We are seeking a skilled Budget Application, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence Support Specialist to provide programmatic support to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Specialty Care Program Office under the IHT 2.0 contract vehicle. In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain web-based and client-server applications that streamline budget operations and introduce automation and AI-driven efficiencies across VHA specialty care programs with an opportunity to work closely with users to define requirements, develop specifications, and apply your programming and analysis skills to support the development and maintenance of data/process models and related work plans/projects. Your vital work will directly support the Department of Veterans Affairs' mission to deliver high-quality, data-informed healthcare services to our nation's Veterans.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented, solutions-driven, and VA-experienced application developer who thrives in a collaborative federal healthcare environment, can translate complex user requirements into reliable software, and is comfortable working across multiple concurrent project workstreams with minimal supervision.

Design, develop, and modify web-based applications, client-server applications, and OS scripts to automate budget and programmatic workflows within the VHA Specialty Care Program Office.

Perform application development and database programming using Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and SQL, ensuring data integrity, performance, and alignment with VA enterprise architecture standards.

Implement and integrate Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software solutions into existing VA system architectures, coordinating with stakeholders to ensure seamless adoption and minimal operational disruption.

Lead and support the full software development lifecycle — including planning, requirements analysis, specification writing, coding, testing, debugging, and production implementation — in accordance with an approved Systems Development Methodology (SDM).

Document test conditions, develop test data sets, execute program testing, and analyze results to identify defects and validate that solutions meet functional and technical requirements; support users during acceptance testing phases.

Research and evaluate emerging technologies — including automation tools and artificial intelligence/machine learning frameworks — to recommend and prototype enhancements that improve budget application performance, reporting capabilities, and process efficiency across VHA program operations.

Minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience in application development and programming, including web-based applications, client-server solutions, and scripted process automation.

Bachelor's Degree (BA/BS) in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field is required.

Prior experience supporting federal agency IT programs — preferably within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VHA, or a comparable federal healthcare or civilian agency environment — is strongly desired.

Ability to obtain and maintain a VA Position of Public Trust (suitability clearance); candidate must be eligible for VA network access and comply with all VA security and privacy requirements including annual security awareness training.

Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship; this position supports a federal government contract and may be subject to additional background investigation requirements.

Demonstrated proficiency in applying a formal Systems Development Methodology (SDM), writing program specifications, and maintaining technical and process documentation consistent with federal IT project standards.

•Experience developing or supporting budget management applications, financial systems, or programmatic reporting tools within a federal or VA healthcare environment.

• Familiarity with VA-specific platforms, tools, or frameworks such as the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC), Power Platform (Power Automate/Power BI), or VA's CDW/SQL Server environment.

• Exposure to artificial intelligence, machine learning, or robotic process automation (RPA) technologies and their application to healthcare operations or federal program management.

• Knowledge of VA/VHA data governance standards, 508 compliance requirements, and federal information security frameworks such as FISMA and NIST SP 800-53.

• Experience assisting in the development of data models, process models, and project work plans within an Agile or hybrid Agile-Waterfall delivery environment.