Budget Technician

Summary

This position is located in the Office or Research and Development (ORD) at VA South Texas Healthcare System - Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio, TX. The Budget Technician is responsible for ensuring all research funding is handled appropriately and in accordance with all VHA and Federal regulations.

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Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Assisting in accounting, forecasting, and executing the Research budget while ensuring funds are managed in a fiscally responsible manner
• Reviewing annual budget forecasts and spending plans, recommending adjustments, and ensuring budgets comply with existing regulatory guidance
• Advising supervisor of conditions resulting in over-obligation of funds and determining funding program validity
• Performing budgetary, administrative, and statistical functions to determine future budget needs and provide written assessments to researchers
• Researching, verifying, compiling, and summarizing data involving salaries, fund control points, expenses, and object class information
• Apprising investigators of funding and budget status while providing guidance to resolve budget conflicts
• Tracking funds distribution, monitoring costs and expenditures, reconciling commitments and obligations, and identifying excess funds
• Preparing reports projecting available resources and distributing monthly balance statements with detailed financial and backup information
• Working with funded investigators, university business managers, and administrative staff to answer questions and resolve budget conflicts
• Providing historical data supporting budgeting for common resource needs, including deionized water, equipment maintenance, veterinary consultant, and travel costs
• Entering budgetary data into forms, schedules, and reports while recommending adjustments and identifying input errors
• Contacting system users to resolve budget system problems and preparing reports on funds, expenses, obligations, FTE, and workload
• Participating in year-end closing, reviewing carryover amounts, and prioritizing unfunded requirements in accordance with funding allowances
• Assisting in evaluating the effect of cost and program changes on the budget execution process
• Serving as Government Purchase Card holder, purchasing supplies, equipment, and services within authorized spending limits
• Screening purchase requests, coordinating requirements, obtaining vendor quotes, and determining sources based on price and delivery
• Processing and tracking purchase documents, advising customers, reconciling billing statements, resolving discrepancies, and processing payments
• Conducting cost-benefit analyses and exploring alternate purchase sources to obtain the best prices for services
• Gathering, extracting, and compiling data, preparing recurring statistical reports, noting variances, and supporting management briefings
• Creating procedural instructions for budget processes and financial forms to expedite and facilitate correct completion of financial procedures
• Performing other related duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary, being performed for the most part while seated comfortably at a desk or table. A moderate amount of standing and walking is required when attending meetings and conferences, and in visiting other offices and buildings throughout the facility. Work also requires a one-time, daily pick-up of mail and packages from the on-site warehouse/mailroom and requires the ability to lift less than 15 lbs.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Budget Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must meet.

• Specialized Experience (GS-07): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-06). Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: compiling, consolidating, organizing, and summarizing budget information, financial data, and recurring reports; entering, reviewing, and maintaining budgetary data in financial systems, spreadsheets, forms, schedules, and reports; utilizing computerized financial systems to retrieve, verify, and process budget information; monitoring budget execution by tracking commitments, obligations, expenditures, available balances, and funding status; and applying budget regulations, policies, and procedures to process financial transactions and support proper obligation and expenditure of funds. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

IMPORTANT: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

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.

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.