Accountant

This Accountant position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. The purpose of this position is to preform professional accounting work requiring the application of sound accounting principles, theories, concepts and practices. Key duties: • Major duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Conducts daily examination of various accounting transaction listings, cost reports, financial statements, project fund balances, and work orders to ascertain accuracy and completeness of data. Performs liaison function between local operating elements and the finance office in such matters by gathering and interpreting pertinent data and deriving solutions day-to-day finance and accounting matters in accordance with accounting principles and policies. Researches operating finance and accounting data interprets data and furnishes the data tovarious organizations to be used for guidance in establishing and programming costs and obligations for current and future operations. Manages summary cost accounts verifying validity and accuracy of accounting transactions and data. Prepares and implements supplemental accounting procedures, reports, and modifications to existing procedures as required by regulatory guidance and/or work situations. Directs the assignment of project and cost codes, accounting classification and file maintenance and provides information for transmitting data to appropriate office. Develops, prepares, and revises regulations, information papers, etc., for project and revolving fund accounting control and reporting instructions. Assists in controlling financial operations by controlling obligations and/or expenditures within limitations established by appropriation, allotment, apportionment work allowance, and purposes authorized by public law. Applies a thorough knowledge of the total accounting system and of well established accounting principles, techniques and regulations to process a wide variety of transactions. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: Yes, ADHOC - as determined by the agency policy. Selectee will have to report to a VA facility Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD12821A and PD12820A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/02/2026. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. 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 provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirement You must meet the IOR AND specialized experience to qualify for this position.(IOR): The Accounting Series, 0510 has a minimum qualification entry requirement: 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 one of 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 You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to...Professional, comprehensive knowledge of theories, practices, methods, and techniques of accounting, organizational or program practices, policies, and functions sufficient to independently plan and conduct a variety of assignments and analyze accounting systems; modifies and adapts conventional accounting and analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems....OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree....OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to....Professional, comprehensive knowledge of theories, practices, methods, and techniques of accounting, organizational or program practices, policies, and functions sufficient to independently plan and conduct a variety of assignments and analyze accounting systems; modifies and adapts conventional accounting and analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems; possesses intermediate excel skills (e.g. pivot tables, lookups, and using macros); experienced with MS Office, to include MS Access database (e.g. importing data and updating reference fields); the ability to review work of accounting technicians to assure accuracy and conformity to policy and procedures, and the knowledge and ability to analyze and evaluate current general accounting methods and procedures in terms of adequacy and effectiveness....OR, Education: Applicants may also qualify for this position using their education. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level using education, applicants must have successfully completed 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree...OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of items such as papers and books, View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.