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MILITARY PAY TECHNICIAN

Department of Defense
Defense Finance and Accounting Service
DFAS - MILITARY PAY OPERATIONS

Summary

As the world's largest finance and accounting firm, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) pays all Department of Defense (DoD) military and civilian personnel, retirees and annuitants, and major DoD contractors and vendors. We take great pride in serving the men and women who serve America, and invite goal-oriented people like you to challenge yourself while providing a service to our nation.

Who may apply: United States Citizens

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
08/15/2025 to 08/29/2025
Salary
$40,332 to - $61,026 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Locations
MANY vacancies in the following locations:
Indianapolis, IN
Rome, NY
Cleveland, OH
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
6
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
DHA-12783372-25
Control number
843484100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All US citizens.

Duties

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  • Duties described below reflect the full performance level of GS-06. Duties assigned at the entry grade of GS-05 will be developmental in nature
  • Reviews pay accounts and service records to resolve retirement pay problems and issues requiring audit of several months to many years of pay history.
  • Audits pay accounts to resolve issues involving several months and/or many years of pay history.
  • Researches applicable laws and regulations and audits claims; determines final disposition of cases
  • Reviews pay accounts and service records to resolve problems affecting enlistment extension and reenlistment eligibility and bonuses.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship or National
  • Background Investigation
  • Suitable for Federal Employment
  • Registered for Selective Service (if applicable)
  • Obtain/MaintainFinancial Management Certification
  • This national security position, which may require access to classified information, requires a favorable suitability review and security clearance as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain security eligibility may result in termination.
  • Vacancy Information: Position is located in may be located in Cleveland, OH, Indianapolis, IN, and/or Rome, NY.

Qualifications

Human Resources will determine your qualifications for each entry grade level based on your interest and the additional following criteria. Resumes for federal government positions need more detailed work descriptions and accomplishments than a typical private sector resume. Please be sure to clearly describe the full scope of your work experiences in your resume. Combinations of education and experience may also be sufficient.

This position is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense via delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. We reserve the right to close this announcement early or to extend, as appropriate, based upon the needs of the Agency. Qualified application packages may be referred to management at various points in the selection process depending on the number and timing of applications received. Selections may be made at any point during the announcement open period.

Applications will be accepted for the open period as stated above. At the discretion of management, a first cut-off or multiple cut-offs may be utilized for this opportunity or applicants may be referred as vacancies exist. To ensure consideration for this opportunity, candidates are encouraged to submit their applications early. The agency reserves the right to close the announcement early or extend the announcement based upon mission need and/or the volume of applications received.

Pay rates for Cleveland, OH may be found at:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/25Tables/html/CLE.aspx
Pay rates for Indianapolis, IN may be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/25Tables/html/IND.aspx
Pay rates for Rome, NY (Rest of U.S.), IN may be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/25Tables/html/RUS.aspx

Applicants MUST have related financial experience AND/OR a related financial degree (examples include: Finance, Accounting, Management, Actuarial Science, or related), in addition to meeting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) minimum qualification requirements. Substitution of combination of education and experience must still, in conjunction, minimally satisfy the DHA qualification requirement.

One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of the next lower grade within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.


To be hired at the GS-05 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:

One year of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of a GS-04 within the federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required.

  • Specialized experience is defined as: performing duties that support the processing of financial/accounting transactions using standardized procedures that may include reviewing financial/accounting systems information/documents for accuracy/completeness, inputting financial/accounting information into automated systems, or correcting invalid financial/accounting transactions.
To be hired at the GS-06 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service performing financial systems analysis in support of finance mission and applying knowledge of financial management principles as they relate to automated financial systems processing and operations.
  • Specialized experience is defined as: processing a wide variety of complex, non-recurring payroll transactions, and resolving problems within automated pay accounts, experience must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of a wide-range of payroll actions, regulations, policies and procedures.

This position may be filled as a is developmental with selections made at the GS-05 entry grade levels. Once eligibility and qualification requirements are met, selectees will be eligible for promotion at management discretion to the GS 06 grade levels without further competition.

Volunteer Experience: 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; religious; spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You may qualify for consideration if meeting time-in grade, specialized experience, education requirement, 90 days after competitive appointment requirement, and all other qualification requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the announcement, unless otherwise indicated on the announcement.

This vacancy announcement will be used to fill current vacancies and anticipated future vacancies. Onboarding is dependent upon favorable security/suitability determination and availability of work and vacancies. In some instances, individuals may not be employed for six months or more from the time they are approved by security.

