Clarification from the agency

Open to Internal and Status candidates that are current, permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees. Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) eligible may apply for consideration who are (a) preference eligible, or (b) Veterans whose most recent military separation was under honorable conditions after completing at least 3 years of continuous active military service may compete under merit promotion procedures, Veteran Canteen Service and CTAP/ICTAP eligible.

Major duties include but not limited to:

• Serves as a full assistant to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
• Functions in an acting capacity in the absence of the CFO, technically responsible for the full range of fiscal activities.
• Recognize problem areas or issues for the VA Healthcare System and Community Based Out-patient clinics with regards to all service activities acting on self-initiative.
• Performs under broad policies established by local management, Facility Director, Controller, and the Administrator.
• Priority is to ensure the budget is balanced.
• Supervises the Supervisory Budget Analyst.
• Assists the CFO by advising of current historical data necessary for formulating the annual budget program to the Associate Medical Center Director.
• Assists in assembling, preparing, and justifying the station's annual budget plan.
• Responsible for auditing the cost records in the various operating areas where responsibility for budget control has been vested.
• Directly supervises the Chief Accountant and requires experience in professional accounting and a mature and extensive grasp of the integrated accounting system.
• Works with the accounting section and ensures a comprehensive accounting system, including asset, liability, expense, income, budgetary and capital accounts.
• Direct supervision of the following departments: Administrative Officer, Management Assistant, Financial Auditor, Agent Cashiers, Payroll Supervisor, Chief of Accounting, Chief of Budget, and Travel Coordinator.
• Recruits and hires subordinate staff members in line with merit staffing procedures and equal employment opportunity guidelines.
• Reviews completed work of the staff and provides feedback to encourage top performance to enhance an atmosphere of team.
• Is responsible for equal opportunity for all employees supervised, ensuring fair and equitable practices in the selection of employees for training, promotions, awards and recognition, and for other career development opportunities.
• Is responsible for the on-the-job safety and health of all employees supervised. Initiates efforts conforming to established local and Service wide safety programs. Identifies and corrects job safety and health hazards. Initiates corrective measures for violations of OSHA standards and directs periodic inspections of the workplace.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Telework: Ad-hoc: This position may be authorized for telework.Ad-hoc telework occurs on an occasional, non-routine basis (i.e. inclement weather or to complete short-term special assignments or accommodate special circumstances even though the arrangement may occur continuously for a limited/specific period of time. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Assistant Financial Manager - Assistant Chief Financial Officer/PD235280
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a supervisory probationary period

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/11/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

Basic Requirement for the Assistant Financial Manager - Assistant Chief Financial Officer:

• Degree: accounting and/or auditing; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting. The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law. This education must've been leading to or earned in a Bachelor's Degree program.
• Combination of Education and Experience: At least 4 years of experience in accounting/auditing, or an equivalent combination of accounting/auditing experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional accounting knowledge. Background must include one of the following:
  1. Twenty-four (24) semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality. This can include up to 6 hours of business law. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED);
  2. A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor, obtained through written examination. (COPY OF CERTIFICATE REQUIRED); OR,
  3. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing, e.g., 15 semester hours, but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A, provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting, auditing, or a related field, e.g., valuation engineering or financial institution examining; (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth, depth, currency, and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A; and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting, the applicant's education, training, and experience fully meet the specified requirements. (TRANSCRIPT OR PROOF REQUIRED)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, you must also meet the following specialized experience to qualify at the GS-13 grade level:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience applying the concepts, principles, practices, laws, regulations of budgeting and/or financing; and financial and budgetary relationships between subordinate and most senior levels of financial management and budgeting within the employing entity and/or between the organization and programs of other Federal, State, and local governments, private industry, and large public organizations; experience applying the policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines of a functional area such as financial oversight, budget formulation, and/or budget execution; Demonstration of the implementation of the Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) methodology model and how it is applied within the organization; Analytical skills and ability to utilize various computer software applications that are used in the analysis of data.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accounting Operations
• Budget Administration
• Financial Management
• Internal Controls

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.

Preferred Experience: Experience assisting a Health Care System (HCS) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with budgeting/accounting, travel, audit requirements, and day-to-day fiscal operations. Ability to provide clear, accurate financial advice to support planning, policy development, and budget decision-making. Experience working with service lines/sections to identify priorities, assess mission impacts, and support resource-aligned decisions. Skill in ensuring compliant accounting and fiscal practices consistent with local, VISN, and national directives. Experience performing Resource Management and Decision Support functions, including financial analysis, forecasting, and preparing recommendations for senior leadership.

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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

The work is principally sedentary. Work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site.

Work Environment/Conditions: Works in an adequately lit, heated, and ventilated office setting.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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 contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• Transcript

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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:
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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