The Accountant is responsible for the detailed and efficient operation and control of day-to day fiscal activities at the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS). The incumbent must be experienced in applying professional concepts and methodologies as well as knowledgeable in functional program characteristics and requirements.

Duties

*** Bargaining Position *** The Accountant provides analysis and technical expertise for accounting matters to the Chief Accountant, Fiscal Officer, and upper management. The incumbent is responsible for the completion of miscellaneous or special assignments from local management as well as VISN and/or VACO financial management. Provides guidance and assistance to lower graded accountants, accounting interns and technicians in the resolution of complex problems (i.e. making inquiries into the accounting databases, advising on propriety of funds, preparation of accounting adjustments, and review of monthly status reports.), the interpretation of written guidelines, and similar technical matters. The incumbent reviews the most difficult monthly status reports and general ledgers, resolves recurring problems in the reconciliation of reports and insures that internal operating procedures are in compliance with the Internal Control policies. Coordinates with specialists in other units of the Comptroller and affected health care center services to develop corrective approaches to problem situations. Resolves propriety questions, outstanding ULO balances and coordinates with budget analysts on receiving timely/accurate documents to provide interpretation on preparing accounting documents. Fiscal offices and paying offices are contacted to resolve variances in the payment records and to get information on inactive ULO balances. The account offices coordinate with the incumbent on a monthly basis to resolve report questions. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad-hoc Available Virtual: This is not a virtual/remote position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PDHA740-00496-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/11/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements: 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 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 You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include knowledge of accounting principles, theories concepts and practices as well as related financial accounting regulations, policies and procedures to assure the effective operation of source document processing; knowledge of the functional areas in accounting and the various appropriations in order to provide guidance to the budget activities in the certification process and to lower graded accountants and technicians on document processing and areas to contact for further research; knowledge of the automated accounting systems, local procedures and management reports to review regulatory status reports and to provide advice to supervisors and accountants in the design or modification of new or changed reports; skill in oral and written communication is required to present and defend recommendations to higher management and develop operating procedures for lower graded accountants, technicians and support personnel. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in the related field of the position to be filled. (Transcript Required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond the first 2 years. (Transcript Required) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accounting Accounting Operations Financial Systems Internal Controls Principles of Accounting 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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/.

Education

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

If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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 here: 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://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA TX Valley Coastal Bend HCS 2601 Veterans Drive Harlingen, TX 78550 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]