Employment Specialist

Summary

This position is located within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service, in Washington, DC. The location of this position may be filled in various locations. Serves as a primary liaison for field Employment Coordinator(s) (ECs) and a secondary liaison for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor(s) (VRC) in the development of data utilized to assist VR&E staff and business partners.

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Duties

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Specific duties include:

• Serve as a national liaison to VA leadership, Veteran organizations, military groups, and employers to promote employment programs and Veteran hiring initiatives.

• Provide employment data analytics and develop SOPs to support field Employment Coordinators nationwide.

• Build, expand, and maintain employer partnerships that support NPWE, SEI, OJT, Apprenticeships, and direct-hire opportunities for Veterans.

• Conduct marketing and outreach to businesses, identifying hiring trends, staffing needs, and opportunities that align with VR&E employment programs.

• Deliver presentations and informational materials on VR&E programs, reasonable accommodations, recruitment strategies, and employment initiatives.

• Serve as a consultant to ECs and VRCs by disseminating labor-market data, forecasting trends, advising on training needs, and supporting informed choice for Veterans.

• Prepare and distribute employment performance data reports, support database tools, and contribute to strategic workforce planning based on labor-market projections.

• Support job readiness by conducting labor-market research, collaborating with federal/state partners, and leveraging online platforms to identify placement opportunities.

• Develop and deliver employment-related training and webinars for business partners, VR&E staff, and Veterans, including resume writing, interviewing, and job search strategies.

• Lead long-range strategic planning and training development to ensure VR&E employment programs and staff remain aligned with future labor-market demands and national workforce trends.

Promotion Potential: This position does not have promotion potential.

Work Schedule : Full time, Monday through Friday

Compressed/Flexible: Not available.

Telework : Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD# : Employment Specialist; 38149A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not available.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• 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

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/26/2026.

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.

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS-13 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must demonstrate experience such as:
• Experience serving as a liaison to internal staff and external business partners, providing labor-market analytics, disseminating employment data, and offering consultative guidance to support Veteran employment services.
• Experience conducting outreach and marketing to employers, developing partnerships, and promoting employment programs such as NPWE, SEI, OJT/Apprenticeships, and Veteran recruitment initiatives.
• Experience analyzing national, regional, and local labor-market trends and employment statistics, preparing data reports, and advising leadership on workforce projections and strategic planning needs.
• Experience coordinating, developing, and delivering training to VR&E staff, employers, and business partners on employment services, reasonable accommodations, labor-market requirements, and job-readiness topics.
• Experience supporting job-readiness and placement activities by conducting market research, collaborating with federal and state partners, and identifying employment opportunities aligned with labor-market forecasts and participant training goals.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements: Position is sedentary.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no education substitution for this position.

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.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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

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.

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.

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review the

Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.

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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.