Assistant Chief Financial Officer

Full Job Description

This position will serve as a full operating Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer (ACFO) for the VA Bedford Healthcare System.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides sound recommendations and advice to the Medical Center Director and Senior Leadership concerning the administration and coordination of Fiscal policy, programs and system designs within Fiscal Service and the VA Bedford Healthcare System.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/13/2026.

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.

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 experience performing the normal duties of an Assistant Chief Financial Officer or CFO, providing leadership, coordination, and hands-on processing for daily quality management of fiscal services provided and continuously reviews and improves the Fiscal Service Quality Management program review process.

This specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

AND Education: 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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Budget Administration Financial Analysis Financial Management 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 is primarily sedentary in nature, 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

Directs and promotes effective use of advanced techniques in finance and accounting, budgeting, management, and manpower management.

Plans, organizes and directs an integrated finance and accounting system. Manages operational accounting programs.

Maintains liaison on a facility-wide basis with VISN/VACO and other independent agencies to clarify procedure and policies pertinent to special accounts and reimbursable activities.

Serves as the focal point for the development of the facility operating budget.

Assists staff and operation officials in the development of organizational budgets and keeps them informed regarding its liquidation and self-sufficiency.

The incumbent is responsible for developing a responsive system of reporting general management and financial data.

Information from normal fiscal accounting and budgetary reports is combined with data of a non-fiscal nature to produce comprehensive analysis of program accomplishments in financial terms to assist management in planning and decision making.

Manages and supervises Business Process Reviews and provides recommendations for improvements.

Serves as technical advisor for the managers and service chiefs in establishing policies and procedures for executing programs.

Briefs Director and/or mangers on actual progress compared to program objectives and VA standards.

Provides expert advice and recommends innovative approaches and solutions to management and operations Participates in meetings and conferences concerning the operating of the facility and advises on the status of programs, particularly with regard to program objectives, progress and accomplishments and probable effects of alternative actions.

Performs duties associated with examining financial books, records, etc., to provide recommendations to improve productivity, cost-effectiveness, and quality of work processes.

Reports on the financial management of the activities audited with recommendations for improvement. Gathers information about the program scheduled for audit and determines the audit objectives.

The ACFO provides analysis and advice in the design, adaptation, and installation of automated accounting systems. Analyzes current and/or required accounting systems to design new or improved systems.

Oversees the design of a complete accounting system for a large program used within a network of operating sites.

Uses ingenuity in dealing with precedent - setting situations when work programs are newly assigned, and projected account structure is unknown.

Develops and implements accounting systems on a continuing basis.

Analyses problems that are new or novel in nature and where there is necessity for reconciling diverse needs and viewpoints in arriving at a final system.

Studies the accounts, reports and procedural instructions within an extensive area and considers legislative and program background materials to identify need for revision.

The ACFO is the backup authority in matters pertaining to the accounting systems, including the accounting structure to properly reflect the nature of transactions and to implement tools such as journals, subsidiary records, statements, and reports.

Prepares and recommends annual budgets through analysis and forecasting of the usage of funds within a program, assuring annual budget projections.

Interprets reports and other financial data for program review and analysis. Computes and predicts effects of changes in administered programs. Provides advice and assistance on financial matters.

Serves as financial authority, analyzing and resolving complex issues related to the financial aspects of network-wide programs. Prepares recommendations for program managers.

Projects complex program data to provide program managers with an overall financial status of the program.

Provides timely financial advice required to make effective decisions and provide for proper program planning.

Serves as an alternate member of the Medical Center Director's top advisory or executive board, regularly attends formal and informal management sessions, and consistently contributes financial advice considered pertinent to the discussion during all stages of planning, policy formulations and decision-making.

Advises on the Control of Financial Resources. Performs duties associated with the management, and control of resources or funds.

Supplies financial statements to operating program officials for informational and planning purposes. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Assistant Chief Financial Officer/PD518-04106-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized