Accountant

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance in the Washington, DC area seeks an Accountant to support financial reporting and policy in a federal environment. The role requires knowledge of federal accounting standards and the ability to analyze financial data to improve budget processes.

The position is located within the Office of Management and Office of Finance at the VA Central Office, with qualifications emphasizing accounting education or equivalent experience.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of statutes, policies, and regulations that affect financial management activities.
• Experience in writing financial policy regarding: Appropriations, Funds Control, Federal Budget Process, Accounting, Financial Statement Reporting, Payroll, Travel, and Purchase Cards.
• Conducts surveys and studies for the purpose of preparing analysis and recommendation on fiscal and accounting problems.

Skills

Statutes and policies knowledge

Policy writing for financial matters

Analytical surveys and studies

Education

Accounting degree or related field with 24 accounting hours

Combo of education/experience meeting 24 accounting hours

Graduate-level accounting coursework leading to master's

Job description

This position is located within the Office of Management (OM), Office of Finance (OF), under the Office of Financial Policy (OFP), Office of Financial Reporting (OFR) and the Office of Financial Audit (OFA), located at the VA Central Office. The incumbent serves as an Accountant under one of the Service Directors within the Office of Finance. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/13/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirements: This position includes an Individual Occupation Requirement. Individual Occupational Requirements are requirements e.g., experience or education, for particular occupational series or positions within a series and are used in conjunction with a group coverage (generic) standard. Applicants who do not meet the Individual Occupational Requirements are ineligible for further consideration. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

OR

• 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.

AND

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • • Knowledge of statutes, policies, and regulations that affect financial management activities.
    • Experience in writing financial policy regarding: Appropriations, Funds Control, Federal Budget Process, Accounting, Financial Statement Reporting, Payroll, Travel, and Purchase Cards.
    • Conducts surveys and studies for the purpose of preparing analysis and recommendation on fiscal and assigned accounting problems. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education that must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-09. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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/