performance appraisal is not available, you may provide a statement and/or a statement from your supervisor explaining the reason one is not available and your servicing HR Office contact information (name, email address, phone number).

Note: You may be requested to provide an appraisal to the hiring official if one was not provided with your application.  To receive a promotion, the employee’s most recent performance rating must be “fully successful” or an equivalent level or higher. Employees who are tentatively selected to receive a promotion will be required to provide performance documentation within two business days of request. Servicing HR Offices may be contacted to verify performance ratings.

6.  Non-competitive hiring authority eligibility documentation, if applicable. If you are a current eligible DOS employee applying under a non-competitive hiring authority (e.g, FS tenured employees, USUN reinstatement eligibles, Schedule A), you must submit proof of non-competitive eligibility with your application.  For information related to Schedule A hiring authority for individuals with disabilities visit OPM’s hiring information site.  

7.  CTAP documentation, if applicable (e.g., reduction-in-force (RIF) separation notice, certification of expected separation, etc.).  In addition submit a copy of your current (or last) performance rating of record which must be at least fully successful or equivalent and submit all required documents listed above that apply to you (e.g., resume, transcripts, SF-50, etc.).

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