The Insurance Service, which is a Central Office element of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) located in Philadelphia, PA, directs and manages the operation of all VA Government Life Insurance programs. Stakeholder Engagement and Mission Support Staff in Insurance Service, is responsible for the Insurance Program's budget and accounting, oversees enterprise risk management, business system support, stakeholder engagement and strategic communication.

Duties

This position serves as the Lead Accountant for the Insurance Accounting Staff, Stakeholder Engagement Mission Support, VA Insurance Service. Other duties include but are not limited to: Develop and oversee reconciliations between the financial management system(s) and Insurance General Ledger. Provides analysis and advice in the design, adaptation, or installation of automated accounting systems. Prepare internal and external financial reports and perform reviews of insurance financial reports and accounting records to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with accounting standards. Maintain program and administrative reference materials, project files and relevant background documents and make available policies, procedures and written instructions from the supervisor; maintain current knowledge to answer questions from team members on procedures, policies, directives. Identify problem areas and determines actions required to improve operating program effectiveness, ensure the propriety of accounting transaction processing, and maintain the integrity of accounting records and financial information. Participate in decision-making sessions and advises financial managers and program directors on regulatory requirements, financial policies, and data interpretation. Report to the supervisor periodically on team and individual work accomplishments, problems, progress in mastering tasks and work processes, and individual and team training needs. Coach the team in the selection and application of appropriate problem-solving methods and techniques, provide advice on work methods, practices and procedures, and assist the team and/or individual members in identifying the parameters of a viable solution. Coordinate projects, assignments, and training for accounting staff and communicate with leadership on team accomplishments, goals, and expectations.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

Time-in-grade: Applicants who are/were federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. Applicant must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) AND Specialized Experience: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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: Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; 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 coursework 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. AND Specialized Experience (In addition to meeting the IOR): GS-13: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade GS-12 in federal or other service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience: (1) analyzing accounting systems to design new and/or improved systems.; (2) identifying problem areas and determining actions required to improve operating program effectiveness, ensure the propriety of accounting transaction processing, and maintain the integrity of accounting records and financial information; (3) preparing internal and external financial reports and perform reviews of insurance financial reports and accounting records to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with accounting standards. AND; (4) participating in decision-making process and advising financial managers and program directors on regulatory requirements, financial policies, and data interpretation. 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; religions; 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. The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here.

Education

There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.

Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for federal employment. You can verify your education here. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

Contacts

• Address Philadelphia VBA Regional Office 5000 Wissahickon Ave Philadelphia, PA 19144 US
• Name: Ayesha Kelly
• Phone: 726-209-4429
• Email: [email protected]