Supervisory Accountant

Summary

Serves as Supervisory Accountant/Asst Director within the VBA Finance Center under the Center Director. The VBAFC provides financial management support services for the VA Benefit Programs. These services include providing accounting, budget, financial advisory services, and financial management oversight for these operations. Responsible for managing complex activities involved with mandatory and discretionary funding.

Learn more about this agency

Help

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

03/25/2024 to 03/29/2024

• Salary

$136,414 - $177,341 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 14

• Help

Location

2 vacancies in the following location:

• Hines, IL

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

Occasional travel

• You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -

• Work schedule

Full-time -

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

None

• Job family (Series)

0510 Accounting

• Supervisory status

Yes

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

High Risk (HR)

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

201-HIN-12363274-24-CBW

• Control number

783260700

Help

This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent Finance Center at Hines, IL employees and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible.

Help

Duties

Specific duties include:

• Manages the operations of the VBAFC and performs a full range of supervisory duties

• Oversees development of statistical data and other information useful to higher-level management in determining which goals and objectives to emphasize, and develop long-range strategies to accomplish those goals and objectives.

• Oversees the accounting financial systems and processes for both mandatory and/or discretionary programs/funds under VBAFC's purview to include benefit and administrative programs, systems, and processes.

• Key technical expert and lead in policy, procedure development, and accuracy of VBAFC reports, reconciliations, and quality assurance programs.

• Oversees and ensures the accuracy and maintenance of the VBA benefit payment program official accounting records, general ledger, and subsidiary accounts reconciliation.

• Provides expert advice on the interpretation of accounting regulations and the impact of new legislation or program initiatives pertaining to the Center and benefit or administrative accounting operations.

• Provides comprehensive financial advice and assistance to the VBAFC Director on all issues pertaining to the Center and VA benefit or administrative accounting operations.

• Establishes and maintains internal controls in accordance with OMB, GAO, and VA/VBA guidelines and ensures controls are enforced and effective in preventing fraud, waste, and abuse.

• Promotes and leads organizational change, leveraging its impact / develops plans to convert strategic goals into actions.

• Strategically manages resources throughout the Center to ensure high performance, greater public accountability, and customer satisfaction.

• Assesses, analyzes, acquires, and administers, personnel, financial, and information resources in a manner that instills public trust and accomplishes the organization's mission.

• Uses technology and qualitative and quantitative analytical methodologies and critical thinking, to enhance processes and decision-making required to provide day-to-day management and oversight

• Promotes acceptance of proposals and recommendations; negotiates and influences the acceptance of VA benefit payment financial policies and procedures

• Participates in formal and informal management sessions to include policy reviews, advisory boards, committees

• Possesses a mastery of the theories, practices, techniques, of Government-wide principles , and skill in applying this knowledge to the independent development of financial and accounting policies, ,procedures, and large and complex systems.

• Plans develops, and installs fiscal and accounting policies, systems, and procedures

• Presents analyses and alternatives to Program Managers and top agency executives on which to base decisions affecting Veterans, service persons, and their beneficiaries both in the short and long terms.

• Possesses strong oral and written skills to provide leadership guidance and make presentations and reports to higher management in a clear, concise, and logical manner.

• Uses sound judgment and make decisions in relatively short time frames and often under extreme pressure

• Sets priorities and reviews work daily, assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, level of difficulty, and capabilities or expertise.

• Interviews candidates, handles promotion, or reassignment to positions, develops performance plans for staff, and evaluates work performance of subordinates,

• Mediates complaints from subordinates, effects minor disciplinary measures, and recommends other action in more serious cases

• Identifies and provides for the development and training of employees

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00am

• 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Available

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Accountant;PD#41706-0

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• You may be required to serve a probationary period

• Subject to background/security investigation

• [INCLUDE IF POSITION IS SUPERVISORY] Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:03/29/2024.

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.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS-14 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Incumbent requires a thorough knowledge of directing and supervising the financial system functions in support of benefit programs as they relate to financial information. The incumbent is responsible for leading an effective financial management support services to include accounting, financial reporting, voucher examining, payments, budget, financial advisory services, and financial management oversight for these operations. The incumbent is assigned authority in management of activities involved with assuring the integrity of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) financial accounting, reporting, systems, and the administration and budget functions of the VBAFC. The incumbent is responsible for managing complex activities involved with both Mandatory and Discretionary funding. This includes the VBA Finance Center's General Operating Expense (GOE), VA Benefit Payment, Post-Payment, Reporting, Customer Support, Systems, and Quality Assurance programs as they directly affect the worldwide Veteran population and 57 VA Regional Offices throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Assignments require independent decision-making capability on complex financial and administrative issues. Decisions and recommendations are often subjective and are based on independent reasoning and various financial directives. Assignments consist of systematic reviews and analysis of significant VBA initiatives which are critical components of VBA's overall business. They require a mastery of many subjects and methodologies including project planning, resources, staffing, controlling tracking, progress and reporting, and risk management and analysis. Assignments normally contain two or more of these elements and involve working with and obtaining the support of persons from within and outside of VBA.
• IOR: 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.")

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; 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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Read more

• Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants who do not fully address the specialized experience needed for the position (as described above in the job announcement) in their resume will not be referred for consideration.

After you have met the minimum qualifications, you will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

• ACCOUNTING: Knowledge of traditional accounting practices including accrual, obligations, and costs methods
• ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT: Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production
• DECISION MAKING: Specifies goals and obstacles to achieving those goals, generates alternatives, considers risks, and evaluates and chooses the best alternative in order to make a determination, draw conclusions or solve a problem.
• HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: Empowers people by sharing power and authority; develops lower levels of leadership by pushing authority downward and outward throughout the organization; shares rewards for achievement with employees; ensures that staff are appropriately selected, utilized, appraised, and developed, and that they are treated in a fair and equitable manner
• LEADERSHIP: Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors
• ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT: Knowledge of the principles of organizational development and change management theories, and their applications
• PLANNING AND EVALUATING: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes
• COMMUNICATION: Effectively express information to multiple audiences through clear dissemination of information and ideas. Prepare written reports/briefs on major projects/duties to both internal and external customers and leadership

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.