Summary The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research Program strives to promote Veteran-centered care to improve patient experience and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and to advance value-driven care by providing Veterans the highest quality care at the lowest financial burden. The position is located within the Nashville VA Medical Center, Office of Research and Development in Nashville, TN. Responsibilities Major Duties: Oversee all aspects of the Research Service fiscal program in conjunction with the Administrative Officer (AO) and Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Research. Strategically plan, prepare, and carry out the fiscal program for Research Service, for both immediate and long-range plans. Develops budgetary plans, projections, and reports, and interprets information received from Office of Research and Development (ORD), the individual VA Research programs, Fiscal Service, and other sources. Maintains cost accounting ledgers for current and prior year appropriations assigned to research. Reconciles cost control records with monthly, quarterly, and annual fiscal reports. Provides financial advice to investigators and/or other members of the ORD service on budget related matters such as @types of available funding, formulation of their research budget, preparation of budgetary sections of VA grant funding submissions, etc. forecasts needs, tracks, and allocates funds for Principal Investigators (PI) funded via Merit Review or other VA Research Programs. Performs studies and audits on control and use of funds throughout each fiscal year. Analyzes historical financial operating data and spending patterns. Serves as an expert on VA regulations, rules, procedures, and practices for initiating, preparing, and monitoring procurement, and contractual agreements. Serve as a COR designee for the service and oversees areas of acquisition administration and contractor's performance, as it pertains to Research and Development. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Research Budget Analyst/PD46967A, PD46968A, and PD46969A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/06/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05, for a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07, and for a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience for GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying federal budget and finance regulations, procedures, and processes; applying accounting knowledge and auditing skills to assist in the analysis of obligations and expenditures; using accounting and management software; applying knowledge of research requirements, grant administration and fiscal requirements for foundation accounts; and applying knowledge of policies and procedures governing federal research grant programs. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education, an undergraduate degree with superior academic achievement. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. Specialized Experience for GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the GS-07 normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of the budgetary policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines of the agency; the sources, @types, and methods of funding for organizations and programs; and, budgetary and financial relationships between the assigned budget and programs of other agency components and organizations; knowledge and skill in the application of methods and techniques to analyze and evaluate the effects of continuing changes in program plans and funding (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, management by objectives, probability theory, etc.); knowledge of a variety of computer software systems both financial and non-financial for extracting and analyzing both long term and short-term funding for various programs. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. Specialized Experience for GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: detailed, intensive knowledge of the budgetary policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines of the agency; the sources, @types, and methods of funding for organizations and programs; and, budgetary and financial relationships between the assigned budget and programs of other agency components and organizations; experience exercising judgment in decision making, regarding the balance of the overall budget to assure proper emphasis on critical areas; experience with consolidation, justification and preparing estimates for projected operating and consolidated budget(s); the ability to apply qualitative and quantitative analytical methods, techniques, and administrative duties to analyze and evaluate research plans and funding; experience with various data entry and analysis tools such as comprehensive financial reporting systems; knowledge of VA regulations, rules, procedures, and practices for initiating, preparing, and monitoring procurement, and contractual agreements; and the ability to resolve problems or conflicts. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M., if related OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the two years or 36 semester hours) to meet total experience requirements. Note: If qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, transcripts must be submitted with your application. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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/.
