Assistant Financial Manager (Assistant Chief)

Summary

Duty Location of Phoenix VAMC is preferred. Will consider a highly qualified applicant for a virtual duty location. A virtual final job offer is contingent on the selected candidate living within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center - VA facility or VA-leased space; and must receive approval to work at a VA Medical Center - VA facility or VA-leased space. This is not a remote role.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/25/2026. 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 former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. The DCFO executes the duties and responsibilities of a professional accountant as covered by the OPM standards for GS0510-13 in addition to the inherent management and supervisory duties of a service line manager. You may qualify based off your education and/or experience as below:

Basic Requirements

• Degree: accounting
• or a degree in a related field such as business administration - finance - or public administration that included or was supplemented by 24 semester hours in accounting
• The 24 hours may include up to 6 hours of credit in business law
• (The term ""accounting"" means ""accounting and/or auditing"" in this standard
• Similarly - ""accountant"" should be interpreted - generally - as ""accountant and/or auditor."")
• OR Combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of experience in accounting - or an equivalent combination of accounting experience - college-level education - and training that provided professional accounting knowledge
• The applicant's background must also include one of the following: Twenty-four semester hours in accounting or auditing courses of appropriate type and quality
• This can include up to 6 hours of business law
• A certificate as Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Internal Auditor - obtained through written examination
• or Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in accounting or auditing - e.g. - 15 semester hours - but that does not fully satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement of paragraph A - provided that (a) the applicant has successfully worked at the full-performance level in accounting - auditing - or a related field - e.g. - valuation engineering or financial institution examining
• (b) a panel of at least two higher level professional accountants or auditors has determined that the applicant has demonstrated a good knowledge of accounting and of related and underlying fields that equals in breadth - depth - currency - and level of advancement that which is normally associated with successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in paragraph A
• and (c) except for literal nonconformance to the requirement of 24 semester hours in accounting - the applicant's education - training - and experience fully meet the specified requirements
• Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirement above - to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience qualification requirements.GS-13 You may qualify based on your experience as described below: 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 include - but not limited to: Managing and supervising personnel - accounting - payroll and audit experience
• Expert experience with accounting principles - procedures - and policies in order to manage - provide advice - and make sound judgements regarding assets - liabilities - fund balances - expenses - and revenues
• skill in analyzing - interpreting - and applying complex legislation - regulatory decisions to develop budgetary plans - policies - and guidance and to make adjustments to the budget
• providing managerial oversight to a full range of fiscal activities
• developing accounting policies and standards covering operations
• utilizing in-depth knowledge of financial management systems - including administering an accounting system
• serving as an expert authority on the maintenance and reconciliation of integrated accounts
• and skill in applying investigative and/or root cause analysis techniques in support of accurate and appropriate cost and workload distribution
• You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Financial Management Financial Systems Internal Controls Principles of Accounting Principles of Finance 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: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 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 of the position is mainly sedentary
• 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/.
  
  

Duties

• 30 Day Hiring Model The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a streamlined 30-Day Hiring Model designed to accelerate hiring while maintaining the highest standards of merit-based selection
• This improved process reduces traditional hiring timelines by integrating early coordination - faster assessments - and efficient pre-employment actions
• Applicants can expect a more transparent - predictable - and efficient hiring journey from announcement to entry on duty
• What Applicants Can Expect Expedited Candidate Review Once the announcement closes - Human Resources will quickly review applications - issue certificates of eligible candidates the day after the announcement closes and refer applicants for hiring manager consideration
• Quick Interviews & References HR may arrange interviews and will request references within 3-5 days after being referred to the hiring manager
• Streamlined Pre-Employment Requirements: Following a tentative offer - applicants should be prepared to complete required steps - such as fingerprinting and background check - credentialing - and medical examination within 3 days of the offer
• Clear and Timely Communication: Applicants will receive clear communication at key milestones - including referral - tentative offer - and onboarding instructions
• After meeting pre-employment requirements - candidates will receive a final job offer and start date
• Onboarding tasks may continue after starting - with HR ensuring timely completion for a smooth transition into VA service
• If selected - applicants should be prepared to come onboard within 30 days of the announcement closing
• The Assistant Financial Officer (AFO) is under the general supervision of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• AFO is responsible for Budget - Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) - Agent Cashier - Accounting - Managerial Financial Reporting - Auditing - Payroll - and Travel
• He/she is guided by a thorough knowledge of Federal statutes - VA Regulations - Comptroller General Decisions - and regulations of the Treasury Department and the Bureau of Budget
• The AFO must see to it that the service provided is prompt - efficient and courteous
• Major duties include but are not limited to: Direct supervision of the Supervisory Accountant - Supervisory Budget Analyst - Payroll Supervisor - and VERA Coordinator
• Supervisory Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Recruits and hires subordinate staff in line with merit staffing procedures and EEO guidelines Assigns work to staff and provides technical and policy direction to their efforts Reviews completed work and provides feedback to encourage top performance to enhance an atmosphere of team Plans training and development with subordinate employees to assure they acquire and maintain both technical competencies in their fields and cross training in related fields Evaluates the work performance of subordinate staff members to enhance effective performance or takes action to deal with inadequate performance - through counseling - training - coaching and other means Resolves staff complaints that interfere with effective performance or undermine work group cohesiveness
• In support of the CFO the AFO actively participates in the performance of all duties involved in the budget and fund control activities by assembling - preparing - and justifying the station's annual budget plan Actively participates with the CFO and other management officials in formulating major operating policies and plans for the budget period and developing instructions and policies for use by operating officials in the preparation of budget estimates Assists the CFO by advising on current and historical data necessary for formulating the annual budget program to the Medical Center Director Assists the CFO in developing pertinent financial data and recommending additional sources of or changes in existing reports and controls used in connection with the station fund control program and other management programs - that are intended for use by local station Work Schedule: Full-Time 07:00am - 3:30pm
• Arizona Time Telework: Not Available Remote: This is Not a Remote Position Position Description/PD#: Assistant Financial Manager (Assistant Chief)/PD13292A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Virtual: This position may be filled as virtual (ie
• the employee may work at a VA facility or VA-leased space other than the facility that is hiring the employee
• telework has not been authorized-Any selected candidate must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center - VA facility or VA-leased space)
• VA supports the use of filling virtually to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service - increase worker productivity and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies
• Potential duty location may be discussed during the interview process.