The Financial Administrative Specialist is located in the Support Services Division (SSD) at the Chicago VA Regional Office (RO). In this capacity, the incumbent is fully experienced and serves as the subject matter expect for internal and external customers on operational matters and on exercising program responsibility.

Duties

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 Ability to use 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 proposes 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 Specialist and insures 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 Must be well versed in all facets of the financial and general operating procedures for the Regional Office, which requires substantial technical and managerial expertise Serves as a Certifying Official authorizing all financial transactions, adjustments, and Collections. Ability to conduct the most detailed audits and analysis Skilled in completing oral and written presentations that are clear, concise and logical

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors

Qualifications

Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. PLEASE NOTE: To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (An award, realignment, or general adjustment SF-50 does NOT meet this requirement). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. 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 Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here. GS-11 To qualify, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience demonstrating all of the following: Analyzing and interpreting complex financial regulations, policies, and laws to provide detailed technical advice to staff members and management; Auditing and submitting vouchers for payment; experience using analytic skills to audit programs and functional areas; Providing technical advice on the concepts, principles, practices, and laws pertaining to finance operations OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR LL.M., if related OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education totaling to 100% of the requirements for the position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). Graduate Education. You must have at least one full academic year of graduate level education that demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to satisfactorily perform the work. One year of full-time graduate education is normally determined by the school you attended. If that number cannot be determined, 18 semester hours should be considered equivalent to one academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable on a pro-rated basis. If you qualify based on your education, you must upload or fax a copy of your college transcript along with your application. If you are selected for the position, an official college transcript(s) will be required at your start date. Applicants can combine education and specialized experience to qualify for the position. If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education AND specialized experience described above, you may still qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. To do so, first calculate the percentage of qualifying education you have as a percentage of the education required. Next, calculate the percentage of specialized experience you have as a percentage of the experience required. Then, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% for you to qualify for the position at the GS-9 grade level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of acceptable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the experience required) would satisfy the qualification requirements for the position. If you qualify based on a combination of graduate education and specialized experience, you must submit a copy of your official college transcript with your application.

Education

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

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. 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.

Contacts

• Address Chicago Regional Benefit Office 2122 W Taylor St Chicago, IL 60612 US
• Name: Krystle Gibson
• Email: [email protected]