Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible.

Serves as the Assistant Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer (AVREO), in a Regional Office setting, providing administrative and technical direction and professional leadership to a professional and technical staff of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors and clerical staff in the Regional Office and its out-based locations. The AVREO ensures that performance goals in the areas of speed, accuracy, cost, customer satisfaction, and employee development. Must be responsive to the dynamic nature of the Veteran and beneficiary populations and their needs within the jurisdictional area. Recommends acquisition of resources to improve delivery of services to meet established program goals. In the absence of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer (VREO), will function as the Acting Officer exercising all appropriate duties and responsibilities.
Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supervises Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) staff at out-based locations and within the Regional Office. The AVREO is responsible for the administration and workflow of the VR&E Division program.
• Facilitates operations with major public and private universities, community colleges, and vocational/technical institutes in the state to resolve training issues.
• Serves as a technical representative in developing, awarding, implementing and evaluating contracts to provide professional counseling, evaluation, case management, employment, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) services.
• Gathers and interprets a wide range of data addressing service concerns and is able to recommend appropriate action based on that data.
• Works closely with division teams in planning, designing, and carrying out programs, projects, studies, or other work to support the mission.
• Evaluates the work performance of subordinates, make recommendations to fill division positions, receive employee complaints, approve employee travel, recommend awards and determine alternative courses of action to reduce work backlogs and barriers to production.
• Develops multi-year plans for scheduling in-service and contract work. The incumbent provides supervision of contract quality reviews and ensures that all contracting activity in the out-based offices or under the division control is consistent with regulatory requirements.
• Possess extensive knowledge about Department of Veterans Affairs laws, regulations, policies, and procedures and their proper utilization and application and must be aware of the full scope of benefits and services available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies or sources.
• Serves as the professional and technical expert to advise higher management in areas of education, training, psychology, testing, evaluation, counseling, rehabilitation, job development, and job placement in this capacity is responsible for implementing the counseling, training, and related rehabilitation services under Chapter 31 and other VA rehabilitation, educational, and training programs as well.
• Assists the VR&E Officer by providing professional and technical expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities, including counseling, case management, rehabilitation plan development, and job development and placement.

Promotion Potential: This position is being announced at the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday (40 hours a week) 8:00am to 4:30pm schedule; Hours may vary to effectively carry out the mission.
Compressed/Flexible: As determined by Station Policy
Telework: As determined by Station Policy
Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehab Counselor (Assistant Vocational Rehab & Employment Officer - AVREO); PD# 002760
Relocation/PCS: Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required - Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.

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
• You may be required to serve a supervisory/managerial probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicant will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Relocation Expenses with Buyer Value Option (BVO) Program ARE authorized
• Financial Disclosure: Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, under 5 CFR 2634.904(a) prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:
12/27/2023.

1. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.

• If you are a current VBA employee seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-13 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-13.
• 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.

2. Individual Occupational Requirement - EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements:

a. Education. Successful completion of a master's degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university.

b. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows:

(1) Supervised Internship: The education in paragraph (3a) must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.
OR
(2) Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.

3. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the time-in-grade and education requirements, you must also meet the following specialized experience requirements. NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. If one year of work experience is substituted for an internship, that year cannot also be used for qualifying. Creditable experience must have been obtained post-graduate and be directly related to the duties to be performed to qualify to work as a professional VRC. Qualifying experience must also be equivalent to professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience at the next lower level (GS-12).

Specialized Experience: documented experience that has provided comprehensive knowledge of Vocational Rehabilitation programs. Specifically, proficiency in VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs 1) competence with employment and vocational rehabilitation programs; 2) technical knowledge and expertise in the procedures for vocational and rehabilitation law; 3) comprehension to administer and counsel in the areas of counseling, rehabilitation, psychology, career development, and job placement entitlements; 4) documented experience to control budgetary resources for approving and monitoring financial expenditures.

• Candidates must also have demonstrated in their work experience or training that they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities to successfully supervise subordinates/teams and to share responsibility for directing and supervising the administrative work necessary to manage a successful program operation.

SUPERVISORY/MANAGERIAL ABILITIES: Candidates must also demonstrate experience or training they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities of successful