Education

This position requires you to obtain and maintain a Level 1 Certification under the DoD Financial Management (FM) Certification Program as a condition of employment. If you are selected, you will have to obtain this certification within two (2) years of your entry on duty in the position unless you are already in a position that requires a Level 1 Certification in which case you must complete the certification within the original 2-year period. Failure to become certified within the required time-frame may be grounds for removal from the position and/or from Federal service. Information about the DoD FM Certification Program is available at: https://www.dfas.mil/onboarding2/certifications/.

This position is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA) for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense via delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Applicants MUST have related financial experience AND/OR a related financial degree (examples include: Finance, Accounting, Management, Actuarial Science, or related), in addition to meeting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) minimum qualification requirements.

Substitution of combination of education and experience must still, in conjunction, minimally satisfy the DHA qualification requirement.

GS-05 SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:
Four years of successfully completed education above the high school level may be substituted to meet the specialized experience required when it is directly related to the work of the position being filled for which high school graduation, or the equivalent, is a prerequisite. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. A percentage of the education (which is directly related to the work of the position being filled) and experience which when combined totals 100% of the necessary education and experience to qualify for this position. (Only education that directly relates to the work being filled beyond the first 60 semester hours will count toward the percentage).

GS-06 SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Six months of graduate education may be substituted to meet the specialized experience required when it is directly related to the work of the position being filled. If you are using education to substitute for the specialized experience, you must submit transcripts at the time you apply. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html).If you are using education to substitute for the specialized experience, you must submit transcripts at the time you apply. To be creditable, education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html).

This position requires you to obtain and maintain a Level 1 Certification under the DoD Financial Management (FM) Certification Program as a condition of employment. If you are selected, you will have to obtain this certification within two (2) years of your entry on duty in the position unless you are already in a position that requires a Level 1 Certification in which case you must complete the certification within the original 2-year period. Failure to become certified within the required time-frame may be grounds for removal from the position and/or from Federal service. Information about the DoD FM Certification Program is available at http://www.dfas.mil/dam/dfas/careers/pdf/DoDFMCertificationProgram.pdf.

DFAS recognizes the value of competencies gained through formal education and professional certifications. To ensure that consistent credit is given for these credentials in the selection process DFAS has developed standard selection criteria to be used when filling positions in professional and administrative series. Selections for professional and administrative positions will be based on four categories of selection criteria: Experience, Other, Education, and Certifications.

The Security Designation will vary and dependent upon position and may require a secret clearance or higher. Employment in this position requires a background investigation which may delay starting date. If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed/undisclosed background issues, the employment offer may be withdrawn. Individuals selected are required to obtain/maintain a favorable security determination to occupy a sensitive position within the agency as a condition of employment. Failure to maintain eligibility to occupy a sensitive position may result in termination. For more information see the security section of Understanding Vacancy Announcements.

This position is being filled under the Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense via delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Positions may be filled as permanent or term with a full-time or part-time work schedule. Pay will vary by geographic location. We reserve the right to close this announcement early or to extend, as appropriate, based upon the needs of the Agency. Qualified application packages may be referred to management at various points in the selection process depending on the number and timing of applications received. Selections may be made at any point during the announcement open period.







Additional information

  • Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
  • Moving expenses will not be paid.
  • Telework availability is limited and will only be provided on a rare case-by-case basis during situations where Agency Leadership has determined that telework serves a compelling Department of Defense (DoD) need
  • **This Job Opportunity Announcement is using an additional online assessment tool to evaluate applicants. Please review the HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED, HOW TO APPLY and WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT sections below for instructions.
  • Employment with DFAS means access to generous benefits such as health, vision, and dental insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off, and educational benefits.
  • This announcement will be used to fill positions with an entry grade of GS-05 or GS-06 with a target grade of GS-6.
  • Selections are subject to restrictions resulting from the DoD Program for Stability of Civilian Employment.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of the closing date. This vacancy announcement will be used to fill current vacancies and anticipated future vacancies.
  • Travel requirement is seldom 1-24%
  • This position is covered by a bargaining unit.
  • Veteran's Preference: Veteran's preference does not apply under this Direct Hire Authority (DHA).
  • This position is Non-Exempt at the from the Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • For grades below the full performance level, only MSP/PPP eligible candidates who currently occupy a formal training program position will be entitled to exercise their priority preference.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or be exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov).
  • Retired Civil Service Employee: Employment of retired Federal employees receiving an annuity is subject to the requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD) policy guidance. (See DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 300, here).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12783372

Criminal History Inquiries - If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency @ dfas.indianapolis-in.zh.mbx.ssc-cc@mail.mil (this call center group box will be the intake for complaints and will forward to appropriate POCs).

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