Accountant

Summary

This vacancy is for a Lead Accountant position in the Chief Financial Officer located at the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The Census Bureau is accessible from the Metro Rail Green Line - Suitland Station. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Accountant, 0510-13, FPL GS-13, positions within the Census Bureau in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Duties

• Serves as a Team Lead within the Accounts Receivable Branch, collaborating with branch and division chiefs to plan, coordinate, and oversee the work of staff.
• Provides authoritative technical advice, guidance, and operational support to management and stakeholders on federal Accounts Receivable requirements, policies, and reporting standards established by OMB, GAO, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
• Conducts comprehensive Accounts Receivable financial analyses, reviews, and validations of federal and non-federal receivables, including aging balances, collections, adjustments, write-offs, refunds, cash receipts, and outstanding debts.
• Prepares and communicates AR performance metrics, financial analyses, aging trends, collection results, and outstanding receivable information, identifying emerging issues and recommending solutions to improve branch and organizational performance.
• Coordinates with Treasury, budget, program offices, systems, and other financial management stakeholders to resolve complex AR issues, strengthen internal controls, improve financial data quality, and ensures compliance with financial requirements.

Qualifications

Minimum Education Requirement: You must meet the Basic Requirements and Specialized Experience as described below. BASIC REQUIREMENTS (A) 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. OR (B) 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: (1) Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include 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, 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 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE Specialized Experience: For the GS-13, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: Gather, record, analyze, and process financial data and transactions within accounting and financial management systems, with a specific focus on Accounts Receivable (AR), including federal and non-federal receivables, collections, reconciliations, adjustments, and account resolution; Oversee and support Collection Information Repository (CIR) and Pay.gov processes to facilitate electronic billing, collections, payment processing, and reconciliation of customer receivables and federal financial transactions; Prepare, review, and validate Treasury Report on Receivables (TROR) reporting, including analysis and reconciliation of receivable balances, aging, collections, adjustments, write-offs, and other required Treasury reporting data to ensure accurate and timely reporting; Analyze and reconcile financial transactions, including receivables, collections, Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection System (IPAC)/G-Invoicing activity, cash receipts, adjustments, and general ledger balances; research discrepancies and coordinate corrective actions to ensure accurate financial reporting; Applicants must demonstrate and provide evidence in at least 3 of the above areas to be qualified. Education: Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level. 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.

Education

You are not required to submit official transcripts/documents at this time; copies are sufficient. For further information on the educational requirement outlined above in the Qualifications section, see the OPM Qualification Standards associated with the Accounting Series 0510: Accounting Series 0510. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. SME Resume Review: You will be evaluated according to your responses to the online questionnaire and the use of a Structured Resume Review. During the Structured Resume Review, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Applicants passing the structured resume review will move on to the next phase of the process. Upon completion of the Structured Resume Review, candidates identified as "best qualified" will be referred to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. CTAP and ICTAP candidates: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website, The Employee's Guide to Career Transition. If you are invited for an interview, you may be asked to bring a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. Due weight shall be given to performance appraisals and awards in accordance with 5 CFR § 335.103(b)(3). You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Financial Analysis Financial Management Technical We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. Do NOT include the following types of information in your application if included on your resume you will not be considered for this position: Social Security Number (SSN) Date of Birth (DOB) Photos of yourself Personal information: such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13055457. Other Information

Applicants who apply under this Job Opportunity Announcement may opt-in (at their request) to allow the sharing of their resume, and other associated documents with other Federal Agencies who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade and pay band (or its equivalent), and full performance level in the same duty location or commuting area of the duty location listed on the Job Opportunity Announcement. Individuals who have received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, otherwise known as a buyout, must repay that incentive if they are reemployed by the Federal Government within five years of separation. Additionally, the following links provide information on various hiring authorities that may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment. VEOA (permanent positions) 30% or more disabled veteran Persons with disabilities CTAP ICTAP The Department of Commerce also provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Office. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis. TTY users can contact the Human Resources Office via the Federal Relay Service, 1-800-877-8339.