About this role

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/28/2026. 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.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. 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 some 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: For the GS-07 level: Specialized Experience: 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, researching pay and leave entitlements, applying methods and procedures to provide payroll-related advice and assistance to customers.

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 or 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 education beyond a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.

For the GS-09 level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as providing consultative and test support; resolving and responding to a wide range of complex pay and leave-related inquiries; troubleshooting payroll applications and network systems; and recommending and implementing solutions.

OR, Education: 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: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement.

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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work; however, there may be some walking and standing required to attend meetings, seminars, and conferences with other VA employees and other government agencies. Some travel to VA field facilities may be necessary. 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 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 found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Significant knowledge of VA payroll systems and processing platforms - demonstrated experience with DCPS, VATAS, HR-Smart, RSD/Thin Client, Remedy, and/or CRM systems used to independently research, diagnose, and resolve payroll processing errors and rejects. Working knowledge of Title 5 and Title 38 pay and leave entitlements - familiarity with pay systems, salary/wage administration, recruitment/relocation/retention incentives, student loan repayment programs, leave administration, and work schedules as they apply to federal payroll operations.

Demonstrated ability to work independently on complex, non-routine problems - experience interpreting regulations on one's own initiative, applying new methods to resolve intricate or unprecedented payroll issues, and exercising judgment in deviating from established guidelines when they don't directly address the situation. Analytical skill applied to financial/payroll data at an organizational level - ability to research, evaluate, and select among significant internal and external program/policy issues affecting payroll, manage multiple shifting priorities under urgent deadlines, and make recommendations to management.

Effective oral and written communication with a range of stakeholders - skill in advising customers and personnel across VA stations, VACO, DFAS, and other federal/oversight agencies, including preparing clear documentation, briefing materials, and progress reports. 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 the selectees' nerest VA campus. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from your nearest VA.

Source listing: usajobs