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Apply Now: SEC Staff Accountant position!

The Division of Investment Management (IM) works to support the SEC in its mission to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. IM regulates investment companies & variable insurance products.

Date Posted

March 08, 2023

Type

Full Time

Staff Accountant

Agency: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Position: Staff Accountant, SK-0510-14 Location: Boston, MA; New York, NY; Washington, DC Salary: Boston, MA: SK-14: $132,834 - $225,043 per year New York, NY: SK-14: $137,908 - $233,640 per year Washington, DC: SK-14: $134,304 - $227,534 per year Open & Close Dates: 03/07/2023 to 03/20/2023 Job Link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/711015700

Summary: The Division of Investment Management (IM) works to support the SEC in its mission to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. IM regulates investment companies, variable insurance products, and federally registered investment advisers. IM’s Disclosure Review and Accounting Office is seeking to fill 2 Staff Accountant positions in the Chief Accountant’s Office in Washington, DC or one of the following regional locations: NYRO and BRO. Conditions of Employment: This position is open to US Citizens. Typical duties include: • Examines, analyzes, and evaluates financial statements, disclosure, and other financial information included in filings made by registered investment companies (RICs) and business development companies (BDCs) and determines whether these items fully and fairly reflect financial condition and operating results in light of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) requirements and applicable to investment companies under FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 Investment Companies (ASC 946) as well as Regulation S-X and other applicable requirements and guidelines. • Performs research, data analysis, or targeted reviews of financial statements relevant to current initiatives and market events, trends, or conditions utilizing monitoring and data analysis tools to identify financial reporting issues, valuation or other measurement outliers, potential disclosure deficiencies, or other key metrics for evaluation of disclosure compliance by RICs and BDCs. Prepares memoranda and reports summarizing the results of such examinations and analysis, citing material deficiencies, and communicates and resolves such deficiencies directly with registrants, their counsel, or their accountants. • Participates in reviewing new registration statements for financial reporting and disclosure compliance, including application of GAAP, particularly with emerging asset classes or unique strategies that may have complex accounting concepts. Additionally, involved in the review of financial information for other registration statements, including those made in connection with investment company mergers and acquisitions. • Contributes to external discussions with registrants, their counsel, accountants, independent auditors, and other experts representing registrants with respect to accounting, auditing, or financial reporting matters raised in review of RIC and BDC filings. • Participates in internal discussions with the Chief Accountant, Disclosure Assistant Directors, and other staff within the Division and throughout the Commission with respect to, among other things: o Technical accounting, auditing, or financial reporting concerns arising in the examination and analysis of financial information contained within RIC and BDC filings; and o Significant or unusual accounting, auditing, or financial reporting concerns regarding emerging asset classes, including hard to value assets, unique derivative instruments, and new or innovative investments, like those in the fintech space, and other novel strategies employed by RICs and BDCs; and o At times, may be requested to present on accounting topics relevant to RICs or BDCs to staff within the Division or to others throughout the Commission. Qualifications: Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess the following:

  1. Degree: 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. (The term “accounting” means “accounting and/or auditing” in this standard. Similarly, “accountant” should be interpreted, generally, as “accountant and/or auditor.”) or
  2. Combination of education and experience: 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. The applicant’s background must also include one of the following:
  1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law;
  2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; or
  3. 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 a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement. SK-14: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-13 level. Specialized experience includes the following:
  1. With respect to registered investment companies and/or business development companies recognizing accounting, auditing, or financial reporting deficiencies in financial statements as well as financial disclosures included in registration statements and other filings of investment companies and/or business development companies registered with the SEC; AND
  2. Experience preparing, reviewing, or auditing financial statements for registered investment companies (RIC); AND
  3. Experience with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Regulation S-X, Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), and accounting rules and policies of federal securities laws and Acts; AND
  4. Experience applying accounting, auditing, examining or investigating principles to review records related to the issuance, distribution or trading of securities; preparing reports and presentations on findings and issues. Education: Official transcripts will be required at the time of appointment to verify education. 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: SEC Compensation Program: The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes as it represents the full range that is applicable to current employees in this occupation/grade; however, a selectee’s initial pay is always set below the maximum rate of the range. Please click here for additional information. Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation for disability to participate in the application process at the SEC, submit the form for Reasonable Accommodation for Participation in Job Application Process here. Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: Federal EEO laws protect all applicants from discrimination on the following bases: race, color, sex (not limited to conduct which is sexual in nature, includes pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender status), age (40 and over), religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, retaliation for participating in the EEO process or opposing discrimination. Applicants who believe they have been discriminated against on any EEO basis can seek recourse through the SEC’s administrative complaints process. To be timely, an individual must enter the EEO process within 45 days from when they know (or should have known) of the alleged discrimination. Click here for additional information. TTY/ASCII: Video Relay Service users are welcome to contact the appropriate SEC office or employee via the contact information listed above. If you do not otherwise have access to a Video Phone or Video Relay service, you may send us an email or use the Federal Video Relay Service via the internet. For more information about using the Federal Relay Service and to create a new account, please see: https://www.federalrelay.us/ Additional guidance and application instructions can be found here: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/711015700
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