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Lead Appraiser

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
Loan Guaranty Service

Summary

This position serves as a Senior Appraiser, Construction and Valuation (C&V), The purpose of this position is to serve as a senior appraiser in the RLC for the lending Industry, appraisers, and to perform quality-control field reviews and post audit reviews of appraisals prepared in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Loan Program. The Senior Appraiser is a technical expert that has extensive knowledge of Uniform Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 07/20/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 20, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$76,463 - $99,404 per year

Salary shown is the basic pay WITHOUT locality pay. Once selections are made the locality pay WILL BE added to the salary based on the duty location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes - 1272, AFGE Non-Professional
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
317-LGY-13002070-26-PS-BU
Control number
876081400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current, permanent (career/career conditional) employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and CTAP eligible only.

Duties

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Specific Duties Include:

Team Lead:

  • Serves as a team leader over multiple review appraisers working in remote locations, with the majority of the team at the GS-11 level.
  • Serves as subject matter expert with high degree of technical proficiency, coach, facilitator, and/or negotiator in coordinating team initiatives and in consensus building activities among team members.
  • Ensures that the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to an assigned team and integrated into the team's objectives and output.
Oversight of Full Range of C&V Operation:
  • Completes oversight tasks to ensure operations meet all applicable VA program performance goals, policies, and procedures, including oversight of external program participants including fee personnel and personnel at VA approved lenders and servicers associated with appraisal activities.
  • Performs a full range complex appraisal review processes to ensure established values, appraisal reports and notice of value (NOV) meet VA and industry standards.
  • Reviews, facilitates, and approves applications and waiver requests and makes recommendations to management for final action for stakeholder complaints, and assists in determining appropriate disciplinary actions or sanctions against stakeholders who violate VA and industry standards.
Appraisal Review:
  • The lead appraiser is responsible for a wide range of complex appraisal review related responsibilities to ensure established values, appraisal reports and notice of value (NOV) meet VA and industry standards.
  • Serves as a technical expert and maintains close managerial coordination with C&V management.
  • Reviews appraisals of real property, including existing, new, and proposed properties, consisting of one to four living units for the purposes of loan origination, liquidation, and partial release.
Customer Service:
  • Conveys information in ways that are best and easily understood by the numerous and diverse group of clients. This may be accomplished through written correspondence, telephone, or personal contacts.
  • Organizes, develops, and leads periodic formal and informal training to fee personnel, program participants, and other parties/organizations including but not limited to trade organizations and VA staff.


Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Appraiser; GS-12 PD 40109-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
  • 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
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/20/2026.

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.

  • For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.
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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
GS-12 Grade Level:
  • Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as possessing an expert knowledge of and skill in applying a wide range of concepts, valuation approaches, practices, regulations, policies, precedents, analytical and diagnostic techniques, and procedures related to VA guidelines and Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices.
  • The incumbent also should have an extensive knowledge of appraisal concepts and practices to appraise and/or review the appraisals of property with complex characteristics and to analyze complicated valuation problems.
  • Education Substitution: 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.

Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information.
Volunteer Experience: 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.
Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

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

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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.

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.

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 an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the
Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 an interview.

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.

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

  • Arithmetic/Mathematical Reasoning
  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence - Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with
    others on technical matters.
  • Real Estate - Knowledge of real estate principles, practices, markets, and values.
  • Influencing/Negotiating - Persuades others; develops networks and coalitions; gains cooperation from others to obtain information and accomplish goals; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions; builds consensus through give and take.
  • Interpersonal Skills - Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
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.

Veterans Benefits Administration

OUR MISSION: "To fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors." How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

Phil Sellars
Phone
202-461-9450
Email
phil.sellars@va.gov
Address
Phoenix Regional Benefit Office
3333 North Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85012
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Veterans Benefits Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.va.gov/jobs

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