Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open only to current, permanent employees of Veteran's Health Affairs, and those eligible for CTAP.

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THIS IS A DETAIL OPPORTUNITY - NOT TO EXCEED 120 DAYS

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• The incumbent has the authority, responsibility and accountability over payroll, employee travel, and non-MCCF accounts receivable. In addition, in partnership with medical centers in the VISN, the incumbent will ensure that fee/contract hospitalization/certified payments centralized to the Austin Finance Center are processed in a timely and accurate fashion.
• The incumbent will provide technical support to budget formulation functions maintained at the facility level.
• Actively participates at the senior management level within the VISN in overall planning and VISN management activities,
• Serves as a leader in negotiating opportunities to obtain, re-engineer, share and conserve resources in areas of staff, funding, communication and training in the application of managed health care.
• The Financial Manager participates in a leadership capacity in the application if Continued Quality Improvement (CQI) processes tools and techniques and the conduct of analytical studies, financial analyses, program planning and outcomes evaluations.
• The Financial Manager will work with VISN leadership in developing and implementing the VISN financial plan and budget, The Financial Manager recommends appropriate allocation of resources to the VISN health care facilities; works with the VISN financial staff to assure sound fiscal performance, develops and disseminates management reports; provides management and fiscal oversight for the VISN; and oversees the development and maintenance of managerial information.
• The incumbent id responsible for managing and coordinating resource planning and allocation activities throughout the VISN including ensuring compliance with VACO policy and the proper use of funds.
• The incumbent provides support for outcomes, assessments, cost-benefit analyses, and assists with business planning and monitors fiscal viability.
• The Financial Manager carries out and ensures full compliance with all Federal, Departmental and VHA financial policies, regulations and procedures. The incumbent identifies VA and VHA policies, which require change or improvement initiation and coordination of management studies, or surveys both within the VISN, VHA and VA.
• The incumbent id accountable for achieving VISN financial performance goals as stated in the CFO realignment document approved and signed but the Secretary.
• The incumbent provides authoritative advice and expertise in all areas of resource utilization by developing and analyzing data and serves as the primary executive consultant for management and resource allocation matters. The Financial Manager is called upon to provide counsel on all activities within the VISN to assure a reasonable balance and equitable distribution of health care resources.
• Through assimilation of all current budgetary and accounting data, the incumbent maintains a comprehensive resources database from which optimal performance and cost effectiveness may be assessed and trend projected.
• Specific leadership and management responsibilities include:
  • Providing direct supervision, consultation, and training for finance staffed assigned to the VISN.
  • In consultation with Headquarters, the VISN management team and internal and external stakeholders, develops annual VISN business plans, which, on VISN-wide levels support VHA and VISN missions as well as long and short-range business strategies
  • Develops and executes managerial and financial plans and performance measures which are based on realistic objectives and effective planning.
  • Consistently strives to achieve financial goals to demonstrate value for resources expanded.
  • Develops and implements outcome monitors and indicators of managerial and fiscal effectiveness.
  • Utilizes and communications various measures of management and fiscal efficiency.
  • Fosters corporate culture oof public service, accountability and excellence.
  • Attracts, retains and motivates a diverse group of top-quality professional and administrative employees.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm (CST)
Telework: Ad-hoc only.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD083230
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: 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
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-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 or 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, 03/02/2026.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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:

Individual Occupational Requirement

Education: Accounting; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.") TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED.
~OR~
Combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of experience in accounting, or an equivalent combination of accounting experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. The applicant's background must also include one of the following: (TRANSCRIPTS and/or CERTIFICATION REQUIRED)

1. Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law; OR
2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination; OR
3. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements.

Beyond the education/certification required above:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: expert knowledge of the concepts, principles, practices, laws and regulations that apply to budgeting for substantial medical center and VISN programs and services; comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the process through which the VA VISN/medical center budgets are developed, transmitted, presented, and reviewed; detailed knowledge of the financial management and program objectives of the medical center director, comprehensive knowledge of precedents and controls, and detailed knowledge of OMB, Treasury and VA guidelines and regulations governing the acquisition and the use of Federal funds; skill in identifying budgetary and financial relationships between the agency's overall missions, its IT program, and its budget in order to apply analytical methods such as cost-benefit analysis, decision theory, and other quantitative techniques to the analysis of budgetary situations and problems; skill in analyzing, interpreting and applying complex legislation, regulatory decisions to develop budgetary plans, policies and guidance and to make adjustments to the budget; knowledge and skill in applying investigative and/or root cause analysis techniques in support of accurate and appropriate cost and workload distribution; knowledge and skill in analyzing findings and making well founded and sound written and oral recommendations to senior management.

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

• Accounting Operations
• Administration & Management
• Customer Service

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 is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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.