Training Instructor

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA New England, Togus VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Augusta, ME and is organizationally aligned under Environmental Management Service (EMS).

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Duties

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The Training Instructor has substantive administrative and managerial authority for creating curriculum and conducting comprehensive training and education program for Medical Support Assistants (MSAs) and other administrative personnel assigned to scheduling patients. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Develops, implements, maintains comprehensive training-initial and ongoing-plus competency evaluation programs.
• EMS procedures, infection control, waste, linen care, regulatory/industry trends, leadership, adult learning.
• Coordinates courses, instruction methods, uses creative strategies; adult learning principles, system-wide focus.
• Ensures compliance with EMS quality standards, regulatory and accreditation standards, evidence-based practices.
• Leadership in committees/taskforces, mentors staff, fosters collaboration and stakeholder partnerships.
• Maintains library/curriculum, updates on industry research, adapts for new developments, continuous revision.
• Addresses confidentiality, data security, follows ethical conduct for diverse staff/community.
• Builds partnerships, collaborates with other services, community, and facility stakeholders.
• Conducts research, incorporates best practices, stays current with emerging developments and technologies.
• Proactive evaluation: data analysis, adverse trend investigation, course updates, tracking of competency over time.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday hours vary between 10:00am-6:30pm or 11:00am-7:30pm

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Training Instructor/ PD042050

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Notifications:

• This position is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
• Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.

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, 10/05/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Training Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge of education and administration and of the methods and techniques of instruction, includes: 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. This experience must be described clear and detailed in your resume to receive credit. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR
  Education: Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B., J.D., if related, in a major study - Education or a subject area related to the Training Specialist position. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Training Specialist position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR
  Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combination of successfully graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses in Education or a subject area related to the position and such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Training Specialist position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
  NOTE: One (1) 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 and Work Environment: No special physical demands such as above average ability, dexterity, or strength are required to perform the work. Work is sedentary and the employee may sit comfortably. The position requires frequent travel to all divisions and CBOCS in the VAMEHS by government vehicle to conduct interviews, meetings, and educational activities. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items. Work is usually performed in offices, meeting rooms, or similar settings. The employee is required to work with computer equipment at least 75% of the time, which impacts on hand and wrist motions. Although the employee works in a healthcare facility where exposure to contagious disease exist, the tasks required for this position do not put the employee at a serious risk for this type of exposure. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

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.