Program Specialist - Veterans Benefits Administration

Summary This position is in the VA Regional Office. The incumbent is assigned to the Office of the Director and reports to the Assistant Director. The incumbent serves as a Program Specialist responsible for providing performance management and technical support for the regional office HR program. The incumbent is the key advisor to the Director and the Division Chiefs on all human resources issues and coordinates directly with the HR Center. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Provides management advisory services in counseling, advising management on developing and maintaining the proper balance between organization strategic plans and goals and human resource development programs; conducting systemic studies to develop management interests. Tracks any lag time with recruitment or classification actions. Provides solutions to management on how to improve processing times for recruitment actions; uses organizational studies to help management strategize on how to keep staff engaged and challenged with their current work; and how to use resources wisely to get the highest sustainable grade for all positions. Provides advice and assistance on all assigned tasks or projects regarding administrative influence or HR related outcomes to VBA emergency preparedness planners and analysts. Conducts and serves on special committees as assigned that address emergency preparedness subjects, as well as emergency and contingency planning for the workforce. Provides guidance on merit system principles, prohibited personnel practices, the development and use of valid selection criteria, and other approaches that may help in staffing the organization and in improving employee productivity, morale, and retention. Coordinates analyses and recommendations with other HR Specialists as appropriate. Prepares, compiles, publishes, and ensures the validity and accuracy of data developed and uniformity in reports and studies. Works with functional directors to analyze and ascertain anticipated impact and requirements, formulates new or revised policies, and determines need for new or revised policies and or procedures. Researches and recommends solutions to complex issues and topics where local factors contradict established policy or procedures. Attends required meetings and conferences and advises supervisor of the business conducted on any action required of the division. Carries out special projects to resolve controversial issues of problems for the organization. Input, routes, approve, processes, and tracks personnel actions; reviews, changes, corrects job descriptions via the automated system and accesses electronic data bases for assigned employees to generate reports, and extract data for program requirements for managers as needed. Incumbent is expected to manage and maintain full visibility over all actions from cradle to grave and provide advice/assistance in all stages of the recruitment process. Review's classification standards, guides, to assist and coordinate classification assignments. Assist with the initial classification of individual position for submittal to the CCU. Aids supervisors and operating officials on the classification submissions and processes. Keeps abreast of new developments and regulatory guidance from higher authorities and provides interpretative guidance to subordinate regional activities. Provides advice and assistance on automated classification system eClass 360. Ensures the accuracy of organization and position data and initiates corrective action when necessary. Coordinates program requirements with management and others as necessary. Prepares and presents reports and briefings on assignment status and/or recommended actions to appropriate individuals. Visits activities throughout the office to assist staff, supervisors and management officials as requested or as determined necessary by superiors. Provides advice and assistance in the areas of discipline, adverse actions, grievances, performance management and recognition, employee counseling, and related functions. Gathers background information and does extensive probing and analysis to identify causes of misconduct and/or poor performance, select the appropriate penalty to ensure consistent and progressive discipline throughout the organization, and then advise managers. Provides advice and assistance on grievance procedures and options for resolution of conflicts or problems. Coordinates with legal officials as appropriate. Provides advice and assistance to managers and supervisors who are responsible for compliance with EEO, affirmative action, and other special emphasis programs. Keeps employees informed regarding policies and latest regulations on health and life insurance benefits, retirement, and other benefits, training, time, and attendance, pay, leave, overtime, awards, employment opportunities, and other personnel actions. Perform other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: None. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Yes, as determined by the Agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist; GS-0301-12; PD# 39563A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/11/2024. 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-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Time-In-Grade does not apply to Non-Federal applicants or applicants applying for consideration under Non-Competitive Hiring Authorities. OR If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to a lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the grade level (or higher) of the posted announcement, and your current position has a promotional potential as high as (or higher) than the posted announcement. To verify, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade. AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: 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-11 and must have been held in the Federal Government. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing advisory services, quality review services, or experience drafting and approving standard operating procedures and/or other forms of regulatory guidance covering multiple fields of Human Resources rules, regulations, and procedures, including Personnel Management, Recruitment and Staffing, Classification, Employee Benefits (OWCP, retirements, and insurance programs), and/or Employee and Labor Relations. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Provide advice and guidance in the areas of classification and staffing and recruitment; Defending agency actions in front of a 3rd party hearing (FLRA, MSPB); Experience as the chief negotiator in labor negotiations. 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: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 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: The work is principally 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility can be discussed during the interview process. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.