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.

Duties

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. Usees 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 proposed 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. 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. This a Bargaining Unit position.

Requirements

• 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
• 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, 10/18/2023. 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 level in the Federal service reviewing vouchers submitted for payment on behalf of the office and researching a variety of financial data, reports, or resources. 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 level in the Federal service that include: using accounting and auditing policies, procedures, and principles sufficient to identify financial problems, discrepancies, overpayments, underpayments, or erroneous data and using computer applications to work with accounts payable and receivables. 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 ServiceFlexibilityOral CommunicationPrinciples of FinanceTechnical CredibilityWriting 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 with your application to verify your qualificaitons.

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/.

Contacts

• Address Veterans Benefits Administration 1800 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 US
• Name: Mid-Atlantic Service Branch
• Email: [email protected]