As a Accountant you will: work within the Finance Section of the Support Services Division of the New York VA Regional Office (VARO) and is responsible for maintaining, analyzing and evaluating accounting reports and records.

Duties

Examines, certifies and audit vouchers submitted for payment, while assessing compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Ability to communicate either by phone or correspondence with veterans, fiduciary, other offices with inquiry results. Prepares fiscal, administrative, and other statistical reports as deemed appropriate and/or as required and serves on such other projects as directed. Responds to inquiries from Congressional Offices, Regional Counsel and Office of IG. Must have a thorough understanding of the various benefit programs and the payment procedures and regulations applicable to each program administered by the Department. Independently performs reviews for accuracy and consistency of data such as audits, debts, and reimbursement. Ensures that recurring reports are accurately complied and completed on time Provides technical advice to all Regional Office employees on complex and unusual benefit award adjustments, special payment issues, and accounts receivable actions on the applicable computer applications. Ability to use specific VA computer applications, in additions to Microsoft Excel, Word and other electronic database applications. Performs accounting reviews and payment function checks for discrepancies and advises management with proposes plans to prevent future unassociated funds situations. Provides administration support to management staff for personnel management, budget administration, procurement, and other financial related activities. Serve as subject matter expert in all areas of the Financial Operations section. Oversee the work of the Financial Specialist and ensures appropriate separations of duties are in place and the financial integrity of the regional office is maintain and upheld. Develops procedures and coordinates activities across functional lines with other divisions, Regional Offices, service organization, and with other government departments or agencies. Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse. Responsible for planning, organizing, assigning, and reviewing the work performed within the Operations area. Must be well versed in all facets of the financial and general operating procedures for the Regional Office, which requires substantial technical and managerial expertise. Serves as a Certifying Official authorizing all financial transactions, adjustments, and Collections. Ability to conduct the most detailed audits and analysis. - Skilled in completing oral and written presentations that are clear, concise, and logical. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#:GS07 PD# 37357A, GS09 PD# 37538A,GS11 PD# 37347A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENT: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) 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. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Must include 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; OR (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) 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; AND (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. Specialized Experience GS-07 To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves: Experience with the basic accounting and budgetary methods and procedures, experience using and inputting data into financial systems, and experience assisting in the preparation of financial statements and reports. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business administration, finance, or public administration. OR Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience GS-09: To qualify at the GS-09 level, applicants must have One year of specialized experience which was equivalent to the (GS-07) level. Specialized experience is defined as professional working experience that would typically include: Experience with the basic accounting and budgetary methods and procedures, experience using and inputting data into financial systems, and experience assisting in the preparation of financial statements and reports. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business administration, finance, or public administration. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level and demonstrate the specialized experience as described for the GS-09 level, at an advanced level. In addition, the applicant must also demonstrate specialized experience to include reconciling accounts, validating a variety of accounting data, which is then entered into an accounting system or systems; ability to manipulate excel proficiently with large data pools; ability to clearly, concisely and proficiently convey analytical findings to various levels of lower level and upper level management of the agency. OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business administration, finance, or public administration. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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 New York Regional Benefit Office 245 W Houston St New York, NY 10014 US
• Name: Marvina Tall
• Phone: 313-596-7255
• Email: [email protected]