Summary This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Financial Services Center (FSC), Corporate Travel Charge Card Services (CTCCS), Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel Services Division. The incumbent serves as a member of the TDY Travel Section and is responsible for being proficient in the use of VA's E-Gov Travel Service (ETS), VA's Financial Management System (FMS), and other applications as well as TDY travel regulations and VA policies and procedures. Responsibilities This is a bargaining unit position. Areas of Consideration for Non-Remote Positions: 1st - Facility-wide (including satellites) 2nd - Administration or Staff office posting the vacancy. 3rd - All other Status eligibles. The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 150 applications. The first 150 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (150 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 150 in the order they applied. Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm CST Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Available Telework: Available Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space Position Description Title/PD#: Financial Management Specialist/ PD15123A and PD15124A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The work is predominately sedentary in nature; however, may require some daily physical effort, such as standing, walking, bending, or sitting. Rarely, work may require travel to other locations other than the work site and may require the use of conveyances such as air, rail, or car. This may require the carrying of items or operation of a motor vehicle. Other than this, no special physical effort or ability should be required to perform work. This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-9. At the GS-7 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-9. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. Major Duties: Serves as an ETS system level incumbent for approximately 120k VA ETS users with various roles such as local traveler, approver, and auditor, and has knowledge of those roles and how those roles are executed in the ETS. Prepares, summarizes, and presents recommendations and solutions regarding routine issues based on analysis and evaluations, including the preparation and presentation of reports, proposals, charts and graphs, training materials, etc. Serves as a technical team member for VA travel matters and provides assistance and customer service to internal and external customers and other federal agencies regarding the ETS and all interfaces or systems used by VA for travel. Routinely responds to email and phone inquiries that may include unusual circumstances, variations in approach, and incomplete or conflicting data. Develops solid working relationships with VA personnel and VA customers; establishes and maintains good communication with both internal and external customers; creates and disseminates travel correspondence notifying users of system changes, procedural changes, or general awareness items. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/20/2024. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.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. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. AND You may qualify based on your education/experience/combination as described below. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Specialized Experience for GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience researching, troubleshooting, resolving, and responding to a wide range of complex travel and travel system-related inquiries while providing high levels of customer service to internal and external customers; OR Education for GS-7: 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 or a Bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement; OR Combination for GS-7: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. Specialized Experience for GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience researching, testing, troubleshooting, resolving, and responding to a wide range of complex travel and travel system-related inquiries in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities; utilizing accounting systems and applying financial management methods to perform research, resolve inconsistencies, and validate transactions, as it relates to travel and travel systems; preparing and presenting recommendations and solutions regarding routine issues based on analyses and evaluations; OR Education for GS-9: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's 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 for GS-9: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Conflict Management Customer Service Financial Management Problem Solving Vision Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp. Education Education for GS-7: 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 or a Bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement. Superior academic achievement (SAA) is a provision that recognizes students who have achieved superior academic standing as evidenced by (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. To be creditable under this provision, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below: Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. For more information regarding SAA, please visit: General Schedule Qualification Policies (opm.gov) Education for GS-9: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's 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. PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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. Additional Information 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act (or the Act) prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from requesting applicant criminal history record information before extending a conditional or tentative offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S.C § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance to VA at [email protected]. Applicant written complaints should include the following: Administration name: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office name, employee name and contact information or contractor who made contact (if known). Date of contact. Details regarding the job opportunity announcement applied to, and copies of any documents or other evidence related to the complaint. Visit Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) for more information. 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.