Budget Analyst

Veterans Health Administration•East Orange, NJ

19d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Veterans Affairs is recruiting one Budget Analyst, GS-0560-9 (target GS-11), at the East Orange, New Jersey VA Hospital. The role aligns and reports under the Office of Research & Development organizational chart and supports the VA Research Program’s efforts to promote Veteran-centered care and advance value-driven care. This is a multi-grade career-ladder position. At GS-9, assignments are narrower in scope and performed with less independence; the employee progressively develops the background needed to perform at the GS-11 full-performance level. Promotion is discretionary and depends on satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and funding; promotion is not guaranteed. The position is onsite, with ad-hoc telework eligibility to be discussed during the interview. It is not a virtual position. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Work is primarily sedentary and involves use of a computer and standard office equipment. It may also involve walking and standing when traveling to and attending meetings or conferences away from the work site, and occasionally carrying light items. The position oversees and supports fiscal planning and budget administration for the Research Service, including near- and long-range planning in coordination with the Administrative Officer and Associate Chief of Staff for Research. The analyst reconciles fiscal records and reports, supports procurement and contracting activities, analyzes budget requests and funding trends, prepares reports and justifications, and ensures funds are available and used appropriately to support program objectives.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
Applicants are subject to a background/security investigation and must complete online onboarding and applicable pre-employment identification requirements.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
A one-year probationary or trial period is required.
Applicants must meet the applicable time-in-grade requirement by the announcement closing date: 52 weeks at GS-7 for GS-9 consideration or 52 weeks at GS-9 for GS-11 consideration, when applicable to current or former federal employees.
For GS-9 qualification through experience, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7 is required. Specialized experience includes knowledge of agency budget policies and funding sources, budgetary relationships across programs and organizations, methods to analyze changing program plans and funding, and use of financial and non-financial software to extract and analyze funding information.
For GS-11 qualification through experience, one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-9 is required, including detailed and intensive knowledge of agency budget policies and funding sources, budgetary relationships across programs and organizations, methods to analyze changing program plans and funding, and advanced knowledge of financial and non-financial software for funding analysis.
For GS-9 qualification through education, applicants may have a related master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education toward such a degree, or a related LL.B. or J.D.
For GS-11 qualification through education, applicants may have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education toward such a degree, or a related LL.M.
Applicants may combine qualifying graduate education and specialized experience as described for the applicable GS grade. Transcripts are required when education is used to qualify.
Education used for qualification must be from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Responsibilities

Reconcile cost-control records with monthly, quarterly, and annual fiscal reports, including Daily Status of Funds, Annual Budget Plan, Quarterly Analysis of Unobligated Balances, Audit Transaction List, Transaction Status Report, and Running Balances.
Participate in procurement and use appropriate roles in the IFCAP system for Research and Development service fund control points.
Coordinate with investigators on equipment, contract, and service purchases, and prepare required purchasing documents, including justifications, specifications, vendor information, and IT documentation.
Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative by preparing Statements of Work and Independent Government Cost Estimates, conducting market research, developing evaluation criteria and acquisition plans, monitoring contracts, and submitting performance evaluations.
Apply research-related budgetary policies, precedents, goals, objectives, regulations, and guidelines to specific funding agencies or research activities.
Conduct studies and analyses to develop information for reporting and prepare administrative reports.
Ensure funds are available and properly and effectively used to support program objectives.
Analyze budget requests, prepare justification statements, and compile data for forecasting obligations.
Review, edit, and consolidate annual budget estimates for assigned organizations and programs into a single budget request.
Prepare documents to process budget estimates, including Bills of Collections and budget requisitions to commit funds, and write reports detailing the purposes for which funds were obligated and expended.
Edit narrative justifications and projected funding needs and ensure information in requests is accurately documented in forms, schedules, and reports.
Identify and analyze trends in the receipt, obligation, or expenditure of funds to assess whether annual financial-plan objectives are being met on time.
Oversee the Research Service fiscal program in coordination with the Administrative Officer and Associate Chief of Staff for Research, and strategically plan, prepare, and carry out immediate- and long-range fiscal plans.
Develop budgetary plans, projections, and reports, and interpret information received from the Office of Research and Development, VA research programs, Fiscal Service, and other sources.