The Financial Administrative Specialist is analytical and administrative in nature with the primary responsibility of ensuring compliance with all laws, regulations, and policies applicable to civilian pay under U.S. Codes Title 5 and Title 38. The position reports to the Finance Officer in the Finance Department at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS).

Duties

Coordinates payroll with outside service provider acting as liaison with finance, human resources and employees. Oversees the distribution of earning and leave statements and tax forms. Manages employee debt and waiver programs by implementing changes, processing requests, resolving discrepancies, and answering questions. Coordinates with payroll technicians, HR staff, Payroll/Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) staff, timekeepers, supervisors, and employees ensuring pay discrepancies are resolved timely and efficiently. Writes queries, creates charts and displays using Microsoft Application Suite (Access and Excel) for financial reporting. Participates in management meetings addressing changes in laws, regulations, policies that may affect future pay, leave or attendance of employees. Develops and prepares training materials for a timekeepers and supervisors on pay compensation laws, regulations, entitlements, and the timekeeping software. Evaluates, updates and distributes instructions, directives, handbooks, desk manuals, program notes, and other necessary materials which promote the successful operation of the pay compensation and employee accounts receivable/waiver programs. Reviews changes in laws and regulations and develops front-line staff training sessions to integrate changes into program. Develop new or revised quick reference guidelines for distribution to a diverse group of staff. Resolve complex cases that involve retroactive payments, adjustments or debts that have no past precedent. Ensures payroll records are updated and reports any matters of interest. Prepares and distributes statistics reports on employee pay, recruitment incentives, uniform allowances, and union fees. Coordinates implementation and manages execution special or off-cycle payments such as settlements, military deployments, alternative compensation packages, and court-ordered changes to compensation packages. Responds to and resolves complex inquiries regarding wages, premium pay, debts or entitlements approved for the occupation pay plan. Responds to and resolves complex inquiries regarding leave programs such as sick, annual/vacation, FMLA, donated leave, and advance leave. Compiles data and prepares results to management for the bi-annual timekeeper audit. Conducts annual pay compensation audit in collaboration with finance and human resource staff. 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: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm. Telework: Eligible.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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Financial Administrative Specialist (Payroll Analyst)/PD60289A and PD60288A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2023. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05; for a GS-09 you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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: To qualify at GS-07: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as, but not limited to: utilizing databases to pull information; researching and applying laws and regulations regarding pay; communicating effectively orally and in writing to resolve timekeeping or other financial issues; ensuring payroll records are updated and reports matters of interest to supervisors. OR Education: Applicants may substitute Graduate Education to qualify for grade GS-07. Applicants may substitute education for experience by successful completion of (1) full year of graduate level education OR Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A) that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. It is to be used to determine eligibility for applicable GS-7 level positions of persons who have completed (or expect to complete within 9 months) all the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Combination: Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-07. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. To qualify at GS-09: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as, but not limited to: obtaining, compiling, and summarizing information and qualitative data for use by others; interpreting principles and regulations regarding pay activities; communicating accounts receivable, waiver, and/or pay policies, laws, and systems both orally and in writing; obtaining and managing data of pay outcomes; reconciling information between various financial systems; responding and resolving routine inquiries regarding wages, debts, entitlements, and leave programs; assisting in developing training materials for staff. OR Education: Applicants may substitute Graduate Education to qualify for grade GS-09. Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL. B or J.D.) from an accredited college or university, or two (2) full years (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree or education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. If you are claiming to qualify based on your education, your application must include an official or unofficial copy of graduate level transcripts that demonstrate this information; OR Combination: Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-9. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalytical ThinkingCompensationEducation and Training 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 may require some physical effort, such as standing, walking, bending, or sitting. There are no special physical demands. 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Minneapolis VA Medical Center One Veterans Drive Minneapolis, MN 55417 US
• Name: Karol Alonzo
• Email: [email protected]