Recent Graduates Program - Accountant
What's the Recent Graduates Program?
The Recent Graduates Program affords participants developmental experiences at CMS intended to promote possible careers to individuals who have recently graduated within the previous two years from qualifying educational institutions. This one-year paid program is designed to provide an opportunity to those individuals who lack experience to participate in Federal government jobs, enabling them to develop on the job as they establish their career. Successful candidates are placed in a developmental program with the potential to lead to permanent employment at CMS.
About the role:
As a Accountant, you will serve in a trainee capacity performing limited-scope, entry-level accounting systems work that requires you to be equipped with well-established and basic accounting principles, theories, concepts, and practices.
Responsibilities:
- Assist the technical lead in the preparation of internal accounting systems and procedures.
- Formulate a variety of routine financial reports for specific programs and funds.
- Assist in the preparation of CMS financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act.
- Apply analytical techniques in reconciling routine system problems that generate errors in day-to-day operations.
- Evaluate current business requirements and determine if the accounting system is performing to existing requirements.
To be eligible as a Recent Graduate:
- U.S. Citizenship required
- GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- 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 April 20, 2019. 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 April 20, 2015.
To be eligible as a Degree Candidate for Spring 2021:
Individuals who are degree candidates for this current semester/term, i.e. Spring 2021, 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 Spring 2021: 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 June 30, 2021.
Experience we're looking for:
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.
Education
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.)
To see the full list of qualifications and eligibility criteria, click apply to review the job announcement on USAJOBS.