Accounting Technician

The work is performed at the Montana VA Health Care System in Financial Management Services. This position reports to the Supervisory Accountant, and the primary purpose of this position is to perform a variety of duties encompassing classifying accounting transactions; maintaining and reconciling accounts; closing accounts and preparing reports and statements; and analyzing accounting data; and examining accounts.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/12/2024.

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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.

You may qualify based on your Specialized Experience and/or Education as described below for GS-05:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of accounting policy, procedures, and reporting systems,
• Ability to validate accounting data, analyze unusual trends for corrective action, maintain and research records, and prepares reports,
• Knowledge of the format, content, and use of various accounting documents such as invoices, receiving reports, payable vouchers, Daily Activity Record, Transfers Between Activities, and petty cash.
• Basic knowledge of accounting terminology and codes necessary to process various transactions into the automated system.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.


You may qualify based on your Specialized Experience as described below for GS-06:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of a wide variety of interrelated steps, conditions, and procedures or processes required to assemble, review, and maintain complex accounting transactions;
• Knowledge of various accounting regulations, laws, and requirements to ensure compliance and recommend action;
• Knowledge of a variety of accounting functional areas and their relationships to other functions to research or investigate problems or errors that require reconciling and reconstructing incomplete information, conducting extensive and exhaustive searches for required information, or performing actions of similar complexity;
• Knowledge of automated accounting systems to reconcile errors that require an understanding of nonstandard procedures or to provide assistance in the development of automated procedures for clerical operations; and/or
• Knowledge of extensive and diverse accounting regulations, operations, and procedures governing a wide variety of types of related transactions to resolve nonstandard transactions, complaints, discrepancies, provide advice, or perform other work that requires authoritative procedural knowledge.

You may qualify based on your Specialized Experience as described below for GS-07:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of accounting principles, methods, procedures, and techniques to conduct difficult and responsible analysis and make determinations within a complete accounting system to validate transactions and to perform research to resolve in consistencies,
• Knowledge of the interrelationship between appropriations and all subsidiary records and control accounts, interrelating of cost, general ledger, allotments, and fund control accounting,
• Analyze and detect trends and problems that affect the overall operations of accounting,
• Knowledge of the interrelationships of various accounting system software package applications and computer systems and contents to resolve problems of processed transactions, and
• Knowledge of related financial regulations and rulings covering diverse types of transactions to typically function as a technical authority for resolution of an extensive range of problems or issues.

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

• Accounting Operations
• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Manages and Organizes Information

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, some walking, bending, and lifting is required as in a normal business environment.

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/.

Responsibilities:

Major duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Performs technician level work in support of accounting, auditing, travel, fiscal and financial management functions.
• Performs financial systems support in travel, cash processing, voucher examination, training, and accounting technician work.
• Determines the general ledger accounts, journals, and subsidiary accounts affected and the credit/debit entires to be made.
• Receives and analyzes various types of documents to determine propriety, validity, budget, expenditure limitation, completeness and correctness of account data.
• Monitors and makes input to current vendor file so that vendors may be paid promptly.
• Summarizes transactions and prepares control documents or other posting documents reflecting the entries to be made to correct findings discovered during research for inappropriate postings or unusual transactions. Journalizes corrective actions for erroneous conditions.
• Reviews the efficiency of processes and compliance with prescribed procedures, and recommends improvements such as the need for coordination, additional training or clarification of procedures to reduce errors and processing delays.
• Maintains regulations and policies pertinent to all financial transactions.
• Provides advice and technical assistance to all employees located throughout the Montana VA region on travel regulations, procedures and approved processes to include problem solving specific issues on a case by case basis.
• Analyzes documents for accuracy and authorizations, such as the financial indicators report, including obligations and payments.
• Documents financial transactions to assure a proper audit trail, including but not limited to proper and complete documentation of followup on reconciliations, and backup documentation.
• Acts as Agent Cashier or alternate, fulfilling all duties of that office when performing the role of agent cashier. Provides backup other Accounting Technicians, fulfilling specific tasks, as directed, to manage Accounting Technician workload.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Telework: ADHIOC VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Accounting Technician/PD13059A, PD13060A, and PD13061A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required