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ACCOUNTANT

Department of Defense
Defense Finance and Accounting Service
Accounting Operations

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Summary

Who may apply: U.S. Citizens and Nationals.

This is not a remote work opportunity. Positions may be located in Cleveland (OH), Columbus (OH), Indianapolis (IN), Limestone (ME), and/or Rome (NY).

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
08/22/2025 to 09/01/2025
Salary
$73,939 to - $120,301 per year

To view pay rates for a specific location, visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
MANY vacancies in the following locations:
Indianapolis, IN
Limestone, ME
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
12
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
DFAS-DHA-ML-12786814-25
Control number
844137100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Public Announcement open to all U.S. Citizens and Nationals.

Duties

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  • Provides professional accounting services, management advice, and assistance to supported internal and external customers and organizations.
  • Reviews and analyzes a wide variety of accounting documents, reports, policies, and procedures pertaining to multiple appropriation accounts.
  • Reviews, analyzes and modifies operating programs, practices, and procedures related to assigned area.
  • Establishes and monitors internal controls to identify problem areas, determine actions required to improve operating program effectiveness, and ensure and maintain the integrity of financial and accounting information.
  • Performs special audits, studies, reports and/or, analysis to evaluate the status of the financial health and/or position of accounting operations based measurements or indicators.
  • Duties will be developmental in nature while performing below the full performance level (GS-12).

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Background or Security Investigation - see the Additional Information field below for more details.
  • Registered for Selective Service (males born after 12-31-1959)
  • Suitable for Federal employment
  • Obtain/Maintain Financial Management Certification
  • New employees to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

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. 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.

Applicants MUST have related financial experience AND/OR a related financial degree (examples include: Finance, Accounting, Management, Actuarial Science, or related degree), 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.

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 this in your resume. Combinations of education and experience may also be sufficient.

This position has a positive education requirement. To qualify for this position you must meet one of the basic requirements described below:

(1) Completion of all requirements for a bachelor's degree in accounting from an accredited college or university; 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 semester hours may include up to 6 semester hours of credit in business law. OR

(2) Candidates may also qualify through a combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of accounting experience or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge AND 24 semester hours in accounting/auditing courses, which may include up to 6 hours of business law, OR a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).

You MUST send proof of education or of certification to be considered for this position. Click here for more information on who must submit documentation at the time of application and what documentation is acceptable: Transcripts and Certifications.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, qualified applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade in the Federal service, which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position.

  • To be hired at the GS-11 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
    • One (1) year of experience independently performing duties involved with interpreting and applying of accounting principles, policies, and procedures; assisting in designing, implementing and assessing of internal accounting control processes; and ensuring the validity, accuracy, and integrity of accounting processes. OR
    • Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement.
  • To be hired at the GS-12 entry grade level, applicants must minimally have:
    • One (1) year of experience providing professional accounting services that ensure the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the accounting operations in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP); Independently applying analytical methods and techniques to evaluate and interpret accounting data, financial statements and reports, processes, accounting/financial systems, or effectiveness of internal controls.
Selections may be made at the GS-11 or GS-12 entry grade levels. If selected at the GS-11, the position will be developmental in nature. Once eligibility and qualification requirements are met, selectees will be eligible for promotion at management discretion to the GS-12 grade level 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 announcement will be used to fill positions with an entry grade of GS-11 or GS-12 with a target grade of GS-12. The minimum salary for grade GS-11 is $73,939, maximum $100,361. The minimum salary for GS-12 is $88,621, maximum $120,301.

Education

GS-11 Substitution of Education for Experience: Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed higher-level graduate level education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. 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).

GS 12: Education is not substitutable for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Travel requirement is Seldom.
  • 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 exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act.
  • This position requires you to obtain and maintain a Level 2 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 2 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.
  • Applications will be accepted for the open period as stated above. A first cut-off or multiple cut-offs may be utilized for this opportunity. To ensure consideration, submit your application early. The agency reserves the right to close or extend the announcement based on mission need and/or volume of applications received.
  • 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).
  • Priority Placement Program (PPP) Military Spouse Preference (MSP) eligible candidates will receive priority consideration at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified up to and including the full performance level.
  • PPP Application Based Preference Eligibles (Military Reserve and National Guard technicians, Military Reserve and National Guard technicians receiving disability retirement, and Retained Grade employees) will receive priority consideration at the full performance level only.
  • 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 opportunity may be used to fill current and future anticipated agency needs.

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.

All information included in the resume and Occupational Questionnaire is subject to review and verification. HR will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum requirements will be further evaluated based upon information you provided in the Occupational Questionnaire. If a determination is made that the work experience described in your submitted resume does not support your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire, your score may be reduced, and you may lose consideration for this position. If you are already a DFAS employee, you may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including removal from Federal service, if you are found to have exaggerated, embellished, inflated, mischaracterized, or falsified your resume or qualifications.

The Assessment Questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and collects information on your education, training and experience.

You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12786814

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.

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