Summary We are looking to fill Accountant, GS-0510-7/9, positions in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Click on "Learn more about this agency" for more details! You will serve in a trainee capacity performing limited-scope, entry-level accounting work that requires you to be equipped with well-established and basic accounting principles, theories, concepts, and practices. Responsibilities Provide technical and operational guidance to staff in the processing of accounting documents and vendor invoices. Assist senior accounting or financial management professionals to accomplish substantial segments of larger and more complex projects associated with CMS' financial reporting responsibility. Formulate a variety of routine financial reports for specific CMS programs and funds. Analyze debt collection activity, commercial banking activities, and the financial operations of demonstration payment programs to determine compliance with existing debt management policies and regulations. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: You must be ELIGIBLE and QUALIFIED in order to be referred to Hiring Managers. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Am I considered a Recent Graduate? GPA Requirement: You must possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on the unweighted 4.0 scale upon completion of your academic degree or certificate program. (GPA 2.95 is rounded to 3.0 and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9.) To be eligible as a Recent Graduate: Individuals who within the previous 2 years, completed a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution. Therefore, you must have completed your educational program no earlier than October 2, 2022. Veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation, begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which they completed their degrees (or certification). Therefore, veterans must have completed your educational program no earlier than October 2, 2018. To verify your eligibility as a Recent Graduate, you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your possession of the required education. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); and (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major; AND (4) the date your Degree was conferred. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion at time of application will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position. To be eligible as a Degree Candidate for Fall 2024: Individuals who are degree candidates for this current semester/term, i.e. Fall 2024, scheduled to complete a qualifying Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, professional, vocational or technical degree or certificate program AND degree/certificate has not been conferred at time of application. To verify your eligibility as a Degree Candidate for Fall 2024: you must submit the following at the time of application: A copy of your unofficial transcripts from the educational institution you attended attesting to your education completed to date. Your unofficial transcripts must reflect: (1) your name; (2) overall grade point average (GPA); AND (3) Degree Type (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's, etc.) and Degree Major. If referred and selected, you must submit an additional unofficial transcript that confirms the date your degree was conferred before an Official Offer can be made. Degree must be conferred by January 31, 2025. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position. Note: For those applying as Degree Candidates for Fall 2024, you will be required to submit an additional transcript that confirms the above major or course requirements and the date your degree was conferred. Degree requirements must be completed during the Fall 2024 semester and the degree must be conferred by January 31, 2025. Failure to submit proof of degree/certificate completion will result in the withdrawal of your application from consideration for this position. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Do I qualify at the GS-07 or GS-09 Grade Level? In order to qualify for the GS-07, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) inputting financial data into an automated financial system; 2) assisting with preparing accounting reports; AND 3) performing routine or limited reviews of financial information. - OR - Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level by possessing at least one full year of graduate level education. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended - OR - Superior Academic Achievement: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND one of the following provisions of superior academic achievement: A grade-point average of "B" (3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. For example, 2.95 is rounded to 3.0, and 2.94 is rounded to 2.9. A grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all required courses completed in your major field of study, or those required courses in your major completed in the last two years of your undergraduate study. Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. - OR - Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total experience requirements at the GS-07 grade level. The percentage of your total qualifying experience the education must equal to 100% to qualify for this grade. In order to qualify for the GS-09, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) performing account reconciliation activities; 2) examining accounting processes or systems in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; AND 3) verifying the accuracy of accounting data or transactions within an accounting database. - OR - Substitution of Education for Experience: You may substitute education for specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level by possessing a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. - OR - Combination of Experience and Education: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the GS-07 grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-09 grade level. Therefore, only education in excess of one full year of graduate level education may be used to combine education and experience. ALL TRANSCRIPTS are required at the time of application to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement related to substitution of education for experience and combination of experience and education. Please see "Required Documents" section below on what documentation is required. Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12539559 Education Qualifications, continued: NOTE: If you are using specialized experience to qualify for this position, your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration. NOTE: A certificate program is defined as post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study (30 undergrad credits/18 grad school credits) that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum. EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, all candidates must have the following educational requirements: - A bachelor's degree 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. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.) - OR - - A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND 24 semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.). - OR - - A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION.) -OR- - A combination of education and experience that includes 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 AND 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 related field, e.g.; valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two high 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. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPT AND WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS CERTIFYING ACCOUNTING KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION.) Additional Information Bargaining Unit Position: Yes-American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1923 Tour of Duty: Flexible Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: Not Required Workplace Flexibility at CMS: This position has a regular and recurring reporting requirement to the CMS office listed in this announcement; however, CMS offers flexible working arrangements and allows employees the opportunity to participate in telework combined with alternative work schedules at the manager's discretion. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Supervisory positions must report a minimum 2 times per week and non-Supervisory positions must report a minimum of 2 times per pay period. NOTE: This is NOT a remote position. Salary Range by Grade and location: Washington, DC/Bethesda, MD/Woodlawn, MD GS-07 - $55,942 - $72,703 GS-09 - $68,405 - $88,926 Chicago, IL GS-07 - $54,728 - $71,148 GS-09 - $66,942 - $87,024 Dallas, TX GS-07 - $53,259 - $69,238 GS-09 - $65,145 - $84,688 For more information about pay based on locality, please visit the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Salaries & Wages Page. Conversion Eligibility: Recent Graduates may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a career, career-conditional, or term appointment after successful completion of the Pathways Recent Graduate program. The position to which converted may have a full-performance level up to a GS-12. NOTE: Full Performance Level (FPL): Employees selected for this position may be eligible for promotion up to the GS-11 level while in the Pathways Program and up to the GS-12 level after successful completion of the Program. There is no obligation to provide future promotions if you are selected.