About this role
Job SummaryThe Budget Analyst Technical Career Field (TCF) Trainee serves within Fiscal Service under a formal Training and Career Development Program (TCF). The Budget Analyst Trainee will perform developmental assignments aligned with the full performance GS-0560-09/11 Budget Analyst position, progressively building competencies in budget formulation, execution, and analysis within a VA healthcare system.
QualificationsTo qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/01/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 . 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Perform preliminary analyses of budget and cost data to identify trends, discrepancies, and potential issues for review by senior analysts, Preparing recurring and ad hoc reports used in budget execution, financial reviews, and leadership briefings, and assisting in the development of budget justifications and supporting documentation consistent with VHA requirements. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least one (1) full year of progressively higher-level graduate education (Bachelor degree), leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. (Eighteen (18) semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one (1) year of graduate education) or achieved superior academic achievement based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership as described in the vacancy announcement. NOTE: Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education described above. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Major DutiesTCF is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. The TCF career fields represent those technical fields where VA-specific knowledge and experience is desirable for success in the field. Individuals selected follow a formal training plan for two years during which they are trained, coached, and supervised by a preceptor who is a subject matter expert within the career field/job specialty. Trainees must remain at the hiring grade level for a minimum of one year prior to being promoted, even if the individual meets qualification/time in grade requirements for a higher grade prior to one year. *Selectees will be required to sign Mobility, Training, and Continued Service Agreements. The position supports budget formulation, executions, and analysis functions for assigned services within the VA Healthcare system. The work is developmental in nature and aligned with the full performance GS-0560-09/11 Budget Analyst position. The Budget Analyst Trainee performs recurring and structured assignments involving financial data collection, tracking obligations and expenditures, preparing preliminary reports, and assisting higher graded analysts in budget related activities. Work is performed under close supervision with technical review for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with policy. The Budget Analyst Series, GS-0560, covers positions that involve analytical, technical, and administrative duties in one or more phases of the budget administration process (budget formulation and justification, presentation and enactment, or execution). Budget analysts are responsible for a segment of an organization's budget, programs, and/or organizational structure that is less than the full scope of budgetary operations for the organizational component and level served. This title also applies to positions that develop budgetary guidance. Major duties and responsibilities include: Establish and implementing a comprehensive financial reporting system for leadership and management, develop specific instructions and procedural guidelines for all operating levels of our facility for the preparation and completion of budget estimates. Responsible for distributing funds to control points, analyzing actual expenditures compared to the budget plan, and projecting where adjustments to the plan are necessary. Provides guidance and procedural instructions to investigators and staff. Monitors the status and availability of funds for each program and source to ensure that adequate funds are available and disseminates the information accordingly. Reviews progress of all obligations and maintains sufficient familiarity with operating and financial program to make prompt recommendations for reprogramming actions. Prepares all external reports or analysis that concerns budget execution at the facility Consider, solve, and recommend solutions to problems requiring coordination of operating officials and or management. Generate a variety of routine and special reports covering the current status and projections of funds, expenses, and obligations to maintain appropriate level of support for MC operations and individual research studies. Exercise judgment in decision making, balance of the over all budget to assure proper emphasis on the more critical or important areas and the adequacy of justification presented by operating officials. Reconcile the transactions to the applicable fiscal automated database system and must research and resolve discrepancies between the various ledgers and make necessary adjustments. Participates in the entire process of funds control to include planning for restrictions and revisions to original budget plans, preparation of cost ceiling distribution for operating officials, recommendation for changes to original plan. Ensures all invoices are processed in accordance with milestones and analyze financial and budgetary relationships to develop recommendations for financial and or budgetary actions. Maintains listings of TDA's transfer of disbursing authority, monitors and controls records for all appropriations to track funding of a variety of accounts. Recommendation and direction to management on the status and accessibility of funds in different budget accounts and all aspects of the budget, research proposal and request processes. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Budget Analyst -Technical Career Field (TCF) Trainee/PD085080 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not AuthorizedRequirementsYou 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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.