Supervisory Accountant

As the Chief of Accounting at the VA Boston Healthcare System, the incumbent is responsible for the adaptation, maintenance and operation of a decentralized double-entry accrual-style accounting system to meet the needs and serve local management as well as the accounting and reporting requirements of VA Central Office. The incumbent is also responsible for the maintenance and operation of the New England Healthcare System, VISN1. The incumbent also serves as an advisor to the Chief Financial Officer on all financial and governmental accounting procedures and manages the accounting system that is commercial in nature and contains separate and integrated units of general ledger, capital assets, interoffice accounts, revolving supply fund, budgetary, cost accounting, deposit fund and trust fund accounts. Furthermore, he/she handles a complex and frequently changing reporting system that comprises of reimbursable earnings and collection; cost statements, trial balances, supply fund statement of profit and loss; and medical care cost distribution accounts which include specialized medical services. In addition the incumbent may be will be involved in other Resource activities, including serving on committees on behalf of the Chief Financial Officer and serving as Acting Chief Financial Officer during periods of absence of the Assistant Chief Financial Officer.

The incumbent provides technical and administrative supervision to an AccountingSection consisting of 19 Accountants, Accounting Technicians and Auditors. The incumbent oversees the daily operation of the unit, planswork to be accomplished, directs the flow of work, ensures that agency policies and priorities are beingfollowed; develops performance standards; and evaluates work performance of subordinates.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Position Description Title/PD#: 00704

NOTE: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position.

NOTE: This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.

NOTE: Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized.

NOTE: Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus, as needed.

NOTE: Candidates who meet the qualification requirements within 15 calendar days following the closing date of the announcement will be considered.

NOTE: Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action).

NOTE: Time-in-Grade Restriction – 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. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service.

NOTE: A One-Year Supervisory Probationary Period will be required for new supervisors.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: (From the OPM Qualification Standards Operating Manual)

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Basic Requirements

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” in this standard. 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;

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) 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 requirements

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the GS- 12 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal Service as defined in the next paragraph.

Specialized Experience is experience which is directly related to the position which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position to include processing local accounting information using various financial management systems; troubleshooting new initiatives such as: Allowance Accounts, Unbilled Workload Accruals, Property Plant and Equipment Accounts, Undelivered Orders, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, and their varying operating requirements; applying established accounting principles, theories, concepts and practices to derive solutions for the section to non-routine problems; monitoring reports generated by the Financial Management System to identify and correct any out-of-balance conditions; evaluating the validity of accounting records; and performing account reconciliations, audits and regular reviews to ensure the integrity of the accounting data.

The ideal candidate for this position possesses extensive professional knowledge of all facets of the Departmental and Federal processes, generally accepted government accounting principles and standards, budgetary policies, procedures and directives in order to analyze and administer a very complex budget, and ensure that budget estimates, projections and submissions conform to requirements, guidelines and financial objectives.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary in nature, although some slight physical effort may be required.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting, with occasional travel required to meetings and conferences.

Time-in-grade : 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. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level

All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):

• Resume
• Transcript

Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214
• Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs)
• OF-306
• Other
• Other Veterans Document
• SF-15
• SF-50

Please use this checklist to ensure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

Veterans’ Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), or 10pt (CP/CPS, XPP, XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP), on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section(s) provided. A legible copy of your DD214(s) indicating character of service, disability certification, SF-15 (if claiming 10 pt. preference) or if you are currently serving on active duty and expected to be released or discharged within 120 days; documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Documentation is required for eligibility verification.

Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options . The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1963695.

NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.