Program Analyst

Summary

This is a Detail Not to Exceed One Year, however, the detail may be made permanent without additional competition.

This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO), Human Resources Service Center (HRSC). Incumbent serves as a Program Analyst responsible for planning, analyzing, leading and managing programs, special projects, and implementing human resource management initiatives designed to meet the needs of HRSC leaders, managers, customers, and employees.

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Duties

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Major duties:

• Conduct complex program analysis; manage high-priority projects while delivering expert administrative and operational support within a large multi-layered organizational structure;
• Identify and track data trends; prepare comprehensive reports and executive summaries to advise leadership on issues affecting program effectiveness, customer support, fiscal operations, and internal processes;
• Independently plan, analyze, and complete major projects; conceive and implement new initiatives; and provide authoritative recommendations based on detailed qualitative and quantitative data reviews;
• Manage high-visibility communications; prepare responses to congressional and executive inquiries, coordinate workload tracking systems, and ensure timely, accurate completion of assignments across multiple stakeholders;
• Provide subject-matter expertise on HRSC programs, leading or participating in studies and process improvement initiatives, developing tools and methods to support management decision-making, and presenting results to leadership;
• Develop and interpret policies, management practices, and legislative requirements; evaluate organizational impacts of regulatory or technological changes to recommend strategies for improving operational efficiency and administrative processes.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: May be available at Manager's discretion.

Telework: May be authorized in accordance with agency policy.

Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position.

Definition of Virtual Work : Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased space.

Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandate requires selectee to report in person unless an approved exemption is already in place.

Position Description/PD#: PD090450

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two year trial 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 one year probationary period or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying, tracking, and analyzing data trends to inform decisions affecting customer support, fiscal operations, and internal processes;
• Planning, coordinating, and completing complex program analyses and special projects that support business functions and HRSC operations;
• Analyzing and evaluating management practices; providing guidance on analytical methods; reviewing strategic or operational documents; and recommending corrective actions and alternative solutions to resolve program issues;
• Developing and interpreting program plans, policies, and legislative requirements; evaluating the impact of organizational, regulatory, or technological changes; and recommending strategies to improve administrative efficiency and operational effectiveness;
• Preparing executive summaries, reports, briefing materials, and responses to high-visibility inquiries; coordinating with internal and external stakeholders; managing correspondence and workload tracking systems; and ensuring timely, accurate completion of assignments.

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 : Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 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: Work is primarily sedentary.

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

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: Advanced proficiency in conducting complex program analysis, managing high-priority projects, and delivering expert administrative and operational support within a large multi-layered organizational structure; exceptional analytical ability, strategic thinking, and organizational acumen needed to excel in a complex program analysis role. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Local Commuting Area: The primary local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420. The local commuting area may also be authorized as being within 50 miles of available VA office space.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

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 (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members : Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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 here:

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.

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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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.