This position is located in the Support Services Division (SSD) at the Oakland VA Regional Office (RO). In this capacity, the incumbent is fully experienced and serves as the subject matter expert for internal and external customers on operational matters and on exercising program responsibility.

Duties

Examines, certifies and audits vouchers submitted for payment, while assessing compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures. Establishes and maintains internal control 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, fiduciaries, and 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 addition 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 ensure appropriate separations of duties are in place and the financial integrity of the Regional Office is maintained and upheld. Develops procedures, and coordinates activities across functional lines with other divisions, Regional Offices, service organizations, and with other government departments or agencies. Establishes and maintains internal control 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 analyses. Skilled in completing oral and written presentations that are clear, concise, and logical. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Standard 5-day, 8 hours, full time (40 hours a week) Monday-Friday between 6am-6pm Telework: Available - as determined by the agency . Remote/Virtual: This is not a remote or virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Financial Administrative Specialist/37339A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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/trial period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/GS.pdf
• This is a Bargaining Unit Position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/24/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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 must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade. General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying experience has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 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, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, related to the position may be substituted to meet the specialized experience requirement. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond a higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. 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 primarily of a sedentary nature. There are occasional periods of walking, standing. bending, and carrying of light items. 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

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 Oakland Regional Benefit Office 1301 Clay Street, Rm. 1400 North Oakland, CA 94612 US
• Name: Carol Fortin
• Phone: 515-323-7587
• Email: [email protected]