Summary The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts represents the entire state and its 6.8 million residents. Of the 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the United States and its territories, the District of Massachusetts is one of the busiest, prosecuting a broad range of cases including national security, white collar crime, public corruption, cybercrime, narcotics and money laundering, organized crime and gang violence, and civil rights violations. Responsibilities This Budget Analyst supports the office's financial operations by helping manage funds, process financial transactions, prepare budget information, and maintain accurate financial records. The position also assists with budget planning, financial reporting, audits, and other programs that support the office's day-to-day operations. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Budget Analyst support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, Administrative Division, Finance Unit located in Boston, Massachusetts, focusing in the areas of Budget and Financial Operations, Budget Planning and Funds Management, and Financial Reporting and Program Support. Typical work assignments will include: Preparing and routing local travel vouchers, reviewing travel authorizations and vouchers, and assisting with foreign travel packages. Entering invoices, obligations, amendments, delivery and all other actions into the official financial system. Monitoring and tracking obligations and expenditures for the district. Verifying that obligations and expenditures occur on a timely basis. Gathering and consolidating data for use in compiling a variety of budget requests, audits and reports. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. This position is also being announced to applicants under Merit Staffing procedures under 26-MA-13057903-MP. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing at least three (3) of the four (4) duties listed below: Gathering, extracting, and verifying a variety of financial information and statistical data. Cross-checking the accuracy and consistency of budget and financial program data. Comparing figures in current estimates of funding needs by budget category to verify availability of funds. Preparing financial reports and supporting audits by reviewing records, verifying data, and providing required documentation. OR Education: One (1) full year of graduate level education in a field (e.g., Business Administration, Accounting, Finance Management, Economics, Finance) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position; OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with 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. 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. To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing at least three (3) of the four (4) duties listed below: Monitoring obligations, expenditures, invoices, and available balances to ensure funds are accurate, properly documented, and within approved limits. Analyzing financial and budget data to identify trends, funding needs, errors, or problem areas. Assisting with budget formulation and execution by reviewing funding requests, preparing budget estimates or justifications, and recommending allocation of funds. Reviewing budget and program data for accuracy and preparing financial documentation for audits. OR Education: Two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL. B or J.D., in a related field of study to the position (e.g., Business Administration, Accounting, Finance Management, Economics, Finance). Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. (You must provide supporting transcripts) OR Combination of Experience and Education: Graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first full year can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. (You must provide supporting transcripts) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR 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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. Education If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/ Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.In addition, when reviewing applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant. Additional Information Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Superior Qualification Incentive may be authorized in accordance with applicable regulations. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this Moderate Risk position. This review includes 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
