Systems Accountant

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance at the Financial Services Center within the iFAMS Service seeks an accountant to perform in-depth financial and accounting analyses, participate in planning and development of accounting systems, and resolve system problems.

The role requires a degree in accounting (or 24 semester hours in accounting) and at least one year of specialized experience at a GS-12 level, with strong emphasis on compliance and effective communication within government

Qualifications

• Specialized experience equivalent to GS-12, including in-depth financial/accounting analyses.
• Hands-on financial systems development and testing are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Perform in-depth financial and accounting analyses.
• Assist in planning and development of accounting and financial systems improvements.
• Develop accounting procedures and resolve accounting system problems.

Skills

Principles of Accounting

Financial Analysis

Compliance

Communication

Education

Accounting degree or 24 sem hrs accounting

Job description

This position is located at the Financial Services Center within the Integrated Financial and Acquistions Management System (iFAMS) Service. These duties involve planning, designing, analyzing, documenting, testing, implementing, integrating, maintaining, or modifying computer systems or software. The accountant is considered a subject matter expert of systems related matters.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026.

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

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).

The 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.

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

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 occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as performing in-depth financial and accounting analysis; participating in planning and development of accounting and financial systems improvements; developing accounting procedures and resolving accounting system problems.

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

• Principles of Accounting
• Financial Analysis
• Compliance
• Communication

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 in Austin,Texas.This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from Austin, Financial Services Center, 7600 Metropolis Dr, Building 5 Austin, TX 78744.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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/.

To be qualified for this vacancy under CTAP/ICTAP, 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), Individual Occupation Requirements and meet the well-qualified criteria below:

• Systems accounting expertise at the GS-12 level or equivalent, including leading in-depth financial/accounting analyses and testing of automated accounting and financial systems, and making expert recommendations to improve VA-scale or similarly complex federal agency financial systems in line with Treasury and OMB requirements.

• Hands-on financial systems development experience, such as helping plan, design, install, and maintain large accounting or financial systems; developing or specifying applications and interfaces (inputs/outputs, flows, decision logic, linkages); and validating, documenting, and implementing new or improved accounting systems for a large organization.

• Demonstrated ability to design or redesign full accounting systems, including analyzing current and required accounting structures, creating complete system designs for large organizations, resolving precedent-setting issues where account structures or programs are new, and preparing implementation instructions and operational guidance.

• Strong consultative and communication skills, shown by experience preparing clear, well-researched written guidance and providing advice and training on financial accounting systems to officials, managers, professionals, and staff across agencies or organizations, including influencing stakeholders who may initially disagree on technical approaches or resource use.

• Proven collaboration and stakeholder engagement, including regular, substantive contact with senior officials, managers, contractors, and counterparts in other federal, state, or local organizations to coordinate on system implementations or changes, resolve complex technical issues, and secure cooperation to improve program operations, funds distribution, and use of manpower and IT resources.