Assistant Director

Summary The Assistant Director (AD) is a senior leader in a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office and works alongside the Regional Office Director to ensure Veterans, their families, and other eligible beneficiaries receive timely, accurate, and high-quality benefits and services. The AD provides executive oversight of daily operations, aligns local activities with national priorities, and drives organizational performance and continuous improvement. Responsibilities The Assistant Director's responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Oversees Regional Office (RO) operations to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient delivery of veterans' benefits in alignment with national policies and VBA/Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership priorities. Develops, implements, and monitors RO policies, procedures, and performance standards, ensuring compliance with VBA directives and consistency in service delivery across business lines. Analyzes operational and program performance data, identifies gaps, directs corrective actions, and ensures follow-up to improve quality, timeliness, cost efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Leads strategic planning and resource management, including development of short- and long-term goals, assessment of resource needs, and effective allocation of personnel, budget, and equipment. Evaluates organizational structure and workload trends, recommending and implementing organizational changes to meet evolving program and business requirements. Provides executive oversight of human resources functions, including position management, staffing decisions, performance management, labor-management relations, and escalation of employee relations matters. Ensures the effective management of RO financial resources, including formulation, execution, and oversight of the budget while ensuring compliant and efficient use of funds. Represents the RO in internal and external engagements, maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and supporting initiatives that advance VA programs, organizational culture, equal employment opportunity (EEO) principles, and workforce inclusivity. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Assistant Director/37863A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Relocation Expenses Only. (Temporary housing is authorized for this position within applicable regulations) Financial Disclosure Report: Required; This position requires completion of a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450) under 5 C.F.R. § 2634.904(a). The selectee must submit the form before entering on duty and annually thereafter. Bargaining Unit: No Requirements Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year supervisory 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 1-year supervisory probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows: You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a supervisory probationary or trial period Designated and/or random drug testing may be required Subject to Public Trust-High Risk background 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 I-9 Acceptable Documents. 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. Relocation Expenses are ONLY authorized for selectee/s choosing to physically relocate to the Official Duty location of Chicago, IL. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 09/08/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-15 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-15. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-15 Grade Level Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the normal line of progression. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the executive-level knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of an Assistant Director in a Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office. To be creditable, the experience must demonstrate all of the following activities, performed in a Regional Office, VA business line, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), or similar large, complex Federal or private-sector organization: Managing or directing program operations that deliver benefits or services to Veterans or comparable populations. Establishing priorities, determining resource needs, and allocating staff and funds to meet program objectives. Directing or coordinating personnel management actions such as hiring, performance management, labor/employee relations, organizational changes, or workforce planning. Conducting or overseeing complex program reviews, operational assessments, compliance reviews, or performance evaluations. Monitoring and controlling program effectiveness, including analyzing policies, directives, procedures, and long- and short-range organizational goals to identify improvement needs. Representing organizational leadership with internal and external stakeholders, including participating on committees, workgroups, or interagency engagements. Leading cross-functional teams or subordinate supervisors/managers to resolve operational issues, improve performance, or implement new policies or processes. Volunteer Experience: 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; religious; 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The position is primarily in an office setting. This work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings, or customer interactions. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Additional Information 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 your current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at 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. 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.