Accountant

Full Job Description

The Accountant position is assigned to the Centralized Accounting Office (CAO) located in Augusta, GA and provides accounting services to eight VA Medical Centers throughout the Southeast assigned to VISN 7.

The accountant position will provide accounting services to one of the eight facilities and may be expected to provide coverage to any 8 facilities.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/16/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0510 occupational series.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

All applicants must meet one of the following for this position: An accounting degree; 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.") Note to applicant: You must submit transcripts (with conferred date for full degree credit).

OR A combination of education and experience at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge that includes 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.

In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement, you must also qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-9 Specialized Experience: 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: Analyzes and reconciles a variety of accounts and transactions; Applies Federal Accounting regulations, procedures, policies and precedents sufficient to carry out accounting functions; Formulates a variety of routine financial reports and implementing fiscal year-end closing procedures for specific funds; Participates in internal and external audits, systematic internal reviews, quality assurance programs, safety inspections and expenditure of appropriated funds; and Assists in applying financial data and recommending alternatives to resolve unique and difficult problems.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree where such education/coursework demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position (Accounting/Finance).

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 1 year of graduate-level education.

GS-11 Specialized Experience: 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: Analyzes accounting systems or modifies and adapts conventional accounting and analytical techniques to solve a variety of accounting problems; Develops or modifies methods and techniques to resolve a variety of auditing problems; Plans, coordinates, and conducts audits and develops reports on working processes and accounting systems; Uses financial computer systems, such as the Financial Management System (FMS), and Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP); and Performs monthly reconciliation of subsidiary record balances with the applicable General ledger balances and ensure corrections are made.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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 a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

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/.

Major Duties:

Duties may include but are not limited to: Assists in administration of an accounting system designed to track, reconcile, and report on agency-administered programs and/or appropriations for which the agency has legislative oversight responsibility.

Provides advice and assistance within the Centralized Accounting Office (CAO) to Accountants, Accounting Technicians and Accounts Receivable Technicians as well as to control point clerks and officials throughout the medical Center.

Resolves and corrects complex and unique accounting problems. Acts as an internal auditor of the programs included in the CAO.

Participates in vulnerability assessments, systematic internal reviews, quality assurance programs, safety inspections, control point audits and may other program audits involving cost obligation and receivable accounting systems.

Performs the monthly reconciliation of subsidiary record balances with the applicable General Ledger Balances and ensures corrections are made within the allocated timeframes.

Serves as training instructor along with the supervisor, and other accountants within the office for fund control point contact and ADP coordinators for all facilities in VISN 7.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

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: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (subject to change based on agency needs) Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD01677A and PD16386A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized