Equal Employment Specialist

Summary

Executive Director (ED), Amarillo VA HCS, retains responsibility for administering overall VHA Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs. Incumbent serves as principal advisor in EEO & Affirmative Employment; Alternative Dispute Resolution & DEI management for the ED service line executives, supervisors & employees. Responsible for program development, administration, etc. Requires knowledge of Federal EEO regulations/principles, compliance, etc.

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Duties

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Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting the Office of Resolution Management Diversity and Inclusion (ORMDI) and Administrative Judges with investigations and hearings.
• In collaboration with the ORMDI Field Office, serving as the local liaison for all aspects of the facility's complaint processing program. Including assistance to ORMDI field office personnel (EEO Counselors, Investigators, and Intake Specialists) during both the counseling and investigative stages. Such involvement includes providing documentation as requested; locating and identifying employees involved in the complaint process; discussing resolution efforts; negotiating settlements; and drafting the same on behalf of management.
• Providing advice and assistance during the post-investigative stages (e.g., hearings, appeals, and compliance phases) for each formal complaint. Including working with EEOC Administrative Judges, Regional Counsel staff, Office of General Counsel, Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, as well as local supervisors and managers.
• Serving as technical expert for processing the following federally conducted external complaints, which are not processed by ORM including: Title IX complaints, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities that receive federalfinancial assistance. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of handicap in federally conducted programs or activities and recipients receiving federal financial assistance. Title VI Complaints of Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Age Discrimination Act of 1975, prohibiting age discrimination to any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs directly or through another recipient.
• Directing and developing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program, which is any procedure or combination of procedures voluntarily used to resolve issues in controversy without the need to resort to litigation. Including, but not limited to, assisted settlementnegotiations, conciliation, facilitation, medication, fact-finding, minitrials, and arbitration, that require an impartial advisor or neutral third party.
• Attempting through reviews and discussions with both parties, to assist in negotiating a settlement.
• Assisting parties to: structure the negotiation; clarify the core issues in dispute; avoid personality conflicts that disrupt the negotiation; identify the strengths and weaknesses of each person's position and examine alternative approaches which facilitate a compromisedagreement.
• Trained and certified National Facilitator and conducting EEO training including the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, for all managers and supervisors.
• Conducting mandated training within 60 days of all newly hired employees' employment.
• Conducting studies and analyses on the utilization of minorities and women in the workplace, identifying obstacles and outlining alternative solutions to identified problems.
• Researching, compiling and analyzing statistical data in order to evaluate progress of the EEO Program
• Identifying organizational or occupational areas that need improvement and developing alternatives to resolve problems
• Conducting analyses of the workforce by race, sex, grade, occupational series and policies and practices affecting employment.
• Identifying program goals that may conflict with existing policies or practices, actions, reassignments, job training, sexual harassment, and reprisal, based on factors of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, and handicap.
• Responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, reviewing, monitoring, evaluating and updating all plans associated with the EEO Program.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Fulltime, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist/ PD004980

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/11/2026.

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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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.

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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of principles, concepts, laws and regulations of human resources management (HRM), with a high level of consultative skill that is sufficient to serve as an expert and key advisor to top agency management officials on the integration of diversity and inclusion in the workplace; knowledge of program development and delivery methodologies and techniques to manage, identify, evaluate, recommend, and implement program strategies; knowledge to apply management tools and techniques (flow charts, decision trees, demographic analysis, forecasting techniques, needs assessment, feasibility studies, etc.) to conduct analytical studies - the results of which may have an impact on service provision, education, or long-range planning activities throughout the organization; skills in conflict resolution, team building, executive meeting facilitation, and group dynamics; ability to write reports that accurately reflect findings and recommendations related to program management activities and status; ability to recognize the necessity of working within a timeframe to meet program deadlines and the ability to motivate others to work on this basis; skill in oral and written communication skills with experience in multiple communication modes, including social media, with the ability to articulate the importance of equity, inclusion, and diversity to the mission of the facility and VHA and ability to speak publicly. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as stated above. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

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.

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

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: 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:

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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. 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.

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.

Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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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