Accountant in Charleston, South Carolina

Summary This position is located in the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Finance Services (CGFS). The incumbent of this position performs professional accounting activities involved in ensuring that the financial operations of the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services are sound and in compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, policies, and standards. Responsibilities Performs accounting work which involves the analysis and resolution of conventional accounting problems and issues. Initiates and implements internal control measures to ensure overall financial integrity of accounting databases/systems. Audits and verifies commitment, obligation and expenditure information. Advises operating officials and management staff on specific accounting issues. Reconciles documents, schedules and statements with data in accounting systems. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. All applicants MUST meet one of the basic qualification requirements described below for this position: BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: A. Applicants must have a degree from an accredited college or university in accounting and/or auditing 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 and/or auditing. (The 24 semester hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law); OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Have 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 AND meet 1, 2 or 3 below: 1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses. (This can include up to 6 hours of business law.) 2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor obtained through a written examination. 3. Have at least 4 years of experience in accounting AND 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 described in paragraph A above, AND (a) have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, (e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining); AND (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors determined that I have 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 above; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, my education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination OR panel recommendation that includes all the requirements as described under Combination of Education and Experience #3 above by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position. IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience independently developing and/or implementing internal control measures ensuring overall financial integrity. Experience independently reconciling financial, budgetary, and/or accounting data; identifying accounting discrepancies; and making accounting adjustments. Experience developing, nurturing, and improving customer relationships with a diverse financial customer base. Experience utilizing automated accounting systems and spreadsheets to input and analyze data, solve accounting issues, and present results. Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described in the announcement, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full time year of graduate study). The percentage of specialized work experience (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 9 graduate hours for a GS-07 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full time year) must total at least 100%. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. Additional Information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. If eligible, telework agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.