Lead Accountant

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.

This announcement has an applicant limit of 150 and will close on the day that 150 applications have been received, at 11:59 PM.

Please read the "How You'll be Evaluated" section for specific details regarding the evaluation process for this job.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR You must possess the Basic Requirement and Specialized Experience Requirement below to be qualified for this position.

Basic Requirement You must possess one of the items listed below (A or B): A.

A degree in 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 (which may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law).

OR B.

A combination of education and experience with 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.

My background also includes one of the following: (1) 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality--including up to 6 hours of business law; (2) a certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; OR (3) completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement, provided that (a) I have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that I have 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 answer A; and (c) except for literal non-conformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, my education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

AND Specialized Experience You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position.

To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following: Manage and oversee advanced accounting functions that involve analyzing, reconciling, and validating large volumes of financial transactions across multiple programs.

Lead teams or projects by setting priorities, assigning tasks, and ensuring work is completed accurately and within deadlines.

Apply expert understanding of accounting principles and cost practices to resolve unusual or complex issues, provide technical guidance, and support decision-making.

Review financial records, reconcile discrepancies between ledgers and subsidiary accounts, and ensure the accuracy of trial balances and journal entries.

Develop and refine procedures that improve financial operations, reduce risk, and strengthen the consistency of reporting and compliance.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience.

In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time.

As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description.

Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment.

The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed.

It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record.

In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website Major Duties:

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY As a Lead Accountant, you will use your knowledge and experience to optimize business results and customer experience by: Responsible for directing, coordinating, and executing complex, high-level accounting and financial operations in support of the Department of Health and Human Services' Program Support Center (PSC) and its customer agencies.

Provides expert functional, technical, and advisory leadership to team members, mentoring junior accountants and other staff on system functionality, ledger management, cost principles, and appropriate accounting practices.

Requires close coordination with financial reporting teams, systems accountants, cost analysts, IT specialists, auditors, and external partners to ensure integrated, compliant, and reliable financial operations.

Serves as a key audit liaison, ensuring accurate, timely responses to internal and external audits, and providing expert guidance on documentation, reconciliations, and process walk-throughs.

Incumbent supports enterprise risk management efforts by contributing to the design and execution of risk assessments, internal controls testing, and process documentation in line with FMFIA, OMB Circular A-123, and related frameworks.