Summary THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION. This National Guard position is for a Financial Services Technician, Position Description Number T5132000 and is located in the Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) Comptroller Division of the Vermont Army National Guard. Responsibilities MAJOR DUTIES: 1. Performs broad-in-depth financial analysis of inter-related accounting, logistics and computer file systems concerning pay, accounts payable, and various travel entitlements, using multiple procedures, processes and techniques to evaluate alternatives and arrive at decisions, conclusions and recommendations. Analyzes diverse financial management technical methods, techniques, precedent cases, and procedures to resolve an extensive range of difficult financial technical issues or problems. Performs in-depth analysis, complicated pay, travel, and accounts payable issues involving substantial corrective action and/or complicated adjustments and resolves issues, including assessing unusual circumstances or conditions. Utilizes experience and judgment, rather than guides, to fill in gaps, identify sources of information, and make working suppositions about what transpired to decide approaches, and resolve specific problems. Develops variations in approaches to fit specific problems or deals with incomplete, unreliable or conflicting data in the process of work performance in order to validate transactions and resolve inconsistencies. Analyzes particular facts of financial transaction problems/issues, verifies and evaluates data; obtains additional information to reconcile discrepancies or inconsistencies; and applies pertinent fiscal laws, regulations, precedent decisions, and procedures to determine appropriate action for resolution. Performs research regarding many different and unrelated processes and methods relating to financial transactions for analysis of complex and unusual financial transactions. Analyzes results, applies personal initiative and judgment to make recommendations, which may result in changing guidelines affecting internal, state, and National Guard Bureau (NGB) level processes and procedures. Analyzes and resolves tax processing problems based on soldier inquiries or internal control audits/reviews, ranging from Permanent Change of Station (PCS) issues and combat tax exclusion pay to refunds of erroneous tax collections. Ensures complex tax issues involving tax documents, Do It Yourself (DITY) moves, and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) payments are accomplished accurately and timely. 2. Interprets data to identify problems, determines nature of the problem or issue, decides approaches to use to resolve issues, and recommends solutions for systemic changes to enhance operations. Uses independent judgment to reconstruct incomplete files, devise more efficient methods for procedural processing, gather and organize information for inquiries, or resolve problems referred by others. Interprets user requirements in designing new ad hoc reports or modifications to standard financial and management systems, resulting from regulatory, system, or force structure changes. Researches, interprets, analyzes, and applies regulations, policies, procedures and legal decisions to work and/or resolve complex financial issues/problems. Uses public law; fiscal law; Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Army (DA), Forces Command (FORSCOM), NGB, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) regulations; Standing Operating Procedures; Comptroller General Decisions; and policies and issuances to execute the full range of financial and commercial services. Performs or conducts research, investigates and solves problems involving reconciliations of discrepancies (Electronic Funds Transfer rejects, pay/personnel/travel mismatches) to identify, analyze and provide solutions regarding multiple entitlements, payments to personnel in various duty statuses and assorted payments to commercial vendors, including computation of interest due. Sorts complicated factual information and applies a variety of financial methods to resolve issues. Performs complicated actions to solve problems associated with processing actions regarding multiple pay, travel, and accounts payable financial systems. Incumbent uses related financial regulations and rulings covering diverse types of transactions to function as the technical authority for resolving an extensive range of financial issues or problems. 3. Performs varied duties, involving financial services payment systems (travel, accounts payable, and pay; i.e. Joint Uniform Military Pay System Uniform Standard Terminal Input System (JUMPS), Operational Data Store (ODS), Standard Financial System ReDesign1 (SRD1), Defense Travel System (DTS), etc.,by applying a series of different and unrelated methods, processes and techniques involving established financial management systems. Analyzes and develops a variety of new or established techniques and methods to evaluate alternatives and arrive at decisions, conclusions, and recommendations that enhance operations. REFER TO PD FOR FULL LIST OF DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications The purpose of this position is to provide analysis, validation, processing and correction of financial transactions and issues/problems involving the full range of financial services. Incumbent uses complete understanding of inter-related systems and processes across multiple functional areas and their interoperability to ensure the validity and accuracy of all disbursements, collections, and adjustments related to financial records. OPEN AREAS OF CONSIDERATION: AREA 1, 2, 3, 4 Area I: Current On-board Title 5 or Title 32 Dual Status Technicians (Tenure: 1-Career, 2-Conditional, 3-Indefinite or 4-Term ) - Only those current Vermont National Guard employees who are in permanent, indefinite, or term technician status as result of being competitively hired by the Vermont National Guard working at the location specified in job announcement. Area II: All current Federal Employees from any agency. Area III: All current and former members of the VTNG. Area IV: Area IV: United States citizens. * Veterans' Preference Rules are mandated by law and some applicants may receive priority consideration before other applicants without veterans' preference. GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. Experience using computer and automation systems. