Accountant

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Finance Accounting and Analysis Division (FAAD). This job is also being advertised to current and former federal employees who can apply through internal or merit hiring procedures under announcement number JP-26-010.

Duties

• The duties and responsibilities for a GS- 0510-11 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Performs comprehensive analysis, validation, and reconciliation of administrative and specialized fund accounts across multiple federal financial management systems including Unified Financial Management System (UFMS), DOJ's grants management system (JustGrants), Automated Standard Application for Payment (ASAP), Intra-governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC), and various Treasury applications. Reviews, processes, and records the full range of accounting transactions including travel, payroll, cost, property, reimbursable, accounts payable, and accounts receivable to ensure accurate financial reporting. Administers fund control activities by certifying availability of resources and allotments prior to procurements and analyzing the impact of budgetary events on multi-appropriated fund accounts. Evaluates and resolves complex accounting and financial system issues by coordinating with customers and technical staff to diagnose problems and implement solutions. Reconciles financial data across internal and external systems to ensure accurate recording in financial systems and resolves variances affecting financial statements. Develops and recommends accounting policies, procedures, and system improvements to ensure compliance with federal laws, regulations, and standards. Prepares financial reports and presentations for management officials on financial status, general ledger accounts, and fund control activities. Conducts special studies and analyses to improve financial data processing, reporting accuracy, and accounting system effectiveness.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Accountant, at GS-0510-11, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. Basic Entry 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: Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 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., 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. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level. Specialized experience is experience which is in or related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: Performing analysis, validation, and reconciliation of fund accounts across multiple financial management systems; Processing and recording complex accounting transactions including obligations, disbursements, cost accruals, accounts payable/receivable, and resolving out-of-balance conditions in financial reports; Administering fund control activities including certifying fund availability, analyzing appropriated fund accounts, and tracking commitments, obligations, and expenditures; Evaluating and troubleshooting financial management information systems to identify and resolve technical accounting issues affecting data integrity and system performance; Reconciling financial data from multiple internal and external systems to ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting standards and reporting requirements; Preparing financial reports, trial balance reconciliations, and financial transactions supporting annual audited financial statements in compliance with governing requirements. GS-11: Substitution of Education for Experience: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. if related. GS-11: Combination of Education and Experience: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet the experience requirements. Online Assessment: This position requires an online assessment. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 09/21/2026 to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Occupational Interaction Assessment: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Occupational Judgment Assessment Decision Making Occupational Math Assessment Arithmetic Mathematical Reasoning Occupational Reasoning Assessment Reasoning You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 09/21/2026. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. Please see the Qualifications section for more information. Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/21/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on09/21/2026. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. Essay Questions: The following four narrative questions provide an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question (see the application questionnaire). You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes. How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position. Need Help? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help website which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc. Reasonable Accommodation: To request reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the hiring agency contact directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.