Financial Specialist, IS-0501-12

Application Deadline: 24 August 2026

Department: Office of Finance & Accounting

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Compensation: $102,415 - $133,142 / year

Description

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides technical guidance and analytical support for cash management, vendor maintenance and accounts payable operations.
• Evaluates financial processes, transaction workflows and operational controls to improve efficiency, compliance and data integrity across Accounting Operations.
• Reviews and analyzes vendor records, payment activity, disbursement data and financial transactions to identify trends, discrepancies, operational risks and process improvement opportunities.
• Develops recommendations related to vendor administration, payment processing, cash management activities and financial operations.
• Documents financial (banking & US Treasury) processes and banking structure flows. Presents progress reports. Documents and reviews banking systems at individual units and evaluates the bank system and processes for compliance. Researches and explores new and improved business and management practices and technology.
• Drafts and prepares justifications for SI financial/cash management policy. Documents SI’s banking structure, account interrelationships, security protections and check writing authority.
• Reviews technical guides, standard operating procedures and user instructions for new technologies. Contributes to the development of OF&A’s cash management procedures, guides and policies. Collaborates with the Cash Management Officer to develop cash management strategies.
• Reviews federal compliance requirements concerning financial regulations/obligations. Ensures financial management (banking and federal) portals are audit-ready. 
• Serves as advisor regarding proper monitoring of regulatory requirements and best practices in US Treasury financial operations management. Serves as advisor regarding improvement of cash management and accounting operations.
• Documents and reviews banking systems at individual units and evaluates them for compliance. 
• Reviews technical guides, standard operating procedures and user instructions for new technologies. 

• Coordinates with vendor maintenance, accounts payable, procurement personnel, financial institutions, external vendors and program offices to resolve complex payment, banking, vendor and reconciliation issues.
• Evaluates operational risks associated with vendor records, payment processing activities and disbursement controls. Recommends corrective action when deficiencies are identified.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for monitoring and oversight of electronic payment-processing activities, including Stripe and related payment platforms. Evaluates transaction activity, settlement trends, operational exceptions and emerging risks to ensure the effectiveness of financial controls and the protection of institutional assets.
• Leads fraud-risk monitoring and analysis activities by reviewing high-risk transactions, evaluating fraud indicators and payment anomalies, assessing fraud trends, monitoring fraud-prevention controls and recommending enhancements to detection rules, processes and risk mitigation strategies. Conducts complex investigations and escalates material risks and significant control concerns to management.
• Oversees dispute and chargeback management activities, ensuring prompt response to dispute deadlines, evaluating supporting documentation, monitoring case outcomes, identifying root causes and trends and recommending corrective actions to reduce financial exposure and operational risk.
• Performs oversight of reconciliation monitoring activities involving payment settlements, fees, refunds, reserves, chargebacks and holding-account activity. Reviews complex variances and settlement discrepancies, determines root causes, develops corrective-action recommendations and ensures proper escalation and resolution of significant exceptions.
• Develops and maintains management dashboards, executive reports, risk assessments, operational metrics and governance documentation related to payment operations, fraud monitoring and financial risk management. Evaluates trends and prepares recommendations to strengthen internal controls, improve operational efficiency and support management decision-making.
• Provides expert advice to management regarding fraud risks, payment operations, internal controls, reconciliation methodologies, compliance requirements and emerging industry risks. Coordinates with finance, information technology, cybersecurity personnel, payment processors, vendors, auditors and organizational units to support enterprise-wide payment governance and risk-management activities.

• Researches and resolves complex issues involving vendor records, payment transactions, disbursement activity, banking information, accounts payable processes, financial system interfaces and payment processing operations.
• Analyzes the impact of proposed system, process and policy changes on cash management, vendor maintenance, accounts payable operations and payment services.
• Recommends process improvements that strengthen internal controls, improve transaction accuracy, enhance customer service and reduce operational risk.
• Supports programs and projects dedicated to: efficiently administrating merchant card services; payment card industry (PCI) security standards requirements and compliance; third-party credit card processors and their interrelationships; state-of-the-art processing.
• Coordinates merchant card software and hardware support and installation. Manages e-commerce system conversions. Monitors credit card transactions and remissions from banking partners to ensure proper recording of receipts. Serves as point of contact on all merchant applications and as liaison with units.
• Serves as system administrator on merchant software systems and works with CMO in developing suite packages for the units. Responsible for training the staff and units on new business applications.
• Participates with the PCI working group to maintain interrelationships with banking partners’ current policies and projected updates or changes to financial transaction processes.
• Determines the impact of new technologies, advancements and trends in the credit card industry on SI operations and provides recommendations to management of potential strategies.
• Collaborates with organizations throughout SI to ensure all systems (banking, merchant, gateways, portals, online applications, e-revenue & e-donations, ticketing) are compliant with the PCI Data Security Standard.
• Responsible for managing several program functions to include - merchant card services; PCI security standard requirements and compliance; third-party credit card processors and their interrelationships; state-of-the-art processing.
• Participates with the PCI working group to maintain interrelationships with banking partners’ current policies, projected updates or changes to financial transaction processes.
• Provides cross-functional support throughout Accounting Operations and may be assigned work involving cash management, vendor maintenance, accounts payable, vendor administration, payment operations, financial reconciliations, internal controls and related financial management activities based on organizational priorities and workload requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned 

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Analyze and evaluate continual changes in unit and SI plans and funding understand the effects of operational changes on financial process milestones
• Analyze complex financial relationships and evaluate financial data to develop sound recommendations and appropriate courses of action in environments characterized by frequently changing, evolving, and at times conflicting policies, guidelines, and requirements.
• Comprehensive knowledge of payment-processing systems, fraud-risk management practices, dispute and chargeback administration, financial reconciliations, internal controls, compliance requirements and financial data analysis.  Ability to independently assess financial and operational risks, develop corrective-action recommendations, evaluate internal control effectiveness and communicate complex findings to senior leadership.
• Comprehensive knowledge of vendor administration, accounts payable operations, financial reconciliations, disbursement processes, internal controls and automated financial systems sufficient to evaluate operations, resolve complex issues and develop recommendations for management.