Training Specialist

Summary

This Training Specialist position is in the Education Services at the Carl T. Hayden VAMC, Phoenix, AZ. The Training Specialist provides advice and assistance to management concerning determination of training needs, sources of needed training, plans to meet needs, design and presentation of training and evaluation of results. Develops local functionality, implementation and management of the Learning Management System Domain (LMS) program.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Reviews and incorporates training mandates and guidelines from VHA (local, VISN and National), Joint Commission, OSHA and other accrediting body's mandates into education programs to meet the intent of the standards ensuring staff are provided adequate and appropriate training based on requirements and position.
• Interprets higher level policies, goals, regulations and statutes.
• Analyzes data, conducts studies, makes recommendations.
• Applies new methods to resolve complex or controversial issues/ problems.
• Participates in all phases of planning, implementing and administering a training program which is responsive to immediate and long-range needs and goals of the organization.
• Analyzes overall training program and validates local programming, training needs and budgeting.
• Coordinates a variety of contracted off-site training courses, on-site training courses, Learning Management (LMS) offering§ and staff -conducted training to meet program needs.
• Identifies training courses, disseminates course information to individuals, answers inquiries concerning the nature and purpose of available courses, explains eligibility requirements and procedures or application, maintains liaison with VACO and maintains documentation prescribed by higher and local authorities.
• Prepares, reviews, and/or monitors the organizations training budget, ensuring accurate and timely submission of budget plans and required financial reports.
• Reviews and monitors expenditures and obligations within the training budget.
• Prepares records and reports related to fiscal training resources, reviewing materials to ensure timely and appropriate payment.
• Monitors and reviews obligations and expenditures and prepares statistical information to support the management's overall training budget. Develops statistical data pertinent to the training program.
• Performs as resource person and technical authority for the facility's training coordinators.
• Monitors and tracks mentor trainee documentation of practical experience hours and certification status. Reports progress and status in meeting the Director's Performance measures to facility Director's Office.
• Provides guidance and assistance to supervisors and employees with information on the organization's policies, procedures, and guidelines where they are directly applicable to the situation in planning job-related career development programs and a variety of special training programs.
• Provides direction for the training and development aspects of medical center employment programs.
• Proposes new policies and practices or establishes methods to modify, adapt, and/or refine guidelines to resolve specific issues/problems.
• Advises supervisors and employees of available training courses.
• Advises supervisors and employees concerning regulations and procedures for training in government and non-government facilities.
• Answers questions of employees, supervisors and management based upon knowledge of regulations and policies and of similar situations and experiences.
• Coordinates and conducts surveys of training needs on an annual basis.
• Provides detailed guidance concerning survey procedures, training sources, available training courses, and course prerequisites for completing survey responses.
• Consolidates survey results in the training plan.
• Designs reports as required for individual, Care/Service Lines, and Medical Center Management; links education curriculum with Medical Center mission and strategic directives; ensures education requirements at facility are included in TMS system set up and management; and creates assignments of appropriate training to local users through the use of assignment profiles.
• Trains or ensures local TMS administrators, instructors, employees, staff, and supervisors are trained on TMS user interface and assists users with logging onto TMS to complete national mandatory training.
• Assists Service Lines with crea1ni g presentations for training, as well as in-service training, continuing education and other classes to be delivered on the intranet.
• Reviews. analyses, and evaluates training courses and programs to assess their quality and effectiveness.
• Maintains training course attendance records and ensures completion of training is properly recorded.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30AM -4:00PM

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Training Specialist / PD04464A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

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
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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.

30 Day Hiring Model

The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a streamlined 30-Day Hiring Model designed to accelerate hiring while maintaining the highest standards of merit-based selection. This improved process reduces traditional hiring timelines by integrating early coordination, faster assessments, and efficient pre-employment actions. Applicants can expect a more transparent, predictable, and efficient hiring journey from announcement to entry on duty.

What Applicants Can Expect:

• Expedited Candidate Review Once the announcement closes, Human Resources will quickly review applications, issue certificates of eligible candidates the day after the announcement closes and refer applicants for hiring manager consideration.
• Quick Interviews & References

Qualifications

30 Day Hiring Model Cont...

HR may arrange interviews and will request references within 3-5 days after being referred to the hiring manager.

• Streamlined Pre-Employment Requirements: Following a tentative offer, applicants should be prepared to complete required steps, such as fingerprinting and background check, credentialing, and medical examination within 3 days of the offer.
• Clear and Timely Communication: Applicants will receive clear communication at key milestones, including referral, tentative offer, and onboarding instructions.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2026.

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-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 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:

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met:

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study education or a subject area related to the position to be filled.

or

Experience

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided evidence of the ability to instruct students in the use of equipment, principles, or practices of the subject or occupation. This experience may have been gained as a teacher or instructor; in on-the-job supervision or instruction of subordinates or fellow workers; or in work involving application of the principles, practices, and techniques of the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge of the subject area of the position and of the methods and techniques of instruction. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation, or industrial establishment in the appropriate field(s).
• Supervising or administering a training program.
• Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc., and evaluation of training results.
• Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade SG-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: Comprehensive knowledge of computers, including common, off-the-shelf software, at a level to develop and maintain data base systems and of hospital specific computer systems and other web-based applications. Knowledge and application of skills in the principles, techniques and practices of adult learning. Ability to design curriculums utilizing sequencing learning and knowledge of instructional strategies. Knowledge of instructional systems design to develop and publish web-based learning materials or on-line tutorials. Assignments require comprehensive knowledge of distance learning methods and web-based academics. Knowledge of the human resource programs governing Personal Improvement Plans and Personal Development Plans to be able to guide and make recommendations to supervisors. Ability to design, evaluate, and develop employee development programs, training plans, course methods, materials and aids. Provides technical assistance on techniques and methodology, assessing project performance, and negotiating major changes in project plans. Develop, evaluate, and plan programs utilizing current resources when possible to meet the training needs of Medical Center employees. Knowledge of software packages used in the Medical Center such as Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, etc. Ability to independently plan, organize and prioritize work assignments within timeframes established by management. Ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers, maintain confidentiality of patient/employee information, the medical center performance improvement program, and how to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., related directly related to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted to receive education credit .

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 1 full year of graduate level education. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted to receive education credit .

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. Physical

Requirements: The work required is generally sedentary in nature but includes standing, bending and carrying light or medium loads of papers, office files, supplies and equipment. Standing, moving and walking are also required when teaching or illustrating a procedure or process. In order to ensure that training is available to all employees, the incumbent is required to be available for weekend, evening and night shift duty. Fieldwork may involve traveling to meetings and sources of information.

Preferred Experience: Training Delivery; Instructional Design Principles; Program and Process Improvement; Data Analysis; Proven experience in curriculum development, organization, and instruction; Professional presentation and facilitation skills; Customer engagement and service expertise; Demonstrated mentoring and coaching abilities; Extensive working knowledge of the VA System (TMS, VistA, and related platforms).

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:

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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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.