Accountant

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance seeks a qualified accounting professional to perform core financial duties, including GL maintenance, reconciliations, period closes, and reporting within the Financial Accounting Service.

Applicants should hold a degree in accounting or related fields with substantial accounting coursework; familiarity with GAAP and financial analysis is essential, with the ability to work within a regulated government environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in accounting or a related field with required accounting coursework.
• Experience applying GAAP to financial data and reports.
• Proven ability to analyze and reconcile accounts and prepare statements.

Responsibilities

• Resolve system issues and classify accounting transactions.
• Maintain, reconcile, and close accounts; prepare reports and statements.
• Analyze accounting data and examine accounts for accuracy and compliance.

Skills

Accounting principles

Data analysis

Financial reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field

Job description

The position is located within the Financial Accounting Service, to include Nationwide Accounting Section and Treasury Reconciliation Section. These duties encompass resolving system issues, classifying accounting transactions, maintaining, and reconciling accounts, closing accounts, and preparing reports and statements, analyzing accounting data, and examining accounts.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/17/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirements: This position includes an Individual Occupation Requirement. Individual Occupational Requirements are requirements that must be met, in addition to the specialized experience and/or education requirement. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Individual Occupational Requirement must be reflected in your application materials (resume/transcript).

Individual Occupational Requirement for this position is:

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:

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) you have 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, your education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

AND

In addition to the above, you may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• 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: Experience in applying generally accepted accounting principles, practices, and techniques to perform accounting assignments with supervisory oversight; Assisting with validating a variety of accounting data, reconciling accounts, preparing reports/statement, investigating, and correcting out-of-line and out-of-balance conditions

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 a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Masters Degree or Master's or Equivalent Graduate Degree

AND/OR

• GS 12: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Experience in applying generally accepted accounting principles, practices, and techniques to independently perform accounting assignments of a more complex nature with limited supervision. Experience in applying conventional accounting and analytical techniques to independently solve accounting problems and making recommendations for improvements/enhanced organizational efficiency. Scope and depth of required experience is greater than that required for the GS-11 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; religions; 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 experience.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary in nature.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

Well-qualified CTAP/ICTAP Criteria: GS-11

• Independently analyze and reconcile complex financial transactions across multiple accounts or systems, resolving discrepancies affecting general ledger balances, subsidiary ledgers, and financial reporting accuracy.
• Apply and evaluate internal controls by identifying systemic weaknesses or process risks, recommending corrective actions, and ensuring accounting processes meet regulatory and audit readiness requirements.
• Conduct detailed system and financial data analysis to identify trends, processing issues, or abnormal transactions, and develop recommendations that improve accounting system performance, reporting integrity, or operational efficiency.

Well-qualified CTAP/ICTAP Criteria: GS-12

• Experience performing complex reconciliations between general ledger and subsidiary systems, independently researching discrepancies, and resolving out-of-balance conditions.
• Experience administering or working extensively within an integrated financial or accounting system to review and validate financial data.
• Experience reviewing and correcting financial transactions to ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting policies, regulations, or internal controls.

Conduct detailed system and financial data analysis to identify trends, processing issues, or abnormal transactions, and develop recommendations that improve accounting system performance, reporting integrity, or operational efficiency. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area

The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Austin, Texas. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 8000 Metropolis Dr. Austin, TX 78744 .