PAA Business Process Analyst

IFAS LLC•Charleston, SC

13h•Onsite

About The Position

All contractors supporting this Department are required to successfully complete a Moderate Risk Public Trust investigation or obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance as a condition of employment. The employee will provide Post Allotment Accounting Analyst support to the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS), Department of State, Charleston, SC, within the Accounting Operations Directorate. This position reports to Post Allotment Accounting Management. The Post Allotment Accounting (PAA) division within the Accounting Operations Directorate supports overseas embassies and domestic stakeholders by ensuring post-level accounting transactions are accurate, timely, and compliant with Department of State financial policies and procedures. The division plays a critical role in maintaining financial integrity across multiple systems and funding sources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, management, information systems is preferred with 4+ years of practical experience, or a combination of education and work experience as described below.
2 year degree, plus 6+ years of accounting, auditing, financial analysis, process improvement, root cause analysis, requirements gathering, internal control development, and change management; or
8+ years of accounting, auditing, financial analysis, process improvement, root cause analysis, requirements gathering, internal control development, and change management.
Experience managing financial systems independently.
Intermediate level MS Excel user with ability to create pivot tables, perform V-lookups, import and manipulate large data sets, and create and maintain formulas.
Learn and understand Department of State financial policies, systems, and procedures.
Analyze financial data and identify discrepancies or trends.
Communicate clearly and professionally with domestic and overseas stakeholders.
Manage multiple recurring responsibilities with minimal supervision.
Recommend, develop, and implement cost-effective solutions to support Department requirements.
Position requires Moderate Risk Public Trust /Secret Security clearance or qualify for a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s degree and/or CPA certification or Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) is highly desirable.
Demonstrated proficiency using the MS Suite of products (Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams, Forms, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Access, etc.)
Federal financial/budgetary experience (non-federal accounting experience performing General Ledger research/reconciliations, preparing journal vouchers, auditing, producing financial reports and statements.)
A desire and ability to identify and support continuous improvements using the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-relate.)
Supports and engages in risk identification and mitigation, internal control development and implementation, root cause analysis, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable corrective actions.
Provides and acts on recommendations regarding applicable system changes and business process improvements.
Experience in process mapping; requirements gathering; performing root cause analysis; auditing financial transactions and facilitating training is highly preferred.
Any certifications in or as: CFE, CIA, Lean Six Sigma, Change Management, Agile Scrum Master are highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide post-level accounting support for assigned overseas posts, including routine monitoring and reconciliation of financial data.
Review and analyze recurring financial queries, including but not limited to:
E2 and NV documents
Undisbursed transactions
Travel advances and salary advances
Negative budgets and expenditures
477 reports and Unliquidated Obligations (ULOs)
Conduct weekly, monthly, quarterly, and ad-hoc reviews in accordance with established quality work instructions and timelines.
Research discrepancies, identify root causes, and coordinate corrective actions with overseas posts, bureaus, and internal stakeholders.
Serve as a primary or backup analyst for multiple posts, ensuring continuity of operations.
Review and reconcile weekly budget queries, prepare spreadsheets, and coordinate corrections with posts or bureaus to ensure RFMS accuracy.
Support centralized funding activities, including monitoring funding rejections, coordinating corrective actions, and maintaining accurate records.
Act as liaison with internal and external partners, including CDC, ITA, and FAS, to resolve accounting and funding issues.
Perform data clean-up activities by reviewing system-generated queries, formatting and analyzing results, and coordinating corrective actions with posts.
Maintain documentation in accordance with Quality Management System (QMS) requirements and support audit readiness activities.
Recommend and support process improvements that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and compliance.