This position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration Finance Center (VBAFC), Hines, Illinois, and is organizationally aligned under the Office of Financial Management, VA Central Office. The incumbent is tasked with providing professional accounting duties and financial management support for the VA Benefit Payment programs and all systems affecting programs supported by the VBA Finance Center to include day-to-day operational and accounting system processing and analysis.

Duties

Responsible for the day-to-day transactions involved in maintenance of an integrated accounting system and resolution of a variety of complex problems which may arise among the various types of accounting records and operations. Maintains accounting journals, general ledgers, trial balances, and Statement of Transaction reports associated with Benefit Payment programs. Responsible for reviewing, extracting, and compiling fiscal data from several source documents and data elements used to update financial records. Maintains necessary controls to ensure financial data transmitted is accurate, scheduled, and recorded for the accounting records to reflect the financial condition of station funds and appropriations. Assists internal control processes and activities for the Center and monitors local internal control procedures. Analyzes VA Benefit program data and accounting systems to identify and implement enhancements and determine how they affect current processes.

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.
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/11/2024. The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's)Individual Occupational requirements and/or group qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found: Here Basic 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; 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. AND Specialized Experience: To qualify at the GS-09 Grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in federal or other service, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Maintaining data within financial data systems; 2) Applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and accounting standards to professional accounting duties; 3) Assisting in preparing and/or auditing financial statements and related reports; 4) Applying laws, regulations and policies when preparing and/or auditing financial statements and reports; AND 5) Compiling and analyzing data for accuracy and compliance with specific accounting requirements. OR GS-09: Applicants may substitute Graduate Education to qualify for grade GS-9. Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university, or two full years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree or education must be in 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. OR Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-9. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level, and earned toward a master's degree, may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first year of study as a percentage of a total of two years of study. Then identify the number of months of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualifying. To qualify at the GS-11 Grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in federal or other services, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Developing spreadsheets to track income and expenses; 2) Assisting with preparing cost estimates, budget forecasts and other accounting reports; 3) Interpreting and applying accounting regulations for an organization or business; 4) Preparing accounting procedures or reports for presentations; AND 5) Implementing and monitoring procedures to ensure policy compliance. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required at the Grade 11 Level: With3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11: To calculate, first identify the percentage of required graduate education you have earned. Note: When substituting, you cannot use the first two years of Graduate studies (The First 36 Semester hours) that you earned. Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience.

Education

An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

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. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address VBA Financial Service Center 5000 S 5TH AVE. Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: HRC-Detroit DEU
• Phone: 313-596-7213
• Email: [email protected]