Summary This position is with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits (OUSB). Serves as a Special Assistant in the OUSB and works directly with OUSB Senior Executives. Responsible for initiating and completing studies and projects of a broad perspective that are focused on the benefits, programs, and services provided by VBA. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Initiates and completes broad studies, projects, and improvement efforts related to VBA benefits, programs, services, and internal processes. Assists the Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits (OUSB) Senior Executives in overseeing technical operations and developing procedures, and processes for VBA business lines and staff offices. Oversees development and evaluation of agency-wide plans, standards, and procedures, including coordination with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Federal and state agencies, Office of General Counsel, Congressional partners). Analyzes proposed legislation and prepares impact assessments, recommendations, and background materials for VBA and external partners. Evaluates issues requiring OUSB leadership action, develops management options and provides independent assessments and recommendations. Represents the OUSB with delegated authority, providing oversight on operational matters and committing to decisions within program jurisdiction. Advises VBA senior leaders and the OUSB Senior leaders on agency-level processes affecting VBA programs the delivery of benefits and services. Supports and evaluates high-visibility, mission-critical programs and ensures integration of major program and project initiatives across VBA. Coordinates managerial functions, participates on committees, reviews internal processes, and manages correspondence for presentations and external communication. Leads and manages program activities, including strategy development, performance monitoring, project oversight, and participation in Department-wide studies on sensitive or politically significant issues. Promotion Potential: None Work Schedule: This is a full-time position with a standard Monday-Friday schedule. Typical hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The employee is required to report to the official duty station each workday Compressed/Flexible: Flexible schedule may be 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 not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Special Assistant; 40221A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required This is not a bargaining unit position Requirements 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:07/20/2026. 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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14 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 describe below: GS-15 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to atleast the next lower grade (GS-14) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes, providing support to a senior leader on process development, executive correspondence, and/or strategic planning. Experience demonstrates: (1) Initiating and completing studies, projects and issues of a broad perspective that are focused on benefits, programs, and services; (2) Developing and coordinating briefing materials, talking points, and executive communications for internal/external partners; (3) Assisting leadership with oversight, technical operations, and development of procedures, regulations, or processes; (4) Analyzing and evaluating major aspects of high-visibility, substantive, mission-oriented programs/services administered by VA. 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 principally sedentary. Work also may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. No special physical effort or ability is required to do 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/. Education No Education Substitution 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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. https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
