Government Information Specialist

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Privacy Act Automation Privacy Officer (PAAPO) within the Information Access and Privacy Directorate, supporting the Privacy Act Automation Services contract and administering the Privacy Act Automation Program. The role focuses on ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, FOIA, OMB guidance, and VA/DOJ privacy regulations while collaborating with the Director of IAP and contributing to key policy and program functions across the Directorate.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Specific duties include:

• Assist with planning, interfacing, coordinating, and supporting necessary planning efforts, responding to requirements requests from internal and external OMS IAP directorate customers and stakeholders.
• Serve as a Privacy Act Automation Privacy Officer and help to coordinate Privacy Act Automation activities VBA stakeholders to establish and maintain an automation platform that processes Veterans' incoming Privacy Act requests.
• The incumbent will assist with all ongoing activities related to the development, implementation, maintenance, and adherence to the VBA Central Office policies and procedures covering FOIA and Privacy access of Veterans and their families, employees, contractors, and administrative information to ensure compliance with federal statutes and VA privacy practices and regulations.
• The incumbent shall utilize and maintain comprehensive knowledge of the FOIA, Privacy Act, Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, FISMA, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and other areas of administrative information.
• Support the organization in responding to members of Congress, the public, the media, other agencies, and employees and officials of the Department who are seeking information about interpretation, policy process and procedure and/or technical assistance concerning access and privacy laws administered by the VBA.
• Provides world-class customer service and ensures all customer issues and requests are properly addressed and forwarded to the appropriate contact for resolution. Cognizant in providing quality customer service through effective verbal and non-verbal communications and ensuring issues that arise are properly notified and completed.

Work Schedule : Full time, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.

Telework : Not Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD# : Government Information Specialist; GS-0306-13 PD# 41487-A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.

Requirements

Help

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:07/27/2026.

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: defined as experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include:
  
  
  • Applying relevant privacy laws (Privacy Act, e-Government Act, FISMA) and guidance to help ensure an agency's privacy program meets or exceeds standards for federal agencies.
  • Providing general and role-based privacy orientation, education, and training to employees and contractors, as well as responding to specific questions
  • Experience reviewing and analyzing the content of responsive laws based on the FOIA, Privacy Act, Open Government Act of 2007, and organizational policies and procedures.
  • Conducting research and applying data-gathering techniques to accurately interpret the release of information material under the Privacy Act of 1974 provisions.
  • Experience processing requests from inception to completion, coordinating resources, establishing timelines and deliverables, preparing reports, and conducting quality assurance reviews of Privacy Act request responses.

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: The work is primarily sedentary but includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying items such as files, supplies, and books.

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

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

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.

Help

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.