Clarification from the agency

These positions are open to current, permanent VA employees only - with first consideration given to VISN 15 employees. This includes Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. with an interchange agreement and one year of service in that position) employees. This does not include temporary, term or intermittent appointments

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Review and analyze workload data and reports in order to verify the accuracy of the data, identify trends, and analyze variances in order to make recommendations and prepare reports for VISN, facility, and MCA staff.
• Perform audits and analysis of MCA financial structure, cost structure, and patient database to maintain and improve data integrity.
• Develop analytical tools to identify, format, and reduce data for analysis, to provide information to management in an easily recognized format, or to assist other analysts.
• Analyze biweekly payroll records, supply utilization (pharmaceuticals, prosthetics, food provisions, etc.), equipment depreciation, allocation structures, contracts, and all other costs used in medical center functions.
• Develop and use established analytical techniques and precedent studies to gather narrative or statistical information.
• Research, identify, and implement required corrections to financial and workload capture structures by establishing appropriate interfaces in the database.
• Perform system tests and validation processes to ensure that the system is properly functioning after each programming change.
• Verify that budget volumes, costs, relative value units, and standards reflect variable and fixed costs for the medical center.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday -- 8:00 a.m. CST - 4:30 p.m. CST
Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position is authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst/PD09594A/09593A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/30/2023.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS07; for a GS11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS09 . The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-9 Specialized Experience: Candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Examples of specialized:

• Strong analytical skills, knowledge of regulations and policies which affect the MCA structure.
• Knowledge of statistical techniques, medical center operations.
• Provides knowledge management and analytical skills for potential programmatic changes that could significantly enhance patient care, patient safety, overall efficiencies and/or cost effectiveness.
• Analyzes existing automated and manual systems to determine the type of financial and clinical information available.

OR,
Education: Candidates may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-09 level. Must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D. (if related), obtained in an accredited college or university.
OR,
Combination: Candidates may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-9, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. For example, the position to be filled is a Program Analyst, GS-343-9. An applicant has 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 and 1 year of graduate level education. The applicant meets 50 percent of the required experience but none of the required education, since he or she does not have any graduate study beyond that which is required for GS-7. Therefore, the applicant meets only 50 percent of the total requirement and is not qualified for the position. (The applicant's first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9.)

GS-11 Specialized Experience: Candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Examples of specialized:

• Articulates comprehensive knowledge of clinical and administrative practice, computer technology and health care administration, statistical analysis, cost analysis, and correspondence to management.
• Strong analytical skills, knowledge of regulations and policies which affect the MCA structure.
• Knowledge of statistical techniques, medical center operations.
• Provides knowledge management and analytical skills for potential programmatic changes that could significantly enhance patient care, patient safety, overall efficiencies and/or cost effectiveness.
• Analyzes existing automated and manual systems to determine the type of financial and clinical information available.

OR,
Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.
OR,
Combination: Candidates may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Analytical Thinking
• Communication
• Computer Skills
• Cost Accounting

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work will involve standing, sitting, and walking. Travel to facility campus and to other facilities within the VISN may occasionally be necessary. Most activities will be performed at a computer terminal.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.