Clarification from the agency

This announcement will remain open through the posted closing date of January 20, 2026. However, only applications received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered. The applicant count is reached when the first 300 applications are received. Applications submitted after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date will not be considered, even though the announcement may remain open until the closing date.

Serves as a Senior Management and Program Analyst on analytical projects in support of administrative investigations, as governed by VA Directive 0500, of allegations of whistleblower retaliation, senior leader misconduct or poor performance, and/or whistleblower disclosures, within the VA. The incumbent is responsible for a myriad of organizational duties, which includes, but is not limited to preparing, monitoring, and determining the accuracy of matters requiring coordination with leadership, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), National Cemetery Administration (NCA), and all Staff Offices. The incumbent identifies discrepancies and ensures that all matters assigned under his/her purview are properly addressed prior to case closure.

Independently identifies, obtains, and evaluates relevant data including, but not limited to agency investigative reports, open-source reporting, commercial and governmental databases, case files, information obtained from VA's Administrations and all Staff Offices, case law databases, personnel files, time and attendance records, email and internet records. The incumbent functions with a high degree of autonomy, assessing incoming matters, makes informed case decisions, and provides advice to peers and/or management predicated upon a detailed knowledge of law and regulations. Establishes long and short-term objectives designed to meet the needs of the organization. S/he must have expert writing, analysis, and presentation skills.

Coordinates with VA Administrations, Program Offices, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), Regional Offices, and other entities, such as the Office of Resolution Management (ORM), OIG, and OSC, to obtain data and other evidence, which may be complex, sensitive, and voluminous. Processes digital evidence and prepares such evidence for access and use by investigators and OAWP staff.

Prepares investigative scope reviews and new matter assessments, statistical compilations, and other materials in support of case disposition. Uses critical thinking to identify patterns and relationships across datasets and generates new insights. Independently interprets and evaluates information from various sources, synthesizes results, and presents conclusions. Assessments contain well-sourced, accurate written analyses that addresses analytic needs as required by internal and external staff involved in OAWP case management. Prepares and communicates visualizations and other representations to conveying the results of the analytical work. Submits initial assessments and other products in response to external Congressional and stakeholder requests, quality assurance reviews, and as prescribed by organizational leadership to ensure compliance. Develops concise and accurate work products, with no substantive comments arising from internal governance or quality reviews.

Manages a large number of complex and dynamic projects and cases, which consistently meets established timeframes to meet OAWP's organizational objectives. Supports multiple, ongoing cases and may act as an informal team lead for ad-hoc teams of other analysts.

Provides oral and written briefings to organizational leadership, and VA Administrations and Staff Offices and liaisons to convey the results of the information being analyzed and is prepared to defend the methodology used.

Serves as a subject matter expert on government, commercial, and open source databases and tools used to support incoming casework. Identifies information source search strategies to enhance databases and improve processes. Identifies division training needs, develops, and conducts training, and creates reference materials on database uses and tools to increase awareness throughout the organization. Maintains awareness of new data sources relevant to the organization as well as any issues affecting current data sources. The incumbent develops and recommends digital products to offer innovative solutions and improved organizational databases and tools used by the organization.

Provides mentoring and guidance to more junior analyst staff including the use of analytical tools and databases. Develops internal governance practices to ensure that the quality and accuracy of the work produced by others meet the organization's high standards.

Performs other related duties as assigned.


Work Schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday with various tours available pending supervisory approval. May be subjected to change based on operational needs.
Compressed/Flexible: Yes
Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD138710 and PD138710
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

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
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/20/2026.

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 GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.


You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: conducting or providing oversight of complex administrative investigations regarding multiple personnel complaints and whistleblower disclosures; conducting reviews of administrative investigations for procedural thoroughness; analyzing procedures and events for compliance with applicable laws and regulations; receiving complaints and whistleblower disclosures involving whistleblower retaliation or misconduct and developing the matter with the complainant to understand the nature and details involved in the complaint; evaluating statutory authorities for investigation involving potentially criminal and administrative complaints; determining the appropriate referral of the complaint or whistleblower disclosure if the matter is not within the organization's investigative authority; handling sensitive and potentially controversial matters with tact, discretion, and confidentiality.

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

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Communications
• Compliance
• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Learning
• Performance Management
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Written Communication

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.

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 for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• At least five (5) years of expert level experience receiving and reviewing employee whistleblower disclosures at the Agency/headquarters/enterprise level that involve allegations of misconduct and/or whistleblower retaliation; then independently researching the issues as needed, including whether the complained-of activity or conduct violates any law or regulation; and then determining the best course of action to handle the disclosure, i.e., conduct an investigation or refer the complainant or issues to a more appropriate entity.
• At least five (5) years of expert level experience conducting administrative investigations or doing oversight of investigations.
• At least five (5) years of expert level experience working with case management applications or electronic evidence files.
• Demonstrated responsibility over at least one year for high volume case intake processing and managing an average of 10 cases at one time.
• Demonstrated experience producing case briefings for Executive leadership.
• Demonstrated experience de-escalating during high stress encounters and conflict with a complainant.
• Demonstrated experience with professional communications and work products being subjected to Congressional scrutiny and review.

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/.

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 is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Some travel, walking, bending, and carrying lightweight items, such as briefcases, notebooks, and work papers may be necessary. In addition to duties normally performed sitting at a desk, the work involves occasional public speaking and travel within the organization in conjunction with training and referred investigations. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. The incumbent is frequently required to work in situations that demand exceptional adaptability of specialized skills and the ability to react quickly to emergent needs, which could lead to mental strain and high levels of stress.

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/.

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.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

A portion of your assessment is a Job Knowledge Test that will occur during the application. This is a multiple choice exercise with only one correct answer per question. You must answer all questions correctly and meet all other requirements to be considered eligible.


You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Competencies Bullets
Accountability, Attention to Detail, Communications, Compliance, Creativity and Innovation, Critical Thinking, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Learning, Performance Management, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, Teamwork, and Written Communication

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All current, permanent VA Employees in the VACO Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection
• All other current, permanent VA employees
• All other applicants

Applicant Count: This announcement will remain open through the posted closing date of January 20, 2026. However, only applications received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered. The applicant count is reached when the first 300 applications are received. Applications submitted after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on that date will not be considered, even though the announcement may remain open until the closing date.