Senior Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits

Summary

This position is located in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits (OUSB), in Washington, DC, and reports directly to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits. The Senior Advisor acts as an expert, providing authoritative guidance to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits on matters including program development, interpretation of regulations, and strategic oversight throughout VBA programs.

Duties

The position is in the Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA) Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits. The responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Conducting comprehensive analyses of proposed regulatory language, changes, administrative guidance, and oversight recommendations to assess directive/guidanceimplications and implementation impacts. Assisting in the drafting and advancement of rulemaking documents, legislative analyses, and regulatory packages requiring clearance through departmental and interagency processes. Advising the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits on sensitive, complex, or cross-cutting legal and policy issues with enterprise-wide impact. Leading the development, review, and refinement of VBA directives, regulatory language, and program directives to ensure they are legally defensible, operationally feasible, and aligned with federal requirements. Conducting comprehensive analyses of proposed regulatory changes, administrative guidance, and oversight recommendations to assess legal implications and implementation impacts.

Qualifications and evaluation

Step 1: Review of resume for minimum qualifications (not to exceed 2 pages). Step 2. SES Panel review to determine Best Qualified applicants for referral to selective official. Step 3. Approval by the Selecting Official (may include additional screening such as interviews, background and reference checks)

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

How to apply

Your complete application must be received by 11:59 pm EST on the 10/06/2026, in order for you to be considered. Please read all instructions before you begin. To begin click the Apply Online button and follow the prompts to register, and submit all required documents. To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ and click on "Application Status". Click on the position title and select Apply Online to continue.

Required documents

A complete application for this position includes the following items: 1. Resume which demonstrates your experience, accomplishment, training, education and awards reflecting your ability to meet each of the MANDATORY Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for this position. Elaborate on your experience and accomplishments, highlighting your level of responsibilities, scope and complexity of programs managed, work objectives met (results of your efforts), guidance initiatives and level of contact. Ensure your resume does not exceed two (2) pages. Information beyond the two page resume will not be evaluated. DO NOT submit the application form OF-612, Optional Application for Federal Employment in lieu of a resume. DO NOT submit separate narrative responses to address the technical qualifications. 2. Complete responses to the Occupational Questionnaire. 3. Proof of competitive status: (Proof consists of an SF-50 showing career/career conditional status in the competitive service.) 4. Documentation in support of eligibility under a special hiring authority. (e.g. DD-214 for VEOA, CTAP/ICTAP, Schedule A authority, etc.). 5. Non-Competitive Consideration: You are considered a non-competitive applicant if you are on a current career Senior Level (SL) appointment; an individual with SL reinstatement eligibility; or a current career Senior Executive Service (SES) member who has competitive service reinstatement eligibility (at any grade level) to any position in the competitive service. You may be considered non-competitively for appointment to this position if you meet the qualifications requirements. Proof of non-competitive eligibility is required. Proof consists of an SF-50 showing career/career conditional status on an SL appointment, or SES Career Appointment and for SES members, proof of Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification and proof of previous appointment showing career/career conditional status in the competitive service.