Accountant

Summary

The Accountant is responsible for the detailed and efficient operation and control of day to day fiscal activities for the Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System. An Accountant must be experienced in applying professional accounting concepts and methodologies as well as knowledgeable in accounting functional program characteristics and requirements.

Duties

• **Please be advised this occupation is may be required to undergo a classification consistency review that may result in a change in title, series, and/or grade if determined by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). A "consistency review" is the process that involves a classification review of positions performing work that is identical, or related to an OPM appeal to ensure they are classified consistently and in accordance with OPM standards. If a reduction in grade occurs, you could be eligible for grade and/or pay retention.** The Accountant actively supports the Finance Officer by performing the following duties: The incumbent will review and evaluate information and make authoritative recommendations. In addition, the incumbent is expected to be creative and use his/her background and technical knowledge to problem-solve using various analytical techniques. Employee is responsible for assisting all customers with any technical issues encountered in any electronic system related to finance and/or accounting. Employee must be proficient in the following Microsoft Office or equivalent programs - Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Analyzes data trends in accounting operations supporting the preparation and execution of finance and other committee meetings. Researches laws, regulations, and policies related to accounting and fiscal management displaying knowledge of health care system operations. Participates on project teams in lead or support roles identifying and improving operational processes impacting services of the VA health care system as related to finance and accounting. Reviews and reports on facility policies in preparation for surveys, audits, and inspections. Performs research to address costing and processing problems within the finance and accounting section. 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: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm (Hours may be further discussed during interview.) Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD23480A and PD23478A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/24/2026. Basic Requirement for Series 0510: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in 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. 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: 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 semester hours of business law; or 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. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position, you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: GS-09 Minimum Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of Accountant in the normal line of progression. Specialized experience includes: Drafting simple instructions to describe internal accounting procedures; Providing systems analysis, advice, & design regarding financial management and accounting systems; Taking corrective action on financial system issues or reporting errors; Analyzing general ledger accounts to ensure accuracy of reports. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Qualifying graduate education must still reflect the Basic Requirement education to be acceptable. (Transcript Required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education to meet the total experience requirements. *Note Only education in excessive of one year graduate level education will be considered when combining. (Transcript Required). GS-11 Minimum Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the federal service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is in the normal line of progression for this occupation. Qualifying specialized experience includes: applying established principles, techniques, and theories of accounting; analyzing financial data to assure compliance with applicable laws; providing technical advice on all accounting matters; performing financial audits; preparing financial reports; researching and resolving problems associated with financial transactions, statements, or reports; and utilizing various automated systems to extract or record financial data. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have three (3) years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree. (Transcript Required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). (Transcript Required) 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/. Physical Requirements: You may be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The work is primarily sedentary. No special physical effort or ability is required. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office setting that is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13061897. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/24/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.