Assistant Director

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current and former Department of Veteran Affairs employees in the local _______________________ commuting area who are eligible for priority consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP).

Specific duties include:
The incumbent advises and makes recommendations to the Deputy Director of TRIAD on business specifications and requirements, including data and report, application design, training and implementation, rollout strategy, and other technical and non-technical aspects of education adjudication and stakeholder systems. Uses a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to determine short and long-range program goals, direct and conduct studies, analyze findings, and make recommendations for improvement of program effectiveness and efficiency. Formulates, implements, and interprets policies. Develops and presents briefings to senior level (Directors/SESs), civilians, and contractors.

Participate in the establishment of system-wide and local monitors and controls to meet federal government and industry standards and directs recommended and accepted risk methodology.
Manage the coordination of assigned EDU mission-related IT system solution goals and facilitate adjustments as appropriate. Manage the implementation of program and project plans to meet planned IT system solution objectives.

Manage program/project management and systems lifecycles to include: acquisition, development, modification, enhancement, deployment or decommissioning of a product, service or system which may
consist of one more Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS), Software as a Service (SAAS), and/or internally developed software business application technologies. The product, service, or system may be developed internally using VA IT staff resources or procured from commercial sources and integrated
into the VA enterprise.

Manage program and budget resources valued up to the hundreds of millions of dollars, in order to deliver highly complex information technologies via one or multiple projects. Prepare, justify and/or monitor the program budget. Plan, administer, and monitor expenditures to ensure cost-effective support
of program and projects; assess financial condition of the program and project.
Provide oversight for risk management and reporting.

Provide oversight for the development of information systems testing strategies, plans or scenarios working with stakeholder and OIT and/or contractor representatives.

Provide management oversight for program plans, procedures, implementing guidance and established processes and business practices to resolve a diverse range of critical and complex problems. Identify, plan, allocate and manage the deployment of resources to meet milestones and initiate corrective actions when necessary.

Provie oversight and participation in meetings such as governance councils, integrated project teams, SCRUMS, technical interchange meetings, project milestone reviews and final project critical decision reviews.

Provide feedback to leadership and other program stakeholders through appropriate reports, meetings, briefings and information papers, both formally and informally. Regularly brief VA senior leadership and management staff on program status and significant developments.

Promotion Potential: None

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Yes - 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 Title/PD#: Assistant Director; PD422080
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
This is not a bargaining unit position

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 or trial period, 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
• Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• 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: 07/21/2026.

GRADE REQUIREMENT: To receive CTAP selection priority, your grade level upon Reduction in Force must be at least 14 with promotion potential of at least GS-15.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-14) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as :

• Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating information systems.
• Experience testing software business application technologies.
• Experience managing complex IT programs and projects involving strategic planning, and systems development.
• Experience providing leadership and management oversight for program operations.

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.
Physical Requirements:The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required to perform the duties of the position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

• Planning and Directing- Skill in the disciplines involved in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling national programs.
• Policies - Ability to establish and maintain effective communication (oral and written) with persons both at all organizational levels and with officials of other departments and agencies on policy, technical and administrative matters.
• Advisory - Ability to advise, provide managerial advice, and serve as a technical advisor to senior-level executives.
• Communication - Ability to establish and maintain effective communication (oral and written) with persons both at all organizational levels and with officials of other departments and agencies on policy, technical and administrative matters.
• Supervision - Ability to manage and/or supervise (plan, organize, direct, control, review, etc) the work activities of subordinates.
• Technology Awareness - Knowledge of developments and new applications of information technology (hardware, software, telecommunications), emerging technologies and their applications to business processes, and applications and implementation of information systems to meet organizational requirements.

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.

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):

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Resumes may not exceed two pages and must be legible for review of eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.

• Resume
  • Contact Information:
    • Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number
  • Relevant Work Experience:
    • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include:
      • Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
      • Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022)
      • The number of hours you worked per week
    • Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.
  • Optional Details:
    • When relevant, include:
      • Current Security Clearance
      • Job-related training
      • Language skills
      • Organizations and affiliations
      • Professional publications
      • Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
• Current Federal Employees:
  • Your most recent APPOINTMENT SF-50. The most recent 1XX or 5XX SF-50 proving status. This SF50 should identify your appointing legal authority, position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
  • Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade and step (e.g. Within Grade Increase, Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.
• Current VBA Employees: If you are seeking a reassignment/change to lower grade, you must submit a copy of your most recent appointment SF-50 and an SF-50 that reflects when you entered your highest grade and step as described above.
• Your official notice from the VA to support your CTAP eligibility
• Copy of your most recent Annual Performance Appraisal

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

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