Equal Employment Specialist

Summary The Equal Employment Specialist is responsible for program development, administration, evaluation and advisory functions. This position requires knowledge of federal EEO regulations and principles, compliance and enforcement skills, administrative, management, and consulting skills, and knowledge of federal personnel administration. The position is expected to demonstrate leadership, initiative, and resourcefulness in execution of assigned tasks. Responsibilities The Equal Employment Specialist must exercise a high degree of independent judgment in analyzing and recommending solutions to problems that adversely affect EEO and Affirmative Employment. A high degree of judgment must be exercised in establishing priorities and direction for the program for maximum results. The incumbent advises the Director and management on specific actions in support of affirmative action, and strategies for handling discrimination complaints and the skill to apply knowledge to more difficult and complex problems encountered in the program. The Equal Employment Specialist assists the Office of Resolution Management (ORM) and Administrative Judges with investigations and hearings. In collaboration with the ORM Field Office, the incumbent serves as the local liaison for all aspects of the facility's complaint processing program. This includes assistance to ORM 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. The incumbent also provides advice and assistance during the post-investigative stages (e.g. hearings, appeals, and compliance phases) for each formal complaint. This includes 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. The Equal Employment Specialist serves 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 federal financial 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 VJ 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. The Equal Employment Specialist directs and develops 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. These procedures include, but are not limited to, assisted settlement negotiations, conciliation, facilitation, medication, fact-finding, mini-trials, and arbitration, that require an impartial advisor or neutral third party. The Equal Employment Specialist is a trained and certified National Facilitator and conducts EEO Training including the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, for all managers and supervisors. The. incumbent also conducts mandated training within 60 days of all newly hired employees' employment. The Equal Employment Specialist is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, reviewing, monitoring, evaluating, and updating all plans associated with the EEO Program. These include the EEO Program Status Report (PSR), Federal Employment Opportunity Recruitment Plan (FEORP) and the People with Disabilities, Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Plans and Plans to the White House on initiatives to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the student Placement Program and the Special Emphasis Programs (SEP). The Equal Employment Specialist is designated as an approving official for the Government Purchase Card. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:45pm Telework: Ad-hoc. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist/PD004280 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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, 06/29/2026. 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-09. 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 Equal Employment Opportunity programs and policies in the workplace, knowledge of working collaboratively to develop and implement recruitment and retention strategies focused on building a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce and work environment, 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. experience with conflict resolution, team building, executive meeting facilitation, and group dynamics. knowledge qualitative and quantitative techniques of analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of program management practices, experience generating reports that accurately reflect findings and recommendations related to program management activities and status. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 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 beyond a master's degree (TRANSCRIPT 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. 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