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Financial Administrative Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Support Services Division (SSD)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs, Support Service Division. The primary purpose of this position is to provide accounting and financial reporting on behalf of the Regional Office. The division also implements VA accounting policy, performs financial management system and general ledger operations, prepares financial statements, and other financial reports.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/04/2023 to 01/26/2023
Salary
$46,696 to - $74,250 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Montgomery, AL
Anchorage, AK
Phoenix, AZ
Little Rock, AR
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
ST-11778709-23-CB
Control number
697600700

Duties

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Specific duties are as follows:

  • Examines, certifies and audit vouchers submitted for payment, while assessing compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse
  • Ability to communicate either by phone or correspondence with veterans, fiduciary, other offices with inquiry results
  • Prepares fiscal, administrative, and other statistical reports as deemed appropriate and/or as required and serves on such other projects as directed
  • Responds to inquiries from Congressional Offices, Regional Counsel and Office of Inspector General
  • Must have a thorough understanding of the various benefit programs and the payment procedures and regulations applicable to each program administered by the Department
  • Independently performs reviews for accuracy and consistency of data such as audits, debts and reimbursement
  • Ensures that recurring reports are accurately complied and completed on time
  • Provides technical advice to all Regional Office employees on complex and unusual benefit award adjustments, special payment issues, and accounts receivable actions on the applicable computer applications
  • Ability to use specific VA computer applications, in additions to Microsoft Excel, Word and other electronic database applications
  • Performs accounting reviews and payment function checks for discrepancies and advises management with proposes plans to prevent future unassociated funds situations
  • Provides administration support to management staff for personnel management, budget administration, procurement and other financial related activities
  • Serve as subject matter expert in all areas of the Financial Operations section
  • Oversee the work of the Financial Administrative Specialist and ensures appropriate separations of duties are in place and the financial integrity of the regional office is maintain and upheld
  • Develops procedures and coordinates activities across functional lines with other divisions, Regional Offices, service organization, and with other government departments or agencies
  • Establishes and maintains internal controls systems with a special emphasis on the operational areas identified as having a high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse
  • Responsible for planning, organizing, assigning and reviewing the work performed within the Operations area
  • Must be well versed in all facets of the financial and general operating procedures for the Regional Office, which requires substantial technical and managerial expertise
  • Serves as a Certifying Official authorizing all financial transactions, adjustments, and Collections.

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: Full time, Monday through Friday
TELEWORK ELIGIBLE: Yes per Agency guidelines.
Virtual: This IS NOT a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Financial Administrative Specialist, 37539A, 37540A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: No
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Physical Requirements: The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • 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
  • If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
  • All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  • This a Bargaining Unit position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/26/2023.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify for this GS-07: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors. This experience in the Federal service performing technical assignments affecting the budget and accounting for an organization or company.

OR One full year of graduate level education Or superior academic achievement at the bachelors level in a degree related fields of study. (You must provide transcripts);

OR Combination of the required experience and education for this grade 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-07. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

To qualify for this GS-09: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors. This experience in the Federal service performing technical assignments affecting the budget and accounting for an organization or company and conducting detailed audits and analysis. You will be rated on the following

OR A Master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., related fields of study. (You must provide transcripts);

OR a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level.

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07, or GS-09 level.

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use one year or 18 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-09. For example, an applicant who has 27 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Competencies for this position:

  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Oral Communication
  • Principles of Finance
  • Technical Credibility
  • Writing


NOTE: 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.

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

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

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 may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

COVID-19 Pandemic Expanded Telework Program - Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

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

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. Best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. All applicants' qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Oral Communication
  • Principles of Finance
  • Technical Credibility
  • Writing


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.

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and have a final assessment score of 80 or better. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and have a final assessment score of 80 or better. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here.

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