Technical Writer - Editor

Serves as the authoritative technical advisor on investigative writing standards within OAWP. Establishes and implements organization-wide editorial policies and investigative reporting standards.

Reviews, edits, and finalizes investigative reports and related products produced by the Investigations Directorate, ensuring accuracy, completeness, logical structure, and compliance with applicable VA and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) standards.

Performs substantive editing of complex investigative documents, including restructuring content for clarity and logical progression, resolving internal inconsistencies, and ensuring that findings, conclusions, and recommendations are clearly supported by the evidentiary record.

Conducts line-by-line editorial review for grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and style in accordance with the Government Publishing Office (GPO) Style Manual and OAWP editorial standards.

Evaluates the tone, readability, and appropriateness of investigative reports for their intended audiences, which includes senior VA and Department leadership, Congressional staff, and the public.

Coordinates with investigators and team leads to reconcile editorial changes, resolve ambiguities in the record, and ensure reports accurately convey the scope and results of each investigation.

Tracks the editorial review and clearance status of multiple concurrent investigative products, manages competing deadlines, and escalates issues affecting report quality or timeliness to the appropriate supervisor.

Develops, maintains, and updates Investigations Division editorial style guides, writing templates, and standard operating procedures that govern the preparation of investigative reports and Congressional products.

Remains current on CIGIE quality standards for investigations, GAO report standards, and Congressional correspondence protocols, incorporating changes into OAWP editorial guidance as needed. Independently researches and verifies factual, legal, and regulatory content cited in investigative reports, including references to U.S.

Code, VA Directives and Handbooks and applicable federal regulations. Resolves discrepancies between source documents and draft text through direct review of case files, applicable regulations, and coordination with subject-matter experts.

Ensures that graphics, exhibits, and supporting data tables included in written products are accurate, properly formatted, and appropriately referenced in the text.

Performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor, including special writing and editing projects, contributions to organizational initiatives, and support for time-sensitive products at the direction of senior leadership. Work Schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday with various tours available pending supervisory approval.

May be subjected to change based on operational needs. Compressed/Flexible: May be available. Telework: May be authorized in accordance with agency policy. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work.

Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased space.

Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in affect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption already in place. Position Description/PD#: PD002640 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/14/2026. 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 some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below: 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: Reviews, edits, and finalizes investigative reports and related products produced by the Agency, ensuring accuracy, completeness, logical structure, and compliance with applicable agency standards; performs substantive editing of complex investigative documents, including restructuring content for clarity and logical progression, resolving internal inconsistencies and ensuring that findings, conclusions, and recommendations are clearly aligned throughout the report of investigation; develops, maintains, and updates agency division editorial style guides, writing templates, and standard operating procedures that govern the preparation of investigative reports and responses to Congressional and agency requests for information; and works independently on many projects, collaboratively with subject matters experts to reconcile ambiguities within or questions regarding written work products..

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: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held.

Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 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.

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/.

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 current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be found Well Qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: A minimum of one year of experience demonstrating written communication, editorial analysis, and the application of Government Publishing Office (GPO) Style Manual standards to complex, sensitive, and legally significant documents, operating with a high degree of independence while managing multiple concurrent products and exercising expert editorial judgment to ensure that all written products meet the highest standards of accuracy, clarity, and compliance before release.

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/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as being within 50 miles of available VA office space.