Civilian Pay Specialist

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (DOA); Alexandria (VA); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Alexandria, VA, is seeking a qualified payroll professional to join the Mission Support Battalion. This permanent, full-time position requires handling Defense Civilian Payroll System (DCPS) tasks and advising timekeepers on pay policies.

Telework is eligible while the job remains based in Alexandria. The role is GS-9, with a salary range of $70,623 to $91,815 per year, and offers full federal benefits.

Job description

About the Position

This position is with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mission Support Battalion with a duty station location of Alexandria, VA. Learn more about this agency.

Overview

Duty station: Alexandria, VA.

Telework eligible: Yes

Remote job: No

Relocation expenses reimbursed: No

Salary: $70,623 – $91,815 per year

Pay scale & grade: GS 9

Promotion potential: None

Work schedule: Full-time

Travel required: Not required

Appointment type: Permanent

Occupations and job series: 0501 Financial Administration And Program

Supervisory status: No

Federal service type: This job is in the Competitive Service

Represented by a union: No

Drug test: No

Security clearance: Not Required

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Background check type: Suitability/Fitness

Who May Apply

• Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
• Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Reinstatement
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

Specialized Experience

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Applying knowledge of finance and accounting service regulations and procedures to identify and resolve pay problems; 2) Performing payroll functions such as payroll data input, stored data verification, records review, reconciliation, and initiating corrective actions; and 3) Communicating orally and in writing to answer pay questions, request and verify information, resolve pay issues and discrepancies in records, and to prepare reports or instructions to explain problems to managers. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

Education and Experience Pathways

OR

Education: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Accounting, etc.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Duties

• Provides general and technical advice and assistance relative to defense civilian payroll system support policy, planning and procedures.
• Conducts special studies and works on projects which address pay problems/issues encountered across management functional lines for the elimination or reduction of similar problems in the future.
• Receives and analyzes problems relating to automated pay applications.
• Provides technical assistance to regional timekeepers regarding the operations of the on‑line Defense Civilian Payroll System (DCPS).
• Analyzes various DFAS pay statistical reports in order to identify problems and trends.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires DOD Financial Management Level 2 certification IAW the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012, Public Law 112-81, Subtitle F-Financial Management, section 1051, amending 10 United States Code, section 1599d.
• DOD Financial Management Level 2 Certification is required for this position within 24 months of assignment.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

To be evaluated on your competency:

• Accountability
• Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre‑Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Comptroller Career Program position aligned under the Human Capital & Resource Management (HC/RM) Career Management Directorate.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case‑by‑case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire.

Candidate Statement

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. You may claim Military Spouse preference. Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well‑qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well‑qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website.

Fair and transparent

• Criminal history inquiries Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selectived Service Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

Required documents

1. Your resume: Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer’s name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that shows you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what’s in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

1. Other supporting documents:
   • Cover Letter, optional
   • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
   • Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.
   • Time‑in‑grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF‑50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time‑in‑grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF‑50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time‑in‑grade requirements.
   • This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.

Agency contact information

Website: https://portal.chra.army.mil/hr_public?id=app_inq

Address: RA-W4LDAA USA HUMPHREYS ENGR CENTER SUPPORT ACTY DO NOT MAIL Alexandria, VA 22315 US

Next steps

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.