Auditor

Summary

This position is located within the Office of Business Oversight at the VA Central Office in Washington, DC. This position serves as a senior auditor, utilizing professional knowledge of accounting principles, auditing standards, and data analysis methods in completing complex assignments to ensure internal controls over operations, reporting, and financial information systems are sufficient to safeguard against fraud, waste, and abuse.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties include but are not limited to: Plans, designs, and executes risk-based audit strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, operations, and financial information systems; Prepares detailed internal control documentation, drafts narrative descriptions of processes, develops flowcharts, identifies and assesses control risks, and ensures that documentation is accurate, complete, and logically structured; Engages extensively with stakeholders across VA to obtain documentation, communicates testing requirements, presents audit conclusions, coordinates follow-up actions, and defends findings when necessary; Obtains and analyzes comprehensive information, interprets applicable laws, regulations, and policies, and evaluates control structures for compliance, accuracy of accounting transactions, reliability of financial data, and safeguarding of assets; Determines root causes of system control failures and assesses the impact of those weaknesses on financial reporting; and Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Qualifications

All applicants must meet the following Basic Requirement for the GS-0511 series: A. Bachelor's Degree (or higher) with a major in accounting, auditing; or a degree including auditing courses in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting. The twenty-four (24) hours may include up to six (6) hours of credit in business law. ~OR~ B. Combination of education and experience of at least four (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 (24) semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to six (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., fifteen (15) semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the twenty four (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 four (4)-year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of twenty four (24) semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. ~ AND ~ In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, to qualify for the GS-13 level, you must also meet the following requirement: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in Federal service. Specialized experience includes Specialized experience includes experience leading and conducting complex internal control evaluations and risk-based audits/reviews under OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A, or similar internal control frameworks, to include financial information management systems; developing written products that assess the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls, including analyzing deficiencies and recommending improvements; advising management on internal control requirements, compliance, and financial standards; and experience assessing IT general and application controls and evaluating processes against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM) standards. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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/.

Education

IMPORTANT: Due to the positive education requirement, copies of all pertinent transcripts and certifications must be submitted with your application. Applications will not be considered without appropriate supporting documentation. Please ensure that your transcripts show that a degree was conferred in the appropriate field. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, display copies of degrees or course listings are not adequate and do not provide the information needed to verify that you meet the education. NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.