Clarification from the agency

Open to current federal employees serving under career or career conditional competitive service appointments, former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility, persons eligible for non-competitive appointment under special appointment authorities, persons eligible under the Interchange Agreements; 30% or more disabled veterans, and Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) eligibles

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 100 applications. The first 100 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (100 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 100 in the order they applied.

Major Duties:

• Employs data gathering, analytical techniques, and evaluation methodologies to develop documentation and recommendations on the appropriate approach to meeting existing and future HR, PR, time and attendance and/or reporting needs from a range of automated and procedural alternatives.
• Reviews administrative audits and investigates reports relating to HR/PR and employment reporting systems to determine appropriate changes and/or corrective action required.
• Assists development teams in the implementation of major initiatives such as upgrading a character-based application to incorporate a Web-based front-end converting to a relational database, deploying a reporting system, or customizing/implementing product and associated interfaces.
• Conducts business process reengineering, and develops high level and detailed functional requirements and documents for user interfaces, output media/formats, user instructions, training materials, etc.
• Generates listing system data using commercially available reporting tools, such SAS, MS Access, or Web-based reporting tools.

Conditions of employment

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
• 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
• 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.

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/08/2026.

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. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

Qualify Ranking Factor:
- Serves as the nationwide payroll expert analyzing and resolving complex issues related to the payroll aspects of agency-wide programs.
- Provides expert advice to senior executives in planning payroll programs and projects.
- Develops procedural guidance and assists in policy development for all payroll matters.
- Works with managers and program officials to implement changes, providing advice where possible, which would reduce any adverse effects.
- Understands the current and future business processes to ensure new system or enhancements integrates with the various components of the payroll system and meets the agency's business needs.

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-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 coordinating and monitoring payroll activities and system functionality related to time and attendance, and employee pay and entitlements.
• Experience in leading technical teams in defining project guidelines by elaborating business requirements and developing plans and schedules to secure business and sponsor approval.
• Experience in coordinating, developing, and refining operational payroll and reporting requirements to implement new or updated policies and procedures, focusing on automated and procedural alternatives. This includes developing business processes and procedural requirements for self-service systems to support payroll activities, time and attendance, and employee compensation and entitlements.
• Acquired experience in developing procedural guidance and assisting policy development for payroll matters, addressing complex issues in agency-wide payroll programs, and providing expert advice to senior executives for planning payroll projects. Involves designing and customizing technology for existing systems.
• Experience in developing and refining operational payroll and reporting requirements to implement new or revised policies and procedures. This includes preparing business cases, conducting cost/benefit analyses, and analyzing risks related to the implementation of business processes.
• Experience in analyzing workload data and provides advice and recommendations to agency managers.
• Experience in training programs, systems development, and researching analytic techniques to enhance program development.
• Experience in preparing and presentation of formal and informal briefings to high-level officials regarding study results.

• Accountability
• Administration and Management
• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail
• Compliance
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Organizational Awareness
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Written Communication

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: Work is normally performed in an office setting while seated at a desk although some slight physical effort may be required.

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/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Led technical teams to define project guidelines and secure approval on business requirements. Coordinated and refined payroll systems and reporting needs, implementing new policies to enhance operational functionality. Developed procedural guidance for payroll matters and provided expert analysis and resolutions for complex issues, advising senior executives on payroll programs. Conducted cost/benefit analyses, analyzed workload data, and offered recommendations to agency managers. Additionally, engaged in training, systems development, and delivered briefings to high-level officials regarding outcomes of studies. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Austin, TX. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 8000 Metropolis Dr. Austin, TX 78744

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.

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.

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.

Job Knowledge Test: A portion of your assessment is a Job Knowledge Test that will occur during the application.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) and the five questions and responses you provide on the application questionnaire. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Administration and Management
• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Attention to Detail
• Compliance
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Organizational Awareness
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Written Communication

Applicant Count: This announcement will remain open until the closing date, 05/08/2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 100 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.

During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

• Resume

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• SF 50 Retained Pay/Grade
• SF 50 Promotion (TIG)
• Other (3)
• Other (4)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

• Current Federal Employees must provide their most recent SF-50 which must be dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.
  • ATTENTION: You may need to submit more than one SF-50 if we cannot verify that you meet time-in-grade by your most recent SF-50. For example, if your most recent SF-50 is a General Adjustment, we need your most recent SF-50 dated 1-11-2026 and another SF-50 to verify time-in-grade. Examples of SF-50s for time-in-grade verification include your last within-grade increase or promotion to highest grade held. A promotion SF-50 shows when you started the grade level and a within-grade increase verifies that you were at that grade level for at least one year. Failure to provide your most recent SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date and other SF-50s to verify time-in-grade will result in you being disqualified. We cannot verify time-in-grade based on the grade and step you are currently on alone.
• Former federal employee applying under reinstatement eligibility must supply their latest SF-50 as well as any additional SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade as stated in the above bullet.
• Award SF-50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include in addition to your most recent 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.

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps