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U.S. Department of State

Systems Accountant

Charleston, SC

Summary

This position is located in the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS), Deputy Comptroller for Financial Operations, Managing Director for Global Financial Operations (CGFS/F). CGFS establishes financial management policies and management controls for the Department's worldwide financial and monetary operations and ensures adequate systems to produce useful, reliable and timely financial and related programmatic information.

Duties

  • Provides professional accounting skill and expertise in-support of operations of "Help Desk" designed to assist users in the use of automated accounting systems.
  • Provides advice and guidance on the laws, regulations and policies pertaining to accounting matters to the DAS for Global Financial Services, office Directors, Chiefs and to other managers, supervisors, and employees of the Department.
  • De-signs, re-designs and adapts existing automated and manual systems and sub-systems to meet financial needs of the worldwide operations of the Bureaus, offices, and overseas posts of the Department.
  • Performs audits, analyses, and prepares recommendations to deal with such requirements, issues, and problems.
  • Develops accounting models to record different types of processes in the accounting systems with reference to the functionality of different programs, appropriations and changes in laws and regulations.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/
Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application.

All applicants MUST meet one of the basic qualification requirements described below for this position:

BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

A. Applicants must have a degree from an accredited college or university in accounting and/or auditing 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 and/or auditing. (The 24 semester hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law).

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: Have 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 AND meet 1, 2 or 3 below:

1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses. (This can include up to 6 hours of business law.)

2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor obtained through a written examination.

3. Have at least 4 years of experience in accounting AND 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 described in paragraph A above, AND (a) have 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 determined that I have 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 above; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, my education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic qualifications' requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:
  • Experience using the theories, concepts, principles, and practices of accounting and financial management in order to analyze and resolve complex accounting issues.
  • Experience developing and maintaining complex automated subsystems to produce accounting and financial information.
  • Experience presenting findings and recommendations related to accounting systems requirements and deficiencies.
Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination OR panel recommendation that includes all the requirements as described under Combination of Education and Experience #3 above by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position.

Education

See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements.

Additional information
  • For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov.
  • If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.
  • Benefits

    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.

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume will be conducted and compared against your responses to the assessment questions to determine if you are qualified for this job. Note: Responses to questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements, as described in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement, will be assigned to one of three quality categories:
  1. Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
  2. Well Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in some but not all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for the position.
  3. Highly Qualified - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must fully demonstrate proficiency in all of the required competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) for the position.
Highly Qualified applicants may be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) required for this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Ability to assess and/or contribute to the development of accounting systems.
  • Ability to apply laws and regulations related to accounting procedures.
  • Ability to communicate in writing in a manner that is appropriate for a given audience.
  • Knowledge using standard office software (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)
Veterans: Qualified veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10% are listed in the Highly Qualified category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level, or higher. This position is considered scientific/professional. Other 10-point preference eligible and veterans with 5-point preference who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements are placed above non-preference eligible applicants within the category in which they qualify. View information on veterans' preference on OPM's Fed Hire Vets website.

Agency and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP and ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never been a federal employee, you are not CTAP or ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. You must be rated in the Well-Qualified category for this position and submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this job announcement to receive consideration for selection priority.

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Client-provided location(s): Charleston, SC, USA
Job ID: USDep-HRSC/CGFS-2024-0034
Employment Type: Full Time

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Long-Term Disability
  • Parental Benefits

    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Pension
    • Relocation Assistance
  • Professional Development

    • Access to Online Courses
    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Mentor Program

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