Accountant

Summary

The Accountant is a member of the VISN 2, HSA 2.1, Centralized Finance Service (CFS) performing the full range of professional accounting work requiring the application of sound accounting principles, theories, concepts and practices.

Duties

The Accountant establishes and maintains liaison between operating and management officials at the medical centers and the CFS. Remains in close liaison with medical Center operating officials to ensure timely and accurate reporting of cost and transaction information. The Accountant is responsible for compilation of cost data to develop reports, the accuracy of which has a major impact on the budgetary process for the Medical Centers, and which are used as a main tool by the agency to allocate resources within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The Accountant maintains and performs monthly reconciliation of various general ledger accounts with related subsidiaries for various independent appropriations, including, but limited to, revolving funds, fund accounts, construction and grant accounts. Assures that all accounting data, computerized cost accounting reports and trial balances are in balance. This includes preparation of internal audit reports for operating officials and other segments of management VISN staff as requested. Performs monthly and year-end accruals for the general ledger accounts that are required for proper financial statements. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Reviews multiple and a variety of transactions recorded throughout the system from multiple sources to assure accuracy and uniformity of appropriation charges and accounting concepts applied. Interprets and executes at appropriate time all accounting manual changes of VA Handbooks, Directives, and other written policies affecting accounting operations. Uses sound judgment in establishing local procedures to insure accounting principles are adhered to. Participates In decision making sessions and advises a number of program managers on regulatory requirements, financial policies, the interpretation of data, and program improvements through analysis or program operations, monthly reports, and special system edits. Provides accounting expertise and fiscal services to subordinates as well as department, top management and VA Central Office (VACO) financial management. Performs a variety of duties in connection with the maintenance, reconciliation and auditing of accounts in a general ledger covering the full range of assets, liabilities, income, expense, cost accounting and budgeting. Maintains the overall controls for expenditure accounting. Determines that all transactions are properly processed. Monitors funds balances to ensure availability of resources for the processing and recommends action to correct shortcomings. Analyzes and views reports to assure they are in balance, that the data is valid and that they adhere to prescribed regulatory manuals and procedures. Classifies erroneous conditions and recommends changes in procedures to prevent recurrence of the problem. Performs directly related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time; Monday - Friday; 7:45a.m. - 4:30p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD01741A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/03/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirement: A) 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". Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor."); OR; B) 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 (Transcript required); OR; 2. A certificate as CPA or a CIA, obtained through written examination (Documentation required); 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 (Documentation and/or Transcript required); 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. GS-11 Grade Level Requirements: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: validate a variety of accounting data, reconcile accounts and prepare balance sheets, supply financial statements, plan and conduct studies to determine the requirement for updated financial information, interpret reports and other financial data for program review and analysis, assist management officials in interpreting and applying recorded financial data for management decisions, and establish and maintain local accounting systems for centralized programs. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-11 level. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a P