Accountant

This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of Finance (FN), in Arlington VA.

This position’s primary purpose is to support the Office of Finance (FN).

Duties

As an Accountant your typical work assignments may include:

• Performing fund control activities.
• Solving problems in financial reporting and accounting systems.
• Assisting in validating data entered into accounting systems and consolidating for a functional program.
• Identifying and resolving accounting transactions that create overpayments to vendors.
• Performing special audits or reviews to determine reliability and accuracy of the financial information.

Qualifications

The Accountant, GS-510, series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), which must be met for this position in addition to the minimum qualification requirement.

Basic Requirements:

1. 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.”)
2. OR
3. 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:
4. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
5. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
6. 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

In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, applicants must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level. For GS-09, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07. For GS-11, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

You may qualify at the GS-07 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector, which demonstrates ability in: Performing routine accounting tasks such as review and payment of vendor invoices, reconciliations, or maintaining debt accounts; Analyzing financial management information and reports; and Assisting with routine problems involving accounting procedures or systems.

OR Have completed one (1) full academic year of graduate level education in accounting or auditing or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration;

OR meet eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) Provision as listed below and completion of a bachelor’s degree in accounting 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; OR possess a combination of education and experience as described above.

You may qualify at the GS-09 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector, which demonstrates your ability in: Reviewing and analyzing various accounting functions; Performing analysis and reconciliation of a variety of administrative accounts; Identifying and resolving complex accounting transactions; Assisting in validating data entered into accounting systems; Preparing drafts of findings and/or recommendations for review by senior specialists; and Meeting reporting milestones.

OR Master’s Degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree OR 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) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying specialized experience. Specialized 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.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.