Summary This position is located in the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, Office of Financial Policy, Reporting, and Analysis Directorate (CGFS/FPRA). The incumbent of this position serves as a senior accountant reporting to the Director of Financial Policy. Responsibilities Serves as a senior accountant responsible for drafting and issuing policies and procedures for budgetary, proprietary, cash, travel, foreign currency, Working Capital Fund, property, vouchers, and claims accounting. Analyzes the implications of new legislation; accounting standards and policies of the central management agencies on the Department's policies, procedures, and systems and prepares impact statements and recommendations for changes. Reviews Departmental financial systems for compliance with policies, principles, standards, and procedures to ensure the integrity of Federal funds through the design and use of adequate internal controls, recordkeeping, and reports. Monitors the way accounting and financial operations are being carried out by bureaus, offices, and posts, to identify financial irregularities or inadequate financial management practices that could lead to financial errors or abuses. Analyzes, evaluates, and makes recommendations on existing manual and automated accounting, financial control systems, and financial management forms used Department-wide. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Applicants must meet all the required qualification requirements described below by the closing date of this announcement. If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed below, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript with your application. NOTE: Applicants must meet time-in-grade and time after competitive appointment requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade Requirements: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions, per 5CFR 300, Subpart F. All applicants MUST meet one of the basic qualification requirements described below for this position: BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: A. Applicants must have a degree from an accredited college or university in accounting and/or auditing 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 and/or auditing. (The 24 semester hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law); OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: Have 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 AND meet 1, 2 or 3 below: 1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses. (This can include up to 6 hours of business law.) 2. A certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor obtained through a written examination. 3. Have at least 4 years of experience in accounting AND 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 described in paragraph A above, AND (a) have successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, (e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining); AND (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors determined that I have 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 above; AND (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, my education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. Note: All applicants MUST submit transcripts as verification of educational requirement OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination OR panel recommendation that includes all the requirements as described under Combination of Education and Experience #3 above by the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to provide requested information, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you WILL lose consideration for this position. IN ADDITION to meeting one of the basic qualifications requirements listed above, the applicant MUST have at least one year of specialized experience that has equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service. Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Experience applying the theories, concepts and practices of accounting and financial management to independently resolve complex accounting problems. Experience developing financial management policies, principles, standards, and procedures. Experience presenting findings and recommendations related to accounting systems requirements and deficiencies both orally and in writing. Education See the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement for education requirements. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. Additional Information For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at (202) 663-3474 or OAA@state.gov. If eligible, telework and/or remote work agreements may be permitted with supervisory approval. Please note that any approved remote work arrangement is subject to the locality pay area of the alternative telework worksite. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to other similar positions in other Bureaus/Offices in the Department for up to 240 days. Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.