Department of Veterans Affairs

Accountant

Big Spring, Texas Full time

Accountant

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Big Spring, Texas

Salary Range: $61722 - $97087 Per Year

Job Summary: The Accountant is located in Fiscal Service. The incumbent serves as the technical advisor to the Fiscal Officer who is the financial manager for the Medical Center. As the accounting expert, incumbent is responsible for maintaining an integrated system of accounting services that contribute to the effective management and operational control of the Medical Center.

Major Duties:

  • Analyzing, Reporting, Auditing and Accounting Facility activities include: Providing systems analysis, advice, and design regarding Financial Management and Accounting systems used by VA; assisting Medical Center customers with various construction accounting inquiries; reconciling financial reports; taking corrective action on financial system issues or reporting errors; provide training to VA field station staff; and participating in financial system(s) annual close out. As a Financial Management Specialist, the incumbent performs analytical, evaluative and interpretive duties on any accounting matter related to the above functions. The incumbent provides technical expertise to accounting staff, as well as an adviser to higher management throughout the facility. The incumbent will apportion his/her time reviewing existing systems and workflow procedures in order to identify discrepancies or opportunities for system enhancements and analyzing systems requirement and designs of VA's Financial Management and Accounting Systems. The majority of the daily workload is completed by the processing of local accounting information using DHCP (Decentralized Hospital Computer Program), IFCAP (Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Accounting and Procedure), AR (Accounts Receivable), FAP (Fixed Assets Program), CCS (Credit Card System), OLCS (On-line Certification System), FMS at the Austin, Texas VA Data Processing Center, and the upcoming Nationally Implemented Financial and Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise (FLITE) system. The incumbent is responsible for performing account reconciliations, audits and regular reviews to ensure the integrity of the accounting data within the computerized systems. The incumbent is responsible for evaluating the validity of the accounting records and recommending and establishing necessary procedural changes to maintain proper records.The incumbent is responsible to implement the corrective action plan for the discrepancies in the Quality Assurance Reviews (QAR's), by conducting training for both new and seasoned employees to ensure these discrepancies are corrected and don't become recurring items on future QAR's. The incumbent ensures that all employees in the section are kept informed of all new or revised procedures, as well as interpreting published accounting regulations and procedures. 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: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Telework: Ad hoc available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Accountant/PD00665A and PD00666A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorize

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/01/2026. Candidates must meet the following Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):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.(TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) ORCombination 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED/Supporting Documentation REQUIRED) 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. In addition to the Individual Occupation Requirement, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:GS-09 grade level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: knowledge of theories, practices, methods, and techniques of accounting and as required, auditing; and organizational or program practices, policies, and functions sufficient to independently plan and conduct a variety of assignments or investigations. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate 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 a bachelors degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) GS-11 grade level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: must possess professional, comprehensive knowledge of, and skill in applying, principles, theories, practices, methods, and techniques of accounting and auditing, and a knowledge of organizational or program practices, policies, functions, and programs, to independently execute a variety of accounting activities or assignments. Knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply applicable laws, policies and regulations pertaining to agency financial activities, i.e., Directives, Handbooks, Comptroller General Decisions, General Accounting Office Guidelines, General Services Administration and Treasury Department Regulations. Must possess an extensive knowledge of fund control point accounting, allotment accounting and double entry general ledger accounting systems which include assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and capital accounts. Must possess the knowledge of the various automated accounting systems (IPPS, FMS, FAP, CCS, AR, and IFCAP) covering operations and expenses including, but not limited to payroll, travel, transportation, supplies, rents and services. Must possess a high degree of knowledge of appropriations, allotments, analysis accounts, cost accounts, general ledger accounts in a variety of funds, and applicable restrictions. Must be knowledgeable of fund and appropriation accounting concepts and procedures. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate 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 a masters degree. (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/.

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/12944452. 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, 05/01/2026. 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.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-01