Staff Accountant

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance seeks a Staff Accountant to assist with internal controls, policy, and procedures for VA. You will interpret laws and apply accounting standards to ensure proper conformity and updated processes.

One year of specialized experience may be required for progression, with opportunities to address systemic obstacles and coordinate with other offices. Must meet qualification standards and be eligible by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

• Degree or related field with 24 accounting hours, including up to 6 hours of business law.
• Can include combination of education and experience matching 24-hour requirement with professional validation.
• Specialized experience in government, accounting, auditing, or related fields preferred.

Responsibilities

• Apply accounting theories, practices, methods, and techniques to financial activities.
• Prepare financial reports and billing statements.
• Develop and maintain accounting systems and subsystems.
• Provide financial advice and assistance.
• Validate and analyze accounting data, reconcile accounts, and prepare reports.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Communication

Control of funds

Customer service

Education

Accounting degree with 24 semester hours in accounting

Combination of education and experience meeting 24-semester-hour requirement

Job description

This position iswithin the Financial Services Center and reports to various levels of management. The Staff Accountant assists with internal controls, policy, processes and procedures for VA; interprets and applies laws, regulations, decisions, rulings and policies to accounting systems and procedures to ensure conformity and proper application; and analyses and resolves systemic obstacles, recommends changes and updates, and coordinates with other offices in accomplishing these tasks. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2026.

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

Individual Occupational Requirements:

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 Requirements:

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:

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

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

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. Specialized experience is defined as under supervision,

• applying accounting theories, practices, methods, techniques and analyzing financial and accounting activities.
• Preparing financial reports and billing statements.
• Developing and maintaining accounting and/or financial systems and subsystems.
• Providing financial advice and financial assistance.
• Validating and analyzing accounting data, reconciling accounts, and interpreting and preparing reports.

GS-13 Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as independently,

• Reconciling data between financial and reporting systems to correct account relationships and trial balance anomalies.
• Reading and interpreting accounting principles and using financial databases.
• Identifying problem areas related to accounting transaction matters and providing expert recommendations for improvement.
• Utilizing supporting technology to include but not limited to queries, pivot tables, and macros to research, analyze, and summarize data.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Principles of Accounting
• Analytical Thinking
• Communication
• Control of Funds
• Customer Service

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/.

Local Commuting Area:

The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Austin,TX, Waco TX or District of Columbia, DC .This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from Austin TX, Waco TX or District of Columbia, DC.