The incumbent in this position serves as the Lead Senior Systems Accountant under the supervision of the Deputy Director of the Systems and Innovation Division (SAI) of the VBAFC. The VBAFC provides financial management support services for the VA Benefit Programs with a budget of over $161 billion annually.

Duties

Specific duties include: Solely responsible for current and future systems projects/initiatives as they relate to the VBAFC Compensation and Pension (C&P) and Education (EDU) benefit programs. Plans, organizes, monitors, controls, and executes projects of short-term and long-term (3-5 years) duration to ensure its quality and timely completion to include development of related milestones, target dates, and comprehensive plans to accomplish work. Identifies specific project goals and objectives; determines the work necessary for its accomplishment, and coordinates project development and execution with appropriate internal VA/VBA agency and external organization personnel. Ensures projects are managed through the appropriate system life cycles and within established procedures, polices, and guidelines. Experienced in managing multiple concurrent projects/initiatives for assigned program areas, many of which may be high-profile and/or have a nationwide VA impact to include current and future unknown VBA Finance Center (VBAFC) projects as they relate to the C&P and EDU benefit programs. Represents the VBAFC as principal lead technical advisor and subject matter expert (SME) and makes decisions on behalf of the VBAFC to include Financial Management Business Transformation (FMBT) program, nationwide modernization efforts for the Digital GI bill (DGIB), and the Unbanked Veterans program Oversees and directs VBAFC system changes as it relates to the VBAFC's C&P and EDU benefit programs to include eMPWR, BDN, iFAMS, FMS, Salesforce, and other supplemental feeder systems or workload management applications which support these benefit programs. Applies expert knowledge of accounting and program processes to successfully conceive new approaches to existing programs; designs new and changing system and program environments due to new laws, regulations, and standards; resolves issues where precedents are non-existent, obscure, or conflicting, and conducts examinations that require an integrated analysis of intricate and complex accounting systems, business activities, and financial reporting. Responsible for the VBAFC internal Change Control Board (CCB) for the C&P and EDU benefit program. Subject matter expert with the responsibility for actively assessing the Center's need for changes and leading the Center in developing functional system business requirements, providing final approval for VBAFC user requirements/changes, and conveying those requirements to IT professionals, Office of Financial Management (OFM) staff, and other impacted stakeholders either internal or external to the organization. Leads the VBAFC in coordinating the installation, evaluation, and Center-wide testing efforts of new or improved financial systems; ensuring the integrity of the accounting system design and subsidiary, nature, and scope of accounting and internal control process to the system, external systems, subsystems, and organization; and ensures the existence of audit trails. Oversees and conducts thorough testing of financial reporting changes and related integrations and reporting solutions to ensure accuracy, functionality, and compliance with regulatory standards including the US Standard General Ledger (USSGL). Analyzes and interprets laws, regulations, decisions, and directives of other governmental bodies which have an impact on VBAFC's C&P and EDU benefit programs financial accounting and reporting systems, identifies possible impact on existing systems, and provides recommendations for addressing impact and assist in determining priorities for current or future financial projects/initiatives. Initiates and approves written communication including correspondence, memoranda, white papers, proposals, analyses, business requirements, functional system specifications, user stories, test plans, user acceptance testing data, user guides or manuals, computer assisted instruction, and emails which result in a professional quality product. Verbally communicates constructively and positively with the intent of resolving issues, improving operations, and providing recommendations and ensures verbal communication in meetings, briefings, and conference calls are clear, accurate, organized, and effective. Responsible for listening and engaging with customers and stakeholders to understand their business needs, goals, and challenges which require conducting interviews and participating in meetings to gather comprehensive requirements. Promotion Potential: GS-0510-14 is Full Potential Level. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 08:00 a.m. - 04:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Non Supervisory Accountant; 41730-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.

Requirements

• 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
• [INCLUDE IF POSITION IS SUPERVISORY] Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:05/21/2024. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-13 grade or higher grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-14 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience: The work level is characterized as broad and highly difficult assignments requiring the full range of accounting, reporting, and analytical duties to review and interpret new or revised regulations and to implement and present findings and recommendations regarding new policies and procedures. The incumbent is an expert in applying professional accounting principles to (a) the recommendations, formulation, development, implementation, and review of VBA-wide fiscal systems, policies, and procedures, (b) the review, interpretation, and application of new legislation or regulations to a complete system and/or for shaping requirements, and (c) the production of material outlining VBA fiscal systems, policies, and procedures. The work often involves such intensity of effort that several phases must be pursued concurrently or sequentially with the support of others within or outside the organization. Assignments include a variety of complex financial and fiscal activities on a program-wide basis for which problems cannot always be anticipated and require extensive planning and coordination. Work takes place within an accounting system environment characterized by continually updated systems with expanded capabilities and new systems replacing older systems. As a result of laws, regulations, and policies always changing, decisions regarding what needs to be done require an assessment of a variety of conditions inherent in the operation of VA/VBA financial and accounting systems. The incumbent is required to be adept at conceiving and developing sound yet innovative or novel strategies for the resolution of fiscal and accounting problems or development of alternative systems. Plans, organizes, and carries through to completion, broad and complex accounting studies, or projects. In reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations, considers the Veteran benefits impacted; legal, procedural, and administrative constraints specified in enabling legislation; and OMB guidelines and Department and VBA policies. Conducts research and provides technical guidance for other staff members. The incumbent must consider the immediate and long-range effects of proposed actions on the Veterans, their beneficiaries, and stability of the VBA benefit programs. Accesses short and long-range (3-5 years) program requirements for VBA to support an expanded mission and management needs for vital information. Recommendations based on comprehensive analyses and edits are justified in a style and format compatible with current Department objectives and with the intent to adhere to and abide by the desires of OMB and Congress. And IOR: Degree: accounting; 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. (The term "accounting" means "accounting and/or auditing" in this standard. Similarly, "accountant" should be interpreted, generally, as "accountant and/or auditor.") Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. 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: Work is primarily sedentary. 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/.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Contacts

• Address VBA Financial Service Center 5000 S 5TH AVE. Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: Chenele Coleman-Sellers
• Phone: 410-230-4400
• Email: [email protected]