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ASCENSION is seeking a Special Reviews and Data Calls Analyst to support the National Institutes of Health’s Government Purchase Card Program with analytical, compliance, internal-control, and oversight-response activities.

The ideal candidate is an experienced federal program, compliance, acquisition, financial-management, or audit analyst who can investigate complex questions, assemble supporting evidence, interpret regulations and policy, analyze transaction and program data, and convert findings into clear, defensible responses for Government leadership and oversight organizations.

This position is particularly well suited for someone who has worked in an environment where accuracy, documentation, traceability, and defensibility matter as much as speed. The analyst must be comfortable responding to ambiguous or time-sensitive requests, determining what information is required, identifying authoritative source documentation, reconciling potentially conflicting information, and preparing an organized response that can withstand management, audit, or regulatory scrutiny.

Experience supporting Government Purchase Card programs, financial management, acquisition oversight, internal controls, audit readiness, OMB Circular A-123 activities, Inspector General reviews, GAO requests, or Federal data calls would provide particularly strong alignment.

The role directly supports NIH’s responsibility for oversight of approximately 950 Cardholders and 500 Card Approving Officials across 30 Institutes and Centers and a purchase-card program with significant annual transaction activity.

Position Summary

The Special Reviews and Data Calls Analyst will provide analytical and operational support for special reviews and emerging oversight requirements affecting the NIH Purchase Card Program.

Unlike the recurring transaction-review functions performed by other members of the compliance team, this position concentrates on non-routine analytical assignments and Government response requirements. These may include semi-annual convenience check reviews, disputed transaction analysis, internal control reviews, targeted management studies, transaction research, corrective-action monitoring, and responses to information requests from organizations such as OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, and NIH’s Office of Management and Assessment.

The analyst will collect and reconcile information from Government systems and program records, evaluate transactions and documentation against applicable requirements, identify exceptions or areas requiring additional investigation, develop supporting analyses, maintain working papers, and prepare briefing materials, written responses, reports, and supporting documentation.

Because oversight requests can arise unexpectedly, the successful candidate must be self-directed, highly organized, analytically curious, and able to manage multiple priorities under changing deadlines. The individual should know how to distinguish an unsupported assumption from a documented conclusion and be comfortable asking targeted questions when evidence is incomplete.

The position requires substantial use of Microsoft 365 tools, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, along with Government-provided purchase-card, banking, financial, and reporting systems. NIH’s SOW specifically requires Government information to be securely maintained in Government systems such as SharePoint, shared drives, and Outlook.

Key Responsibilities and Day-to-Day Activities

• Analyze special data calls, oversight inquiries, program-management requests, disputed transactions, convenience checks, and other Purchase Card Program matters requiring research or analytical support.
• Review transaction data, supporting documentation, correspondence, purchase records, financial information, and program files to determine completeness, accuracy, consistency, and compliance.
• Interpret applicable requirements including the Federal Acquisition Regulation, GSA SmartPay guidance, OMB Circular A-123 Appendix B, HHS Purchase Card directives, NIH Purchase Card policies, and supplemental acquisition guidance.
• Research questions raised by NIH leadership, program officials, auditors, oversight organizations, Cardholders, Card Approving Officials, and Institute or Center Purchase Card Coordinators.
• Reconcile information obtained from multiple systems, spreadsheets, reports, correspondence records, financial data sources, and supporting documents.
• Evaluate transaction histories and documentation for unusual conditions, exceptions, inconsistencies, unresolved disputes, potential compliance concerns, or internal-control weaknesses.
• Conduct semi-annual convenience check analyses and document findings in accordance with applicable HHS and NIH requirements.
• Monitor disputed purchase-card transactions and maintain visibility into aging, status, responsibility, supporting documentation, resolution, and escalation requirements.
• Develop analytical workpapers that clearly identify data sources, methodology, assumptions, findings, supporting evidence, and conclusions.
• Prepare draft responses, memoranda, briefing papers, data tables, executive summaries, presentations, and supporting documentation for Government review.
• Support responses to OMB, GAO, GSA, HHS, OIG, NIH OMA, and other internal or external oversight entities when requested by the Purchase Card Program.
• Validate information prior to submission to ensure calculations, findings, references, and supporting records are complete and traceable.
• Coordinate with NIH Purchase Card Program personnel to obtain missing information, clarify requirements, resolve inconsistencies, and verify findings.
• Track information requests, action items, due dates, Government questions, outstanding documentation, and response status through completion.
• Identify recurring trends or control weaknesses revealed through special reviews, disputes, data calls, or other analytical activities.
• Recommend practical corrective actions, additional controls, process improvements, training topics, or areas warranting additional monitoring.
• Maintain organized electronic records and supporting documentation within authorized NIH repositories, including SharePoint, shared drives, and Government email systems.
• Protect non-public Government information and comply with NIH and HHS information-security, privacy, records-management, encryption, and incident-reporting requirements.
• Contribute relevant activities, findings, outstanding issues, and support-service accomplishments to required monthly and annual program reports.
• Participate in meetings, briefings, status reviews, and ad hoc discussions with NIH program personnel and other stakeholders as required.