Chief Education Liaison Officer

Summary

The Chief Education Liaison Officer (CELO) serves as a manager in the Approvals, Compliance, and Liaison (AC&L) staff of the Oversight & Accountability Division and serves in an assigned jurisdiction across the United States and is responsible for providing first and second-level supervision and leadership of teams comprised of grades ranging from GS-09 to GS-12 within an assigned portfolio in support of Education Service's mission.

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Duties

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The Chief Education Liaison Officer (CELO) is in the Oversight & Accountability Division. The incumbent works with State Approving Agencies and other outside activities and agencies, with educational institutions, and with training establishments in all matters involving administration of the education programs administered by the VA. The incumbent is responsible for effectuating all approval, compliance and liaison activities associated with VA education programs.

Other duties include:

• Investigate fraud referral and review State Approving Agencies approval of school and employer programs.
• Works cooperatively with the State Approving Agency officials in resolving complex problems relating to program approval, supervisory inspection, and withdrawal of approval for title 38 U.S.C. purposes.
• Assign work reviews completed work, prepares performance appraisals and evaluations, interviews prospective employees and selects candidates for positions, prepares recommendations for awards, initiates disciplinary actions when warranted, approves leave and prepares positions descriptions.
• Responsible for preparation of selection of listing of schools to be surveyed and assigned Education Compliance Survey Specialist (ECSS) to conduct regular and special compliance surveys
• Prepares policy statements and informational correspondence for educational institutions and training establishments.
• Responsible for the review and acceptance of all approvals, original and revised, for all institutions and training establishments with the state.
• Advise management on all laws and regulations pertaining to the educational program under Chapters 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 Title 28, U.S.C and Title VI.

Work Schedule: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Compressed/Flexible: Available

Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Chief Education Liaison Officer / GS-13 (PD# 38909A)

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Must have a Valid Drivers License: Yes

Bargaining Unit: This is NOT a bargaining unit position.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required. Frequent requirement to carry laptop and documents, weighing up to 20 pounds, within office space or to a separate geographical location. There may be some walking, bending, and/or operation of an automobile. Work is performed primarily in adequately lit and climate-controlled office areas, conference rooms, and similar environments.

Promotion Potential: No. Full promotional potential set at the GS-13.

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 Federal service.

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

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Applicants must submit complete application packet before job closes. Required and accepted documents include resume and any other eligibility supporting documentation, (i.e. education, military service, and prior federal service SF-50's).
• 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.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• You may be required to serve a one year Supervisory Probationary Period.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 05/29/2026

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT : As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• 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. 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.

Specialized Experience:

To qualify at the GS-13 Grade Level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher. Specialized experience must document knowledge of GI Bill programs and State Approval Agency portfolios and the execution of supervision under this program. Conducting intrinsic oversight and evaluation of these programs to mitigate programmatic and operational impacts and interpret and analyze data to develop reports expressing program evaluation and providing recommendations to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the program to achieve the mission of safeguarding the integrity of the GI Bill.

Education Substitution : Applicants may not substitute education for the experience at the GS-13 level.

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: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, stooping and carrying of lightweight items (i.e. folders, claims files). This position requires mental rather than physical exertion.

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

Education

There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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 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.

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.

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),

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

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.

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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