Employment Specialist

Summary

The incumbent will serve as a triage team member to help disabled Veterans make an informed choice regarding the appropriate employment track that best meets their needs with the understanding that Veterans can move between tracks. The employment coordinator will also coordinate and/or perform the evaluation/assessment of rapid access to employment - employment needs (Pre-employment Job Readiness Evaluation).

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Duties

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Specific duties include but are not limited to:

- Markets to employers based on vocational goals of the job-ready disabled Veterans;

- Markets and provides special employer incentives such as on-the-job training, non-paid work experience, special employer incentives, and available tax information;

- Coordinates employment readiness classes for Veterans ready to go to work but lacking important traits in employment readiness;

- Maintains and promotes a positive image of the VR&E program through active networking and ongoing contacts with employers;

- Offers direction to employers regarding reasonable accommodation and rehabilitation technology accommodations;

- Disseminates labor market information to assist counselors and Veterans with "informed choice." Provides Employment Services Performance Data for local office;

- Maintains and continually updates a database of job-ready disabled Veterans (incorporate Corporate WINRS tracking system);

- Assists Veterans with job networking, development, and placement;

- Develops partnerships with employers and other agencies to assist Veterans with employment services (e.g. - the Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, local and state agencies, and private sector businesses and employment services);

- Assists counselors with employment follow-up according to regulatory requirements;

- Coordinates efforts to develop job clubs, job labs, or job readiness resource rooms for use by Veterans in job readiness preparation and self-directed job search;

- Maintains records of employment activities through case notes in Corporate WINRS;

- Markets to and becomes initial "point of contact" for employers who need assistance with return-to-work cases of disabled Veterans whose job is affected by disability.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The grade progression for this position is GS-09, GS-11, GS-12.

Work Schedule : Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am -4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework : This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD# : Employment Specialist; 31623-A, 11623A, 01623A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Bargaining Unit: Yes

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may 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 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.

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period
• 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 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/04/2026.

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.

• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.
• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 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. Awards, General Pay Adjustments, etc. do not provide sufficient information and cannot be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. Please submit a Step Increase or Promotion SF-50 or some other SF-50 that is dated more than one year ago.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-09 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience involving job networking, development and/or placement and employment assistance to various groups of individuals. The experience may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Recruiting for/placing candidates for a hiring firm or large corporation; Employment assistance duties for a non-profit or community organizations; Human Resources experience in staffing, employee relations or reemployment assistance.

OR

• Education Substitution : Masters or equivalent degree OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION)

OR

• Combination: A combination of specialized experience and education as described above.

GS-11 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience working with individuals with disabilities and providing individuals with work experiences, internships, or volunteer experiences related to overall employment goal. The experience may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Employment assistance duties for state or federal vocational rehabilitation offices; Account management/liaison for staffing or employment firms in the public or private sector; Federal Human Resources experience in staffing, employee relations or reemployment assistance.

OR

• Education Substitution : One year of post-master's degree professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience or successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or have a PH.D or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION)

OR

• Combination: A combination of specialized experience and education as described above.

GS-12 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience which was at the (GS-11) level and must have been held in the Federal Government. Specialized experience is defined as experience involving coordination of federal, private and public hiring authorities, working with Veterans with disabilities to access Veteran's employment goals and aligning them to the employment track that best meets their needs. Direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities is required. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Human Resources experience in the Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Service Organization that involves staffing and/or employment law; Employment coordination duties for private, public or government entities that involve coordinating targeted outreach at various career fairs, jobs clubs, and/or job labs.
• Education Substitution : There is no education substitution for this grade level.

Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information.

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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

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 the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (

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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