Budget Analyst

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current Architect of the Capitol (AOC)/Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) employees only.

**Duties quoted at GS-13 level; If selected at the GS-12, candidate will have non-competitive promotion potential to the GS-13.**

Budget Analysis

• Performs a wide variety of administrative and analytical duties connected with the formulation, justification, presentation, execution, and review of a substantial segment of the Architect of the Capitol program budgets.
• Develops financial and program analysis on a wide range of projects throughout the Agency. Reviews, analyzes and interprets legislation, appropriations language, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations and congressional guidelines pertaining to the Architect of the Capitol budget and operations. 

 Budget Justification Activities

• Analyzes a variety of reports and information to prepare justification for a consolidated budget for all substantive programs and supporting administrative activities of the organization and components of the agency.
• Reviews, analyzes, and edits annual and multi-year budget estimates, and requests for appropriations submitted by managers for adequacy of supporting narrative justification, accuracy of method and format, and conformance with budgetary policy and guidelines. 

Budget Preparation

• Makes recommendations to the Budget Officer on funding levels, required resources and program development and direction.
• Provides advice and recommendations on all aspects of the budgeting process to program officials and managers. Assists in the formulation, presentation, and execution of the budget. 
• Develops financial analyses examining the effect and significance to the Architect of the Capitol of proposed, new or revised legislation, policies, procedures and program changes.
• Supports the Budget Officer at hearings before the Appropriations and other oversight committees. 

Budget Reporting

• Tracks pending appropriations legislation through Congress and prepares special reports and summaries on the impact of the legislation. Reviews bill and report requirements for senior staff and tracks quarterly progress regarding these requirements throughout the year.
• Reviews OMB requirements and guidelines in order to develop, to prepare segments of schedules for inclusion in the President's Budget. 

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• You must be able to pass a drug test.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related KSAs.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.

“To be employed by the Architect of the Capitol in a paid position, an individual must meet
one of the categories below:

• A citizen of the United States;
• A person who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B);
• A person who is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or is granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and has filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible;
• A person who owes allegiance to the United States (nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and nationals who meet other requirements described in 8 U.S.C. 1408); or
• A person who is currently an officer or employee of the Government of the United States.”

** The preferred candidate should be well versed in all Microsoft products, particularly Excel and should be familiar with pivot tables, graphs/charts, and basic formulas such as VLOOKUPs.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
 
Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
 
To qualify at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience includes having experience in 4 out of 6  following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

 1.) Applying comprehensive knowledge of commonly used budgetary methods, practices, procedures, regulations, precedents and policies to perform budget analysis, formulation and execution duties.

2.) Providing guidance and interpretation on financial/budget regulatory or statutory requirements, policies, and procedures.

3.) Maintaining financial controls and monitoring of obligations, utilization and commitments for a large organization.

4.) Preparing written documents and reports to communicate detailed agency financial information, including availability and status of funds, expenses and obligations.

5.) Independently developing budget estimates and/or justifications for program support activities.

6.) Making sound recommendations to senior leadership to ensure informed programmatic and business decisions can be made.

AND: 

To qualify at the GS-12 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-11 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience includeshaving experience in 3 out of 6  following types of tasks performed on a regular and recurring basis:

1. Apply comprehensive knowledge of commonly used budgetary methods, practices, procedures, regulations, precedents, and policies to perform budget analysis, formulation, and execution duties.
2. Prepare and Analyze Payroll. Review and interpret complex payroll data, identify and resolve discrepancies and generate detailed reports. Proficient in data analysis and reporting tools such as Excel and pivot tables.
3. Prepare written documents and reports to communicate detailed agency financial information, including availability and status of funds, expenses, and obligations.
4. Provide guidance and interpretation on financial/budget regulatory or statutory requirements, policies, and procedures.
5. Maintain financial controls and monitor obligations, utilization, and commitments for a large organization.

How you will be evaluated

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

Review your resume and responses carefully. Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume and your responses to job specific self-assessment questions. 

Your resume will be evaluated based on evidence of your ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for this position, possession of any specialized experience, and how well your background and experience relates to the self-assessment questions in the job announcement. The self-assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies:

Budget Administration - Knowledge of the principles and practices of budget administration and analysis; including preparing, justifying, reporting on, and executing the budget; and the relationships among program, budget, accounting, and reporting systems

Financial Management - Prepares, justifies, and/or administers the budget for program areas; plans, administers, and monitors expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs and policies; assesses financial condition of an organization.

Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Technical- Knowledge budget policies, precedents, goals, objectives and regulations identifying the sources, types and methods of funds for assigned organizations and programs.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Your responses to the self-assessment questions serve as the basis for your initial rating. You will receive a numerical score based on your responses to these questions.  Next, your responses will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert against the information provided in your resume and optional cover letter. Your resume must support your answers to the self-assessment questions. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for non-selection or disqualification from further consideration.

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the “Required Documents” section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).

The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) job application process is designed to ensure you only provide information necessary to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility for the position vacancy.

To apply for this position, you only need to submit: a) your resume and b) answers to the online vacancy assessment questionnaire. The online questionnaire contains eligibility and screening questions and other relevant information. No additional documentation or attachments are required at the time of application.

Your resume should list your education, training and work experience including job titles, employment dates, duties and accomplishments.

Nothing further is required until it is requested by AOC’s Human Capital Management Division. If additional documentation is required for the position, you will be asked to provide it during the interview or selection process. At that time, you may be asked to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume.

For example, you may be asked to provide a copy of your diploma, college transcripts, or proof of Federal employment status. If the position requires licensure or certification, you will be asked to provide proof at the time of selection.

If Veterans’ preference is claimed, you will be asked to submit proof (DD-214, and, if claiming a 10-point preference, a SF-15 and the proof required by that form).

Failure to provide the required documents will end further consideration and/or result in the withdrawal of any tentative job offers.

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