Summary You will serve as the Transportation Financial Systems Specialist within the Federal Highway Administration, providing support to the agency in enhancing the FHWA’s stewardship, ensuring accountability of Federal funds and achieving organizational excellence in delivering the FHWA’s various highway and transportation programs. Multiple selections in different program offices will be made with this announcement. Responsibilities The Financial Systems Specialist will: Monitor procedures and controls to develop and implement proactive oversight of the program to prevent violations of waste, fraud, and abuse such as transaction reviews, data mining, and process changes. Prepares revised or new procedures along with instructions and disseminates them for implementation. Conduct a variety of reviews and studies of existing policies and procedural guidelines to be used throughout the FHWA to evaluate and increase effectiveness and uniformity in the management and administration of the assigned program and to comply with Government-wide requirements. Conduct audits of program transactions to ensure that they meet departmental and FHWA requirements to include evaluating the effectiveness of the audit process and recommends and develops procedural changes as a result of common audit findings, as applicable. Conduct continuing reviews and complex studies of accounting operations, assigned subsystems, functions, processes and related reports. These are used as a basis for evaluating overall effectiveness of financial controls and accounting procedures and making recommendations for improvement of financial and reporting systems, attend conferences or meetings providing information on FHWA’s policies, procedures, and initiatives. Review proposed legislation or Government-wide directives and develops comments for response to FHWA or Department leadership. The ideal candidate for this position is an experienced and highly motivated person looking to expand their knowledge and experience in governmental finance, budgets, and provides professional advice and technical guidance necessary to address complex financial system planning, development and operational matters. The ideal candidate for this position is a mid-career or mid-level Transportation professional with strong analytic and strategic thinking skills, who has experience with Federal-aid highway finance, performing modifications, maintenance and upgrading various financial processes. In addition, to qualify for this position the candidate must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12, and it must include experience in Federal-aid highway financial management and financial system reporting analysis. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration. You must meet specialized experience to qualify. Required documents must be submitted by the closing date. Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the position. PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: You must complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed). TIME-IN-GRADE: Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade in the competitive or excepted service in the executive branch to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Qualifications To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the Grade 13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include: Experience conducting reviews and/or audits of financial programs such as financial integrity reviews to ensure expenditure of funds in accordance with regulatory or legal requirements; AND Experience providing technical advice on cost accounting and billing procedures for financial programs such as developing procedures, policies, and internal controls. To qualify for the Grade 14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Experience conducting reviews and/or audits of financial programs such as financial integrity reviews to ensure expenditure of funds in accordance with regulatory or legal requirements; AND Experience providing technical advice on cost accounting and billing procedures for financial programs such as developing procedures, policies, and internal controls; AND Experience communicating technical information to stakeholders from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to convey regulatory requirements, outline a need for change, and to coordinate acceptable corrective actions. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Technical Skills - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Financial Analysis - Knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of financial analysis, forecasting, and modeling to interpret quantitative and qualitative data; includes data modeling, earned value management, and evaluating key financial indicators, trends, and historical data. Financial Systems - Knowledge of the standards, architecture, and specifications of automated financial systems, including source documents, system flows, system analysis, system interfaces, process workflows and related internal controls. Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; provides user training, listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. For all types of consideration, 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 directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education Additional Information The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.