Accountant

Summary

NIST is seeking an Accounts Receivable Accountant to join its Accounts Receivable Group within the Financial Operations Division. This position is responsible for planning and evaluating accounting records, financial data, and reports.

Duties

As an Accounts Receivable Accountant, this role primarily involves analyzing accounts receivable activities. The candidate will be responsible for: Executing billing, collection, and financing activities. Resolving payment discrepancies. Serving as a technical advisor in interpreting and applying federal accounting standards, financial regulations, and internal control requirements to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of financial operations. Analyzing and resolving complex accounting issues, evaluating financial processes and system capabilities, and developing and implementing strategic improvements to NIST's financial management policies, procedures, and internal controls.

Qualifications

Basic 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: 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 IN ADDITION: ZA-II: To qualify, the applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 (ZA-I) level at NIST. Specialized experience is defined as: Analyzing accounting data Resolving accounting discrepancies Managing accounts receivable operations, which include billing and collections. ZA-III: To qualify, the applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-11 (or ZA-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as experience that includes the following: Experience in accounts receivable operations, including billing, collections, reconciliations, or financial reporting Resolving financial management issues Evaluating the effectiveness of internal controls and financial systems. 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). 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. The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration

Education

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment. Use of foreign education for qualifications. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application.