Accountant

Full Job Description

This position is in the Fiscal Service at the Hudson Valley VA Health Care System.

The accountant is responsible for performing professional accounting work requiring the application of sound accounting principles, theories, concepts and practices at the Hudson Valley VA Health Care System.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/07/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and education as described below: Individual Occupational 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.

Minimum Qualification GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position.

Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: Monitoring expenditures and cash flow; providing budget estimates for normal and special activities; preparing budget requests and justification for funding; using prescribed formulas, schedules, or procedures to calculate or check routine values/numbers; compiling information for preparation of various reports.

OR, Education: Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

(Transcript Required) 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 or superior academic achievement.

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:

Major duties includes but is 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.

Reviews and analyzes programs and procedures related to receiving, validating and recording accounting transactions affecting the asset, liability, expense and revenue accounts of supported activities.

Evaluates General Ledger account balances; analyzes subsidiary ledgers for accuracy and integrity of data and performs necessary research to reconcile account balances.

Directs the assignment of project and cost codes, accounting classification and file maintenance and provides information for transmitting data to appropriate office.

Analyzes and reviews ADP maintenance listings and determines what additions, modifications, and deletions to data base are needed.

Researches operating finance and accounting data interprets data and furnishes the data to various organizations to be used for guidance in establishing and programming costs and obligations for current and future operations.

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, policies and objectives of the accounting system.

Develops, prepares, and revises regulations, information papers, etc., for project and revolving fund accounting control and reporting instructions.

Prepares and implements supplemental accounting procedures, reports, and modifications to existing procedures as required by regulatory guidance and/or work situations.

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.

Manages summary cost accounts verifying validity and accuracy of accounting transactions and data.

Recognizes significant account variances and assists higher level staff in the proper research and reconciliation of all accounting records.

Determines proper work methods and develops work sheets and forms necessary to complete assignments. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm) Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD113830 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized