Program Specialist

Summary

This position serves as an organizational team member in the management and execution of multiple high-level organizational initiatives. Knowledge of VHA and healthcare operations, timekeeping, records management, and policy management regulations, and administrative activities is paramount.

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

09/25/2024 to 10/09/2024

• Salary

$59,966 - $77,955 per year

Salary range included is from the Rest of US salary chart. Salary will be adjusted upon selection, based on location.

• Pay scale & grade

GS 9

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Locations

1 vacancy in the following locations:

• Little Rock, AR

• Washington, DC

• Louisville, KY

• Biloxi, MS

• Show more locations (6)

• Jackson, MS

• Oklahoma City, OK

• Memphis, TN

• Murfreesboro, TN

• Nashville, TN

• Houston, TX

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

25% or less- You may be expected to travel for this position. Travel required up to 25% of the time.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

None

• Job family (Series)

• 0301 Miscellaneous Administration And Program

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness

• National security

• Financial disclosure

No

• Bargaining unit status

Yes

• Announcement number

CBZY-12554530-24-KP

• Control number

811172200

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This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Open to Vererans Health Administration (VHA) employees and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) eligible only.

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Duties

This job announcement will remain open for 10 business days and close on 10/09/2024. The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management.

• Draft, edit, and/or make recommendations to office policies related to administrative functions (timekeeping, business rules for the OIC shared calendar, overtime, tour-of-duty) which are subject to review and approval of the supervisor.
• Serve as the primary timekeeper for the OIC program office. Timekeeper maintains time and attendance records and controls in accordance with Timekeeping Manual for OIC employees in an accurate and complete manner
• Ensure compliance with record keeping requirements for VHA OIC records.
• Analyzes daily Time and Leave System variances/rejects.
• Prepares exception reports for the service each pay period and works with OIC staff to ensure these are cleared.
• Demonstrates regard for privacy and confidentiality in all matters in accordance with all applicable policies and regulations.
• Maintains contacts with fiscal staff, OIC staff, and other individuals within and outside the program office in a concerned, compassionate, respectful and helpful manner.
• Disseminates information to the office personnel concerning policies, plans, procedures, methods and actions of an administrative nature.
• Provide technical advice to staff relative to record management requirements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00 am- 4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: May be available.

Telework: Available (applicant is required on site 50% of work schedule per pay period)

Virtual: This is a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD859590

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

This is a bargaining unit position.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/09/2024.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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.

Selective Placement Factor (SPF) Requirement:This position includes a selective placement factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective placement factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet them are ineligible for further consideration. Do you meet the below selective placement factors for this position?

• Experience as a VHA timekeeper using VATAS or WebTA

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-09 Qualifying Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. In order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet 5 of 7 of the following examples of specialized experience.

• Interpreting and applying Time and Leave policies and regulations to various timekeeping and leave situations
• Ability to interpret and apply sponsorship policies and regulations pertaining to USAccess PIV.
• Interpret regulations as it pertains to records management, data management and reporting requirements
• Plan, implement and coordinate program activities
• Analyze problems, formulate alternatives and present recommendations
• Operate various VHA applications and databases (WebTA, USAccess, PIV, LEAF, etc.)
• Plan and carry out fact-finding and analysis of project issues. OR,

GS-09 Qual
ifying Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts (official or unofficial) with your application. OR,

GS-09 Qualifying Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one year of graduate education and specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Integrity and Honesty
• Teamwork

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 primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.