Summary This vacancy is for a GS - 0510 - 7/9/11, Accountant located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, USCG FINANCE CENTER. . Responsibilities You will serve as a/an Accountant and be responsible for for performing a variety of accounting duties, utilizing a professional knowledge of accounting principles and procedures in carrying out assignments. Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team. Typical work assignments include: Formulating a variety of financial reports. Devising accounting structures and procedures to satisfy regulatory or legislative changes; assisting management in applying financial data and recommending alternatives to resolve difficult problems; advising management on regulatory requirements and changing program operations. Reconciling cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other general ledger accounts; correcting all differences between the subsidiary ledger balances and the control account balances in the general ledger. Providing accounting information and guidance to program officials; developing a segment of an automated accounting system; preparing procedural instructions for the development or implementation of automated accounting systems. Reviewing, analyzing, and validating domestic and/or foreign business industry financial and statistical data. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Do NOT include the following @types of information in your resume: Social Security Number (SSN) Date of Birth (DOB) Photos of yourself (if included on your resume you will not be considered for this position) Personal information: such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. Key Requirements: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for Public Trust as a condition of placement into this position. This may include e.g. a credit check after initial job qualifications are determined, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs". Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov A one-year probationary period may be required. This not a Bargaining Unit position. Time-in-Grade requirement must be met by the closing date of the vacancy. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit. Qualifications Basic Requirements: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience or substitution of education for experience or combination (if applicable) in order to be found minimally qualified. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements: EDUCATION: 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 oneof 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 To qualify at the GS-07 grade level, applicants must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the federal sector. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. Specialized experience must include the following: Use of automated accounting systems to find. Review or change accounting data in automated files of transactions, ledgers, accounts. Summary reports and financial statements. AT THE GS-9 LEVEL: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level (in the federal sector).Specialized experience must include the following: Use of automated accounting systems to find. Review or change accounting data in automated files of transactions, ledgers, accounts. Summary reports and financial statements. Providing required reports which analyzes transactions/accounts or quality of incoming and outgoing work. Validating the accuracy of the interface data to/from the official accounting systems. OR at least one of the following if using education to qualify at this grade level: (A) Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR (B) 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education, if related; OR (C) A law degree such as an LL.B. or J.D, if related; OR(D) A combination of education and experience which together totals 100%. AT THE GS-11 LEVEL: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level (in the federal sector).Specialized experience must include the following: Use of automated accounting systems to find. Review or change accounting data in automated files of transactions, ledgers, accounts. Summary reports and financial statements. Providing required reports which analyzes transactions/accounts or quality of incoming and outgoing work. Validating the accuracy of the interface data to/from the official accounting systems. Working with small business accounting systems, (i.e. payroll, purchases, sales); data trend analysis; developing instructional procedures for use by others involving accounting procedures. OR at least one of the following if using education to qualify at this grade level:(A) Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR(B) 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.(C) A combination of education and experience which together totals 100%.Combining experience and education: Experience and education combinations are computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the total of qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at that grade level. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. NOTE: Education can be substituted for experience at this grade level. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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, religious, 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 (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule, C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Education This position does have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here Additional Information Any Offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. E-Verify DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. Fair Chance Act The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to alfreda.y.jefferson@uscg.mil. Suitability Statement If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Shared Certificates Statement Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Special Employment Consideration The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. Recruitment incentives may be authorized. If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s).All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit. If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact alfreda.y.jefferson@uscg.mil. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation
