Management & Program Analyst (Operations Analyst)

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current, permanent (career/career conditional) employees of the Veterans Benefits Administration, current/former VA employees who are CTAP/ICTAP eligible and People with Disabilities, Schedule A who are living in the local commuting area of the Washington DC, Nashville, TN, Seattle, WA, St. Paul, MN and Denver CO ONLY.

Specific duties include:

• Monitors the operating programs and activities supporting CS benefits and services provided to Veterans, their dependents, or beneficiaries, to include conducting and participating in operational audits of field stations.
• Assists in evaluating and assessing the effectiveness of the state of Program Operations as it relates to field stations.
• Identifies actual or potential problem areas, trends, significant program accomplishments, merit and deficiency situations, areas of imbalance, or other factors that affect program operations. Based on analyses and evaluation of these factors, presents conclusions, and recommends appropriate changes to the objectives of VBA programs to operating and management officials for use in ensuring efficiency, economy, and balance in the development and execution of the operating programs.
• Advises leadership on technical and administrative decisions with regulatory/statutory guide, regulations, policies, procedures and/or instructions to carry out the functions which support operations delivery.
• Studies program operations, new legislation, automated systems, management initiatives, and the operations of interacting programs and organizations to develop new and modified operating instructions and training material.
• Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
• Gathers relevant data, analyzes it critically, and makes recommendations based on findings using available information resources such as internet tools, manuals, and other reference material.
• Serves as project lead on long and short-term research and studies program activities with CS to support the organization's business goals and objectives.
• Manages multiple projects or programs concurrently where effort involves coordination among multiple resources, other divisions, or agents outside of the organization.
• Conducts investigations of evidence involved in resolving appealed cases and special interest cases.
• Deals with issues of both sensitive or of a high-profile nature while advising leadership on the national or local impact of changes in process, protocol, or legal statues, which may impact or shapes the future direction of the organization.
• Oversees the preparation and gives oral presentations to various audiences within CS, VBA senior management, department level executives, and outside agencies. Directs the development of presentations covering highlights of new material and providing practical applications and examples.
• Leads studies, analyzes findings, and makes recommendations on VBA's program operations.
• Develops implementation plans for activation of associated projects, assuring logistical and cost-benefits issues are fully addressed.
• Serves as point of contact with other VBA business lines to include the Office of Field Operations, regarding specific regulatory/procedural changes needed for successful implementation of Compensation benefit application support.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 08:00am - 4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Not available.
Telework: Available. 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/PD#: Management & Program Analyst (Operations Analyst); PD39519A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Conditions of employment

This vacancy announcement is set to shut down within 5 days or when the first 75 applicants are received.

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.Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• 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 or trial period
• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/01/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must 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 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 13 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-13.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-13 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: Applicants 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.

Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position(s), and that is typically IN OR RELATED TO the work of the position to be filled. The applicant must document knowledge of a complex field of laws, regulations and Federal legislation pertaining to the full range of veterans benefits and a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of state, federal and local benefit programs in order to be able to explain them, both orally and in writing, to individuals of all educational backgrounds.

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 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/.

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.You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
• Veteran Benefits-Knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies, guides and procedures and judicial determination applicable to Veterans benefits programs or services.
• Research and Analytical Skills-Ability to perform substantial research and rewriting to organize, balance, and complete written materials to meet publishing and distribution objectives; analyzes data from all angels to create thorough and complete publications.
• 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
• Analyzation- Ability to analyze (i.e. review and evaluate), comprehend, and apply decisions derived from a variety of data or complex information.
• Software Applications- Ability to use standard PC based office software applications such as word processing, email and spreadsheets.
• Task Management-Ability to plan, organize and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail.

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 preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13046451

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.

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

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package to include the documents detailed below. Failure to submit the required documents may result in your application being considered incomplete and you being deemed ineligible. It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not request additional documentation or accept late or missing documents after the announcement has closed.

• Resume, limited to 2-pages, detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position
  • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you must also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
• Current Federal Employees: A copy of your most recent NON-AWARD SF-50. The SF-50 must indicate proof of status (for example, you are a career or career-conditional employee) and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
  • 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: If you are outside the commuting area and 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.
• Other Status Candidates: Evidence of eligibility to apply (e.g. Peace Corps verification letter, Schedule A letter, PS-50, etc.).

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.

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
• Additional Documents accepted:
• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750)
• Award SF-50s
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

Next steps

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