Program Specialist

Summary This position provides support as a Program Specialist for the Research and Development (R&D) Service Line in the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS) - Boston - Massachusetts. The Boston's Research and Development Service is one of the VA's largest and most active Research and Development Centers in the nation with an annual operating budget of over $130 Million. Qualifications To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/28/2026. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Experience includes: Administering or monitoring a Government Purchase Card or similar government procurement program; Reviewing purchases for compliance with applicable procurement regulations - policies - internal controls - and funding requirements; Reconciling purchase-card or procurement transactions and resolving discrepancies; Maintaining financial - procurement - and supporting documentation records; Assisting with budget formulation - budget execution - budget tracking - or financial reporting; Analyzing budgetary - procurement - or operational data and preparing reports or recommendations for management; and Evaluating or improving work processes - management controls - organizational procedures - workload distribution - or information systems related to procurement or budget administration. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. - if related. OR - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify - a copy of your transcript is required. 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/. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Thinking Administrative and Management Federal Funds Processing Communication 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: The work is primarily sedentary - although some slight physical effort may be required. For more information on these qualification standards - please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Duties The Program Specialist performs the full complement of budgetary functions related to the Government Purchase Card Program and procurement duties for the R&D Service Line with overall responsibility associated with all phases of the intricate government credit card purchase program and contracting procurement processMonitor - analyze - and evaluate expenditures in relation to planned budget levels - including salary control pointsPrepare analytical reports - recommend corrective actions - and forecast budget shortfalls or surplusManage all phases of government credit card purchase program and contracting procurement processes - including purchasing - tracking - reporting - and reconciling expenditures for supplies - services - equipment - contracts - conferences - and travelPrepare and execute short- and long-term strategic planning for research program and projects - gather and analyze historical and current data - validate budget requests - and develop integrated budget forecastsLiaises between research program managers - finance office - and contracting/grants staff on funding status and needsTracks obligations/expenditures against appropriationsmonitors funds availabilityprocesses/reviews funding documentsMaintains budget data in financial management systemsreconciles recordssupports auditsWork Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm) Compressed/Flexible: Available at supervisor's discretion Telework: This position may be authorized for teleworkTelework eligibility will be discussed during interview processVirtual: This position is not authorized for Virtual WorkNOTE: Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current positionDefinition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased spaceReturn to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exception or an exemptionAny approval for an RTO exception - exemption - or extension will happen after a tentative job offer - but before a final job offerPosition Description/PD#: 523-03381-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 SystemSome exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointmentCurrent and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 - (Notice of Personnel Action)The SF-50 must identify the position title - series - grade - step - tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted)In some cases - more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held