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ASCENSION is seeking an experienced Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst to support the National Institutes of Health Purchase Card Program in monitoring Government Purchase Card activity, conducting transaction and file compliance reviews, identifying procurement and internal-control risks, and helping NIH protect the integrity of a purchase card program that supports approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers.

The ideal candidate combines Government Purchase Card knowledge, federal acquisition and procurement compliance experience, analytical judgment, internal-control expertise, and strong written and verbal communication skills. This individual should be comfortable examining large volumes of transactional information, identifying unusual or high-risk activity, reviewing supporting documentation, applying federal and agency-specific procurement policies, documenting findings objectively, and discussing potentially sensitive compliance issues with Government personnel.

This position is well suited for an experienced GPC Compliance Analyst, Senior Audit Analyst, Internal Controls Analyst, Procurement Compliance Analyst, Acquisition Compliance Analyst, or financial/compliance professional who understands that effective compliance review requires more than checking documentation. The analyst must be able to identify risk patterns, understand the business context surrounding transactions, distinguish administrative errors from significant control weaknesses, and present findings that NIH can use to improve program integrity.

The individual should be detail-oriented, analytical, organized, self-directed, tactful, and comfortable working with limited supervision. The analyst must be able to manage multiple concurrent reviews, work within established review schedules, maintain secure documentation, communicate effectively with cardholders and approving officials, and meet firm reporting deadlines.

Position Summary

The Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst will perform operational, compliance, financial-control, and acquisition-related analysis in support of NIH’s Government Purchase Card Program.

The NIH Purchase Card Program manages oversight, administration, training, policy implementation, and customer service for a program that recorded more than $266 million in FY2025 purchase card spending. The Government Purchase Card is used primarily for micro-purchases but may also be used as a payment mechanism for purchases above the micro-purchase threshold.

Working under the direction of ASCENSION’s Senior Manager/Director and in coordination with the NIH Purchase Card Program Manager and Contracting Officer’s Representative, the analyst will review purchase card transactions and supporting documentation for compliance with governing requirements, including applicable provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, GSA SmartPay requirements, OMB Circular A-123 Appendix B, HHS purchase card guidance, NIH purchase card policies, and related acquisition requirements.

The analyst will help NIH identify suspicious, unusual, high-risk, inadequately documented, or potentially non-compliant transactions by analyzing transaction data against Government-provided business rules, transaction patterns, and professional judgment. The role will also support comprehensive Cardholder and Card Approving Official file reviews, entrance and exit conferences, findings development, corrective-action follow-up, Institute- and Center-level debriefings, and recurring program reporting.

The individual may also support purchase card policy updates, training materials, special reviews, disputed transaction analysis, data calls, briefings, and responses to internal or external oversight organizations.

What You Will Do

The Senior Purchase Card Compliance Analyst is expected to:

• Analyze NIH purchase card transaction data to identify transactions requiring additional review based on established business rules, risk indicators, transaction trends, regulatory requirements, and professional judgment.
• Review purchase card transactions and supporting documentation for compliance with NIH, HHS, GSA SmartPay, Federal Acquisition Regulation, and applicable Government Purchase Card policies.
• Examine transaction documentation for appropriate delegation of authority, procurement integrity, receipt and acceptance, records retention, purchase justification, and other applicable compliance requirements.
• Evaluate documentation submitted by Cardholders and Card Approving Officials to determine whether transaction files adequately support the purchase.
• Identify suspicious, unusual, high-risk, or potentially non-compliant transactions requiring additional investigation or follow-up.
• Document review findings, recommendations, exceptions, and instances of non-compliance using NIH-approved review templates and procedures.
• Request supporting documentation and clarification from Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute or Center Purchase Card Coordinators when additional information is required.
• Monitor correspondence and review activity through the NIH Purchase Card Compliance Inbox and other Government-designated systems.
• Conduct targeted transactional reviews arising from data-mining and risk-analysis activities.
• Perform comprehensive Government Purchase Card file reviews covering statistically significant samples of Cardholder and Card Approving Official activity.
• Apply risk-based methodologies to support the selection of Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, transactions, and files for review.
• Prepare proposed schedules for compliance reviews and coordinate review activities with NIH Purchase Card Program personnel.
• Coordinate entrance conferences with Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinators to discuss planned reviews and identify known areas of concern.
• Facilitate exit briefings with Cardholders and Card Approving Officials to communicate preliminary findings and explain the basis for proposed recommendations or non-compliance determinations.
• Prepare standardized review letters and reports describing findings, recommendations, compliance issues, and required corrective actions.
• Complete transactional and file review reports within established NIH timelines, including the applicable 45-calendar-day reporting requirements.
• Conduct follow-up reviews when necessary to determine whether corrective actions associated with prior findings have been implemented.
• Analyze recurring compliance findings and transaction patterns to identify broader program risks, systemic control weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop Institute- and Center-level summaries of review findings, trends, recurring issues, and areas requiring management attention.
• Present review findings during Institute- or Center-level debriefings with Purchase Card Coordinators, Agency Program Coordinators, Government representatives, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain complete, organized, auditable review documentation and working papers.
• Reconcile transactional data and verify that data files are complete before performing analysis.
• Securely store Government information in approved NIH environments such as SharePoint, shared drives, Outlook, and other authorized systems.
• Support quarterly reviews and refinement of transaction-monitoring business rules based on observed trends, regulatory changes, and emerging risk indicators.
• Assist with updates to NIH Purchase Card policies, guidelines, supplements, procedures, and related documentation.
• Support development and revision of Government Purchase Card refresher training, Cardholder training, Card Approving Official training, and related materials.
• Prepare briefing materials and presentations for monthly Institute and Center Purchase Card Coordinator meetings and other program meetings.
• Support special reviews, data calls, convenience check analyses, disputed transaction reviews, and other Purchase Card Program inquiries.
• Assist with preparing responses and supporting documentation for potential requests from OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, NIH management organizations, and other oversight entities.
• Contribute purchase card compliance statistics, findings, trends, outstanding issues, and review status information for monthly and annual program reports.
• Identify risks early and elevate significant compliance, documentation, schedule, data-quality, or internal-control concerns to the Senior Manager/Director.