Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Duties

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This position is located at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery (JBNC), St. Louis, MO. Jefferson Barracks NC encompasses 355.1 Acres (347.9 developed and 7.2 undeveloped). Current interment rate for JBNC is 4,930 per year, the fifth busiest cemetery among 135 VA national cemeteries throughout the United States. The primary mission of the cemetery is to meet the needs of Veterans and their eligible family members by providing dignified burials and maintaining the cemetery as a national shrine.

The incumbent of this position performs a wide variety of administrative duties in support of cemetery operations. The specific focus is on working together with the Administrative Officer and/or Cemetery Administrator in planning and administering the cemetery operations. The incumbent serves as a back-up to the Program Specialists at the satellite cemeteries, to include Contracting Officer Representative (COR), Cemetery Administration Specialist and Cemetery Caretaker duties.

Incumbent will process all disinterment requests and Other Than First Interment Area Requests and perform headstone/case reviews. Incumbent will serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR), Purchase Card Holder, Timekeeper, Outreach Coordinator, and provide back-up duties for the Program Analysts. Incumbent will serve as in-house training coordinator, presenter and trainer for outreach events requiring presentations/briefings and provide assistance to employees when the supervisor is not present. Incumbent will be responsible for all planning and coordination for ceremonies, to include Memorial Day and Wreaths Across America, as well as other events that require planning and coordination. This position is under a flexible concept wherein the incumbent will perform both field and administrative functions at the cemetery.

Incumbent will also work closely with the Program Analyst and be prepared to assist, as needed, with the GBSAT-MADSS reconciliation, vault-liner reconciliation, and various required reports. Will assist with social media posts, as needed, and serve as alternate Minority Veteran Program Coordinator (MVPC).

The incumbent will receive general supervision from the Administrative Officer at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, who issues assignments orally and/or in writing. Incumbent will work independently, establishing work priorities between Administrative and Cemetery Caretaker duties with minimal technical guidance from the supervisor. Seeks advice and assistance from supervisor for significant issues pertaining to inurnments, casket burials, and contract work. Work is reviewed for overall results and compliance with National Cemetery regulations, policies, procedures, and contract guidelines. Provides information on activities and projects of cemetery-to-cemetery support groups, Veterans Service Organizations, VA partners, Congressional liaisons, and other stakeholders.

Performs public outreach as needed.

Work schedule : Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work.

Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available

Telework: Not Available

Position Description Title/PD# : Program Specialist/PD1584605

The full performance level is GS-09.

Relocation Expenses : Not Authorized

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

If interested in applying for this position you ay preview the online application:

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 10/07/2026.

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 within 45 days of 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 your most recent non-award 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade.

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.

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

• 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in Share-point familiarity, working knowledge of MPS operations which include eligibility and applications; experience in BOSS/ AMAS, Birls, VBMS, MPI, VIS, and Microsoft office applications; and quality customer service and data entry.

OR,

• Education : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for the GS-09 grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 18 semester hours. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first year or 18 semester hours of graduate level education).

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

• Budget Administration
• Communications
• Computer Skills
• Planning and Evaluating
• Problem Solving

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.

Must possess and maintain a REAL ID compliant valid state driver's license.

Physical Requirements: The work is mentally exertive and mostly sedentary. The incumbent will spend a vast majority of the day on a computer, using a keyboard, and holding a telephone.

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Education

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

PLEASE NOTE : Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Additional information

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 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 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. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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

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.

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.

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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