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: All personnel must be certified at the next higher level before being eligible for that level. Experiences gained through military technical training schools or civilian academic courses are included in the one-year on-the-job experience. Must have fundamental working experiences with a validated understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the occupational series and grade. Length of time is not of itself qualifying. Candidates' experience should be evaluated on the basis of duties performed rather than strictly on the rank of the individual; however, established compatibility criteria/assignments must be followed for Dual Status Technician positions. The applicant's record of experience, training, and education must show possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to fully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): --Comprehensive knowledge of and skills in the interrelationships of the various financial, personnel and computer file systems, methods, techniques, precedent cases and procedures to resolve especially difficult and/or sensitive problems. Information is used to perform complicated actions to solve problems associated with processing transactions within the financial system. --Uses broad in-depth, practical knowledge and judgment to reconstruct inaccurate accounts, gathers and organizes information for inquires and resolves problems referred by others. Knowledge and skill to suggest specific changes to the guidelines themselves, development of control mechanisms, additional training for customers and specific guidance related to the procedural handling of documents and information. --Knowledge and skills of the procedures and techniques to conduct difficult and responsible analysis and determinations within a complete financial management system to validate transactions and to perform research to resolve inconsistencies. --Knowledge of related financial regulations and rulings covering diverse types of transactions to function as a technical authority to resolve an extensive range of issues or problems. Skill in researching, interpreting, analyzing, and applying regulations, policies, procedures and legal decisions and issuances regarding the full range of financial and commercial services provided, including public law; fiscal law; DoD, DA, FORSCOM, NGB, and DFAS regulations; Standing Operating Procedures; and Comptroller General Decisions. --Comprehensive knowledge of and skill in determining appropriate pay, allowances, and entitlements resulting from multiple military and civilian statuses, to include: Title 10 active duty; Title 32 IDT, AT, ADT, AGR, and ADOS. Knowledge of unique and special pay and entitlement situations to include Base Pay, BAH, BAS, INCAP, FSA, Hazardous Duty Pay, Hostile Fire Pay, CZTE, SDAP, SLRP, incentive pay (bonus), Jury Duty collections, child support, wage garnishments, allotments, survivor benefits, casualty assistance and special incentive pays (flight, medical, jump, foreign language) Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 Level. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of months/years. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience 1. THIS IS A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT LEVEL 1 Certified position designated as such in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012, Public Law 112-81, Subtitle F-Financial Management, section 1051, amending 10 United States Code, section 1599d. Incumbent of this position is required to comply with all Department of Defense and Department of the Army requirements of this certification program. This certification requirement is a condition of employment for this position. Failure to obtain this certification within the required time may subject the incumbent to adverse action. Please be advised: 1. Specialized experience will be used to determine qualifications for the announced position. 2. An applicant's RESUME must provide, in detail, how they meet the specialized experience listed. 3. It must be documented with "from (mm/yy)" and "to (mm/yy)" dates and description of the specialized experience. 4. If education or a degree is required as part of the "Specialized Experience", you must include transcripts. Do not copy the specialized experience qualifications word for word and place into your resume; you must describe your personal experience as it pertains to each statement. Education Substitution of Education for Specialized Experience is allowed. 1) Qualifying based on education alone: Education may be substituted for specialized experience with a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your official transcripts.) PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Veterans Preference Veterans Preference: If you are claiming veteran's preference, you MUST submit the appropriate documentation. Failure to do so WILL result in the loss of veteran's preference, and will possibly impact your placement on the certificate. For more veterans' information please click https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx. - 10-Point Veterans' Preference: You must submit all supporting documentation as specified on the SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference". You can locate the SF 15 at https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf - 5-Point Veterans' Preference: You MUST submit a copy of your DD-214 which includes Character of Service (usually Member-4 copy). If you are currently active duty, you may submit written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. The certification should also include when your terminal leave will begin, your rank and dates of active duty service. If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).