Systems Accountant

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

• Perform in-depth financial and accounting analyses and testing, and reports on the new systems applications, and various automated accounting and financial applications used by the Financial Services Center (FSC).
• Actively facilitate and participate in planning, development, installation and maintenance of VA's accounting and other financial systems in compliance with VA's policies and procedures, Treasury regulations, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Directives.
• Make highly informed, expert recommendations for improvements as needed by developing specifications for new or existing applications or processes impacting VA's accounting and financial systems.
• Analyze current and/or required accounting systems to design new or improved systems.
• Ensure the accomplishment of projects in the accounting systems oversight area, which involves studying problems, developing solutions, and recommendations for testing and improving programs.
• Prepare instructions and guidance in the implementation and operation of accounting systems to implement new accounting systems and to integrate aspects of former or projected systems.
• The accountant's written communication is well researched and thorough while being clear, logical, accurate and concise. Instructions and communication should provide assistance and consultation on financial accounting systems matters with officials, managers, professionals, and employees within the VA, other agencies, and outside organizations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available with supervisory approval.
Telework: AD-HOC Telework (Situational Telework) available as determined by agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD15292A
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements: This position includes an Individual Occupation Requirement. Individual Occupational Requirements are requirements that must be met, in addition to the specialized experience and/or education requirement. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Individual Occupational Requirement must be reflected in your application materials (resume/transcript).

The Individual Occupational Requirement for this position is:

• 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

• 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) you have 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, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

AND

In addition to the above, you must qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as performing in-depth financial and accounting analysis; participating in planning and development of accounting and financial systems improvements; developing accounting procedures and resolving accounting system problems.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Principles of Accounting
• Financial Analysis
• Compliance
• Communication

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles in Austin,Texas.This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from Austin, Financial Services Center, 7600 Metropolis Dr, Building 5 Austin, TX 78744.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

To be qualified for this vacancy under CTAP/ICTAP, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location), Individual Occupation Requirements and meet the well-qualified criteria below:

• Systems accounting expertise at the GS-12 level or equivalent, including leading in-depth financial/accounting analyses and testing of automated accounting and financial systems, and making expert recommendations to improve VA-scale or similarly complex federal agency financial systems in line with Treasury and OMB requirements.

• Hands-on financial systems development experience, such as helping plan, design, install, and maintain large accounting or financial systems; developing or specifying applications and interfaces (inputs/outputs, flows, decision logic, linkages); and validating, documenting, and implementing new or improved accounting systems for a large organization.

• Demonstrated ability to design or redesign full accounting systems, including analyzing current and required accounting structures, creating complete system designs for large organizations, resolving precedent-setting issues where account structures or programs are new, and preparing implementation instructions and operational guidance.

• Strong consultative and communication skills, shown by experience preparing clear, well-researched written guidance and providing advice and training on financial accounting systems to officials, managers, professionals, and staff across agencies or organizations, including influencing stakeholders who may initially disagree on technical approaches or resource use.

• Proven collaboration and stakeholder engagement, including regular, substantive contact with senior officials, managers, contractors, and counterparts in other federal, state, or local organizations to coordinate on system implementations or changes, resolve complex technical issues, and secure cooperation to improve program operations, funds distribution, and use of manpower and IT resources.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Principles of Accounting
• Financial Analysis
• Compliance
• Communication

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be contacted for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• Transcript

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

IF APPLYING AS A CTAP/ICTAP ELIGIBLE:
You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility for CTAP/ICTAP:

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps