INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS SPECIALIST

Summary

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The primary purpose of this position is to support program evaluation and institutional effectiveness programs 81 for Squadron Officer School; to provide meaningful data for in-residence Professional Military Education, and to meet Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, and Air University requirements for institutional effectiveness efforts.

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Duties

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• Authoritative consultant in the area of assessment design, development, and methodology for Squadron Officer School.
• Researches, analyzes, develops, and prepares documents and reports regarding educational effectiveness and recommendations for systematic changes to curricula and methodology.
• Develops and administers surveys to obtain feedback from students, graduates, their supervisors, and faculty.
• Represents school and evaluations/assessment section with a variety of installation and functional area organizations and accomplishes special projects.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must complete initial online questionnaire and additional assessment(s)
• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see
• If authorized, PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at:
• This position is subject to provisions of the DoD Priority Placement Program
• Disclosure of Political Appointments
• All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.
• Work may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft/vehicle to conferences, meetings, or functions away from the duty office/location.
• Degree required. Must include or supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position filled. Course work must include study in at least 4 of the 5 following areas: Learning theory, (cont'd below)
• (cont'd from above) psychology of learning, educational psychology; Instructional design practices; Educational evaluation; Instructional product development; Computers in education and training.
• May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours and/or shift work may be required which may include overtime and/or irregular hours.
• Position is Centrally Managed and PCS is Authorized

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions, to include the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for the GS-1750, Instructional Systems Series.

BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Applicants must have a degree that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least four of the following five areas:

1. Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material.
2. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness.
3. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments.
4. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training.
5. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software. Note: you MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s).

AND

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-11, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes1) knowledge of an extensive body of rules, concepts, theories, techniques, procedures, terminology, and operations of educational program assessment necessary to perform a wide variety of assignments involving program assessment tools, metrics and reports; 2) knowledge of survey development techniques, statistical concepts, trend analysis and various educational evaluation methodologies; 3) knowledge of the organization's operations and functions sufficient to evaluate information gathered from various sources and use basic analytical methods and techniques to determine adequacy of, or deficiencies in, the educational assessment function; 4) knowledge of the educational mission and objectives of Squadron Officer School necessary to perform assignments and resolve a wide range of issues using accepted practices; 5) skill in applying this knowledge to difficult and complex work assignments which frequently involve matters that are controversial, unconventional, or novel; 6) knowledge of performance management measurement, metrics and techniques; 7) ability to use a variety of computer programs and software to enter, maintain, sort, format, retrieve information, and produce a variety of standardized documents and electronic presentations; 8) ability to design and maintain interactive websites used for distribution and collection of metrics and program evaluation data.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-11 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Knowledge of higher education principles, practices, and procedures is required. Knowledge of rules, concepts, theories, techniques, procedures, terminology and operations of educational program assessment, institutional effectiveness and continuous process improvement.

2. Ability to survey development and analysis requiring background knowledge of educational evaluation principles and development of metrics.

3. This position demands strong statistical and analytical skills, demonstrated knowledge of trend analysis, and experience working with institutional research data and statistical analysis and programming software. Ability to employ statistical concepts in the analysis of survey results, noting trends and gaps in data.

4. Skill in applying basic analytical methods and techniques to resolve conflicts and determine adequacy of, or deficiencies in, educational programs.

5. Ability to exhibit effective management and organizational skills, to work independently, and manage several projects simultaneously to meet deadlines.

6. Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to work with diverse constituencies (i.e. faculty, staff, administrators, and students) to present data in a cogent and meaningful manner. Ability to work productively with professional and clerical staff within the office is required, as well as the ability to forge productive professional relationships with external constituents.

7. Ability to work effectively and constructively with various groups in accomplishing assigned projects in both lead and follower capacity.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcriptswith the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

********************ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICES MEMBERS********************

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date. Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave. At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD-Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Active duty members applying for a civil service position without submitting a valid certification memo or DD-Form 214 with their application will render the member ineligible for the position. The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following:

• Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member
• Branch of Armed Forces
• Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s)
• Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty
• Terminal leave start date (if applicable)
• Expected character of service (honorable or general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement)
• Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge
• Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander.

Note: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If appointed, a DD Form-214 must be submitted upon receipt

Additional information

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible click here. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated well qualified or above for this position. You must submit a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location.

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.

Temporary and Term Appointments: If you are selected for a temporary or term position in the competitive service, your appointment may be extended to the maximum period allowed by law without further competition. NOTE: Current federal civilian employees may apply for temporary and term positions and if selected, a break in service may be required prior to appointment to the position.

120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.

Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: MSP applicants, if determined best qualified, must be selected and placed at the highest grade for which they applied. You must include a completed copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for MSP. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the DD Form 3145-4, Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist.

Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicant Eligible: PPP Applicants, if determined well qualified and selected, will be placed at the at the full performance level. You must include the applicable completed copy of the PPP Self-Certification Checklist dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility as a PPP Applicant. Click here to obtain/download a copy of the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD3145-1 through DD3145-4, select the appropriate checklist for your claimed preference). To determine the applicable PPP Self-Certification Checklist required to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming, refer to the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide located in the Required Documents section of this vacancy announcement.

Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here .

If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.

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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