Summary

This position is located within the Office of Business Oversight at the VA Central Office in Washington, DC. This position serves as a senior auditor, utilizing professional knowledge of accounting principles, auditing standards, and data analysis methods in completing complex assignments to ensure internal controls over operations, reporting, and financial information systems are sufficient to safeguard against fraud, waste, and abuse.

Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Plans, designs, and executes risk-based audit strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, operations, and financial information systems;
• Prepares detailed internal control documentation, drafts narrative descriptions of processes, develops flowcharts, identifies and assesses control risks, and ensures that documentation is accurate, complete, and logically structured;
• Engages extensively with stakeholders across VA to obtain documentation, communicates testing requirements, presents audit conclusions, coordinates follow-up actions, and defends findings when necessary;
• Obtains and analyzes comprehensive information, interprets applicable laws, regulations, and policies, and evaluates control structures for compliance, accuracy of accounting transactions, reliability of financial data, and safeguarding of assets;
• Determines root causes of system control failures and assesses the impact of those weaknesses on financial reporting; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work is generally sedentary, though some walking, standing, and carrying light items may occur. Occasional travel to other VA facilities or meeting locations may be required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All applicants must meet the following Basic Requirement for the GS-0511 series:

A. Bachelor's Degree (or higher) with a major in accounting, auditing; or a degree including auditing courses in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting. The twenty-four (24) hours may include up to six (6) hours of credit in business law. ~OR~

B. Combination of education and experience of at least four (4) years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. The applicant's background must also include one of the following:

• Twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to six (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., fifteen (15) semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the twenty four (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 four (4)-year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of twenty four (24) semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

~ AND ~

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, to qualify for the GS-13 level, you must also meet the following requirement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in Federal service. Specialized experience includes Specialized experience includes experience leading and conducting complex internal control evaluations and risk-based audits/reviews under OMB Circular A-123, Appendix A, or similar internal control frameworks, to include financial information management systems; developing written products that assess the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls, including analyzing deficiencies and recommending improvements; advising management on internal control requirements, compliance, and financial standards; and experience assessing IT general and application controls and evaluating processes against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM) standards. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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/.

Education

IMPORTANT: Due to the positive education requirement, copies of all pertinent transcripts and certifications must be submitted with your application. Applications will not be considered without appropriate supporting documentation. Please ensure that your transcripts show that a degree was conferred in the appropriate field. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, display copies of degrees or course listings are not adequate and do not provide the information needed to verify that you meet the education.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.