Lead Program Analyst

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees within the Office of Field Operations (OFO).

Specific duties include:

• Ensures strategic plan and overall mission and goals are incorporated into the team's work products and services.
• Formulates and presents multi-year budget estimates for assigned business areas and ancillary programs. Coaches team members in preparing budget narratives to explain appropriation requests in a clear and concise manner. Communicate deadlines to team members and ensure deadlines are met.
• Assists supervisor in managing workload and prioritizing work among the team to ensure timely and effective accomplishment of tasks. Monitors the progress of work and notifies management in advance of any expected delays to completion.
• Conducts thorough analysis of the budgetary impact of legislation, regulations, and management initiatives. Works closely with regional offices to request data, develop assumptions based on program expertise, and incorporate other relevant information into cost estimates. Works with team members in applying problem solving methods and practices with the development of cost estimates. Ensures consistent and accurate caseload and average payment data are used and that a sound methodology is written to document calculations.
• Provides cross training to team members with accomplishing certain tasks. Trains team members to effectively accomplish tasks. Provides mentoring to other team members. Facilitates team building by improving communication and collaboration among the team.
• Serves as a liaison between OFO and Department-level budget staff. Collaborates with other VA budget staff and VA actuaries projecting liabilities. Works with team to develop an agreement on recommendations and findings and presents the information to supervisor and/or in meetings with other leaders and program officials.
• Serves as the lead on special projects and ad hoc requests, such as cost estimates for regulations and legislation that would impact various business lines. Provides flexibility for the staff in completing urgent and emerging requests.
• Provides expert advice on specific tasks and makes available written instructions, reference materials, and relevant background material and obtains needed information on decisions from supervisor on major problems and issues that come up.
• Performs a wide variety of administrative and analytical duties connected with budget formulation, justification, presentation, execution, and review of VBA's field operations.
• Executes the budget for OFO and regional offices, to include reviewing apportionment requests, allocating funding authority, monitoring available funding in fiscal systems, formulating expenditure plans, analyzing monthly obligation/outlays and caseload reports, and updating the status of funds.
• Ensures the appropriate funding source is used and that funding requests are reasonable.
• Participates in briefings as needed and prepares briefing materials for management and VBA leadership upon request.
• Reviews and recommend modifications and improvements in management reporting systems pertaining to OFO's budget. Directs and conducts special studies regarding budget operations and procedures. Recommends changes and improvements in VA's budget process to higher level supervisors.
• Provides feedback to OFO leadership to improve complex processes, monitor progress, adjust in accordance with established priorities, and more timely complete assignments.
• Prepare executive correspondence and briefings; leads discussions with VBA senior leaders, congressional staff, VSOs, and other stakeholders.
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: 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 a virtual position. Appointee will be expected to report to the nearest VA Regional Office
Position Description/PD#: Lead Program Analyst; 42239A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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 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
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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:08/03/2026.

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.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-14 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as formulating, justifying, and executing multi-year budgets for an organization. Providing oversight of and adjustment to existing budgets through cost-benefit analyses and long-range analyses. Preparing executive level briefing related to budget execution.

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: Employment is sedentary; the employee sits comfortably to do the work. There may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying light items, such as papers, books, small parts; or boxes. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. 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):

• Financial Management
• Problem Solving
• Communication
• Self-Management

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.

This position will utilize a Structured Interview Assessment which includes a pass/fail score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the pass score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the pass 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.)
• A copy of your most recent NON-award SF-50. The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
• Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.).
• Current VBA Employees seeking a reassignment/change to lower grade: you must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (non-award) AND the SF-50 placing you into your current position.
• 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.
  NOTE: Award and General Adjustment SF-50's do not provide sufficient information will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time in grade. Recommended SF-50's include Within Grade Increases (WGI), Promotions and Appointments.

Additional Documents accepted:

• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750)
• Award SF-50s
• Documentation to be considered under non-competitive eligibility (if applicable) such as a member-4 DD-214, civil service preference letter, or Schedule A letter.
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

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