Job Summary

This position is located within the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), Financial Services Center (FSC), Financial Payroll Service (FPS), and is part of the Payroll High Visibility (Hi Vis) Resolution Team.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/17/2026. 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-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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. Specialized experience is defined as: Working knowledge of payroll principals and capabilities of automated systems. Possessing knowledge of the field station payroll operations and the unique payroll and accounting functions performed at a centralized level. Serves as Financial Payroll Services representative on payroll matters in pilot studies, tests arid other task force type studies and provides any required technical assistance. Operating financial management systems, management information systems, customer relationship management technology, and other computer and web-based applications. Analyze a wide variety or reports in order to identify trends and potential problem areas within the payroll or timekeeping systems. OR Education for GS-11: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related; OR Combination of Experience and Education for GS-11: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Master's or equivalent graduate degree. Specialized Experience for GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as: Possessing knowledge of various Payroll, Personnel, and Fiscal Manuals, along with publications of other federal agencies as they relate to the agency and DFAS automated Payroll Systems. Applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issue or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations. Conducting meetings and making presentations to groups. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Strategic Thinking Technical Competence Communication Analysis and Problem Solving 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. Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: The work is primarily sedentary in nature. 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/. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 qualified for this vacancy, 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 meet the well-qualified criteria below: Serving as the recognized subject matter expert (SME) for nationwide payroll operations, independently leading the resolution of highly complex payroll issues with enterprise-wide impact. Applies the process of discovery that involves the diagnosis of a problem or issue, identification and gathering of relevant information, formulation and evaluation of alternative solutions or courses of action, and selection or recommendation of the preferred solution or course of action. Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Independently handles all requests for assistance from various departments and administrations to include Congressional or IG investigations, OCHCO requests for tracking of various payroll items, and other audits as directed. Designing and conducting comprehensive evaluative studies involving multiple payroll, Human Resources and financial systems; integrating qualitative and quantitative data to produce executive-level briefings or strategic direction. Serving as project lead or primary organizational representative for major payroll-related system implementations, enhancements, or corrective action initiatives of extensive scope and duration, ensuring integration across payroll, financial, and reporting systems. 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/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Austin, TX. This includes all locations that fall within a 50 mile driving distance from 8000 Metropolis Drive, Bldg B, Austin, TX, 78744.