Cost Accountant

Responsibilities
NSA’s accountants oversee a service activity that encompasses authorizing, recording, classifying, and summarizing economic events in a logical manner. The results of such activity provide quantitative information, which is primarily financial in nature and intended to be useful in making decisions regarding the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

NSA accountants must possess a system view of financial operations and their integration into the mission of the Agency. Accountants design accounting system processes; record and analyze complex non-routine transactions; monitor financial systems operations for legal compliance and internal control purposes; prepare reports on financial status and operations for external oversight authorities; and use managerial accounting systems to help decision makers manage cost and measure performance. The Agency’s cost accounting subsystem shall be focused on providing relevant, reliable actual cost data collected on an individual transaction basis, using well-defined attribute data to permit classification and comparison to individual and among various cost objects. Cost management will enhance the Agency’s ability to execute its mission by helping NSA deliver to its customers the right products in the quantity needed, when they are needed for a reasonable cost.

The successful applicant will also play a role in the modernization of NSA’s financial management systems which is being conducted in concert with the DoD’s Financial Management Enterprise Architecture initiative.

Qualifications
Candidates must possess:
- Five years of progressive professional accounting experience with at least three years of specialized experience comprising designing and/or applying various cost accounting and cost management techniques including standard costing with variance analysis, activity-based costing, project costing, capital planning, target costing, and value stream costing in a lean six sigma production environment.
- A bachelor’s degree in accounting or a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, economics, public administration or computer science that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. Advanced degrees in these fields are desirable as are professional certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), and Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM).
- The ability to apply accounting and financial concepts, principles, and standards, coupled with IT savvy, to effectively develop, operate, and maintain financial programs and systems.
- The ability to work independently on multiple interrelated projects, using initiative, ingenuity and judgment to meet established milestones.
- Effective communication skills (orally and written) to work with individuals at various levels in presenting ideas, findings, and recommendations.
- Knowledge and experience in the management and implementation of internal control, audit follow-up, and validation programs.

Salary Range:
$69,764 - $127,442

U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. A security clearance must be granted prior to employment and you will be required to undergo extensive pre-employment processing. This includes aptitude testing; an interview with a psychologist and a security interview conducted with the aid of a polygraph; and, a personnel interview. The final stage of the processing will be the successful completion of a security background investigation.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. The NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564.

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