Accounts Receivables Branch (ARB) Team Lead

IFAS LLC•Charleston, SC

12d•$73,770 - $86,788•Onsite

About The Position

The Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS), U.S. Department of State, is seeking an experienced professional to serve as an Accounts Receivable Financial Analyst and Team Lead in Charleston, South Carolina. This dual-role position combines accounting, financial reconciliations, debt collections, research, systems analysis, and business process improvement with team leadership, employee development, coaching, and quality assurance. The selected candidate will work with federal and contract management to support accurate and timely financial operations and foster a collaborative, accountable, high-performing team. The role requires practical Accounts Receivable experience, including financial research, account reconciliation, and collections, as well as working knowledge of General Ledger accounting. The Team Lead serves as a subject-matter expert, provides technical guidance, and supports employee performance, training, workload monitoring, quality, staffing, and timekeeping. Leadership and administrative duties are estimated at approximately 25% of working time, with flexibility based on staffing, workload, and operational priorities. The position is 100% onsite in Charleston, South Carolina. The standard work shift is eight hours and is scheduled within operating hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with an unpaid meal period of 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Additional hours may be required with prior approval. Candidates must qualify to obtain a Secret security clearance issued by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Requirements

Meet one of the following education and experience combinations: a four-year degree from an accredited college or university and at least four years of relevant professional experience; two years of college education and at least six years of experience directly related to the position; or at least eight years of relevant professional experience.
Previous management, supervisory, or demonstrated Team Lead experience.
Practical experience in Accounts Receivable operations, including financial research, account reconciliation, and collections.
Working knowledge of General Ledger accounting, including how financial transactions affect account balances and reconciliations.
Basic to intermediate financial and accounting knowledge, including the ability to analyze transactions, identify discrepancies, and interpret financial documentation.
Ability to coordinate work assignments, guide team members, and support accurate and timely completion of operational requirements.
Must qualify to obtain a Secret security clearance.
Ability to create, maintain, and analyze Excel spreadsheets using intermediate functions such as VLOOKUP and PivotTables.
Strong analytical, critical-thinking, organizational, and time-management skills, including the ability to research discrepancies, identify root causes, prioritize competing demands, maintain accuracy, and meet deadlines.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, and ability to learn Department of State financial systems, policies, and procedures.
Excellent communication and customer service skills, including ability to handle high-volume inquiries and recognize when issues require management escalation.
Effective leadership skills, including coaching, constructive feedback, employee development, and accountability for individual and team performance.
Professionalism, integrity, sound judgment, and a collaborative, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
Ability to adhere to approved work schedules and support adequate office coverage and accurate timekeeping.

Nice To Haves

Experience using accounting systems, spreadsheets, and financial reports to research discrepancies, analyze data, and support financial operations.
Experience coaching, mentoring, training, and providing technical guidance to team members.
Ability to identify process inefficiencies, investigate root causes, and recommend practical improvements.
Knowledge of government accounting principles, federal financial operations, and reporting requirements.
Previous Department of State experience.
Ability to quickly learn new systems, adapt to changing operational requirements, and promote teamwork, employee development, and accountability.
Prior experience with Department of State-specific systems.

Responsibilities

Analyze accounting transactions, verify system interfaces, research discrepancies, identify root causes, and process corrective accounting entries as needed.
Perform General Ledger reconciliations, support financial reporting, and maintain accurate accounting records, spreadsheets, and supporting documentation.
Create, update, and monitor Accounts Receivable records in GFMS, including researching and correcting rejected transactions within the appropriate accounting period.
Manage an assigned Accounts Receivable portfolio according to staffing and operational needs, including account monitoring, financial research, reconciliation, customer inquiries, and collection activities.
Provide technical guidance to team members resolving complex accounts, accounting discrepancies, and escalated collection matters.
Research aged debts, bankruptcies, deceased debtor accounts, and potential write-offs; prepare loan recovery calculations and coordinate with appropriate personnel.
Process authorized collections through Pay.gov, refunds for overcollections and overseas tax refunds, and fee waiver requests according to established approval requirements.
Monitor delinquent accounts, coordinate Treasury Cross-Servicing referrals, maintain referral reports, and process applicable IPAC collections.
Provide timely and professional customer service by telephone and email, addressing inquiries and supporting debt resolution.
Maintain complete and accurate financial records and ensure debt-related documentation is uploaded into the Document Imaging System (DIS).
Generate and analyze GBI reports to evaluate collection trends, portfolio performance, processing deficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
Safeguard Personally Identifiable Information (PII), comply with OMB Circular A-123 internal control requirements, and maintain QWIs, Reference Documents, and related procedures supporting ISO 9001 requirements.
Respond to internal and external documentation requests in accordance with security and privacy requirements, and perform other duties as assigned.
Serve as an Accounts Receivable subject-matter expert by providing technical guidance, problem-solving assistance, and support to team members.
Coordinate with Department of State and contract management to support accurate, timely, high-quality work, operational goals, and process improvements.
Assist the Contract Manager with employee performance management, including coaching, mentoring, constructive feedback, addressing performance concerns, and promoting accountability.
Support recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, employee development, and training; ensure on-the-job training is documented and employees demonstrate competency.
Monitor workloads, productivity, and work quality; identify backlogs, recurring errors, and training needs, and recommend corrective actions.
Serve as a liaison among contractor employees, federal management, and contract management to facilitate communication and address operational concerns.
Monitor employee schedules, attendance, and leave requests to ensure adequate staffing, operational coverage, and policy compliance.
Review physical sign-in/sign-out records against employee timesheets each pay period, coordinate corrections, and approve timesheets within assigned authority.
Evaluate overtime requests against workload requirements, communicate staffing and performance concerns to management, and participate in meetings about operational priorities and departmental initiatives.