Program Analyst (Watch Officer)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:11/24/2026. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 13 or higher.

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-13 Grade Level: Specialized experience is defined as at least 12 months of experience equivalent in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service performing Program Analyst, Watch Officer, emergency operations, continuity, incident-management, or closely related duties that demonstrate all of the following: Continuity and emergency operations: Applying continuity of operations (COOP) and emergency-management principles to sustain operational readiness; support crisis response, continuity activations, and exercises; and coordinate with internal and external partners during emergent situations and incidents.

Operational analysis and executive reporting: Applying analytical and evaluative techniques to collect, validate, integrate, and assess information from multiple sources; identify actual or potential impacts to operational readiness; improve emergency-response effectiveness; and prepare accurate, time-sensitive incident reports, situation reports, briefings, and predictive assessments for senior leadership.

Emergency planning and program improvement: Applying emergency-planning and contingency-operations principles to develop, evaluate, and revise COOP and crisis-response policies, plans, standard operating procedures, notification and recall processes, exercise materials, after-action reports, and corrective actions that support continuity of operations and coordinated incident management.

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; 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. 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; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

01Physical Requirements

This work is primarily sedentary, with some walking, standing, and carrying of light objects required. The incumbent may participate in exercises or actual emergency situations, which could require adaption to unusual environmental conditions. The position may require extended hours to meet critical needs and deadlines, and to devise corrective actions and solutions to unexpected issues or events.

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/.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

The VA IOC serves as Department's single office for data integration, fusion, and proactive analysis for the purpose of developing and presenting recommendations relative to developing and ongoing events and incidents that have the potential to impact VA. Specific duties include: All incumbents are authorized to initiate contact with personnel throughout VA and VBA in order to ensure timely situational awareness reporting in support of SECVA and Deputy Under Secretary of Benefits decision processes.

Therefore, incumbent must be able to communicate both orally and in writing. Gathers, analyzes, and fuse data/information obtained from numerous sources in order to assess and communicate relevant information to VA leadership about actual or potential impact to VA's operational readiness (facilities, services, etc.) in the form of incident reports and situation reports (SITREPS).

Reports must be prepared with complete accuracy of information, style, format, grammar, and spelling as these products are provided to senior executive management within the Department. Coordinates and is readily prepared in conjunction with the VA IOC for routine and unannounced Continuity of Operation Program (COOP) and major exercise.

Coordinates in conjunction with VA IOC the development and publication of standing operating procedures, plans, detailing instructions, after-actions reports, and lesson-learned critiques. The incumbent receives, integrates, analyzes, disseminates, tracks, and archives information concerning continuous operations and emergent situations/incidents. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret National Security Clearance. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8 AM to 4:30 PM.

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#: Program Analyst (Watch Officer); 39164-A. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.