Financial Program Specialist (Financial Specialist)

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Duties

• Responsible for the accurate and timely output of financial data from the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) and providing administrative assistance to the department.
• Serves as or assists the institution Certifying Officer with primary responsibility for approving and certifying payments.
• Responsible for monitoring/reviewing the processing of all obligations for accuracy and timeliness.
• Analyzes obligation documents to determine validity of payment vouchers and proper classification of the obligations.
• Conducts formal as well as informal training to accounting technicians in the areas of policy, regulations, and various laws that fall under the area of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
• Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution.
• The staff’s correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP):

• These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service.
• To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1.
• Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2.
• Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and 3.
• Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter), Most recent performance appraisal, and Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
• See USAJOBS’ Career Transition Programs for more information.
• NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP or ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.
• EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
• More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement.

Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable).

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Superior Academic Achievement.

(S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing — Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

Grade-point average (G.P.A.) — Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B” or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (“B+” or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society — Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ’s Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top quality category.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment.

NOTE: Candidates within the top quality category and who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans preference you are claiming on your resume.

Although veterans preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under “How You Will Be Evaluated”, veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.

Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-9 level or higher).

As noted above, an agency may not select a non-preference eligible in lieu of a preference eligible in the same category unless there are grounds for a passover and the agency has complied with the passover procedures at 5 U.S.C. § 3318(b). What Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA’s) are required: Written Communication Oral Communication Technical Competence Analyze Financial Data Organizational Awareness Financial Systems You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

• Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration.
• If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.
• Veterans’ Preference Documentation: Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.
• DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge). SF-15:
• If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit: A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, “Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference” AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15.
• NOTE: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran’s Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
• If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; (2) and the character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and (3) any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals.
• Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional).
• Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.).
• If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
• To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include: Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND Number of hours worked per week.
• College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable). NOTE:
• If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.
• SF-50: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.
• Proof of ICTAP/CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable.
• For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center – What should I include in my resume?
• We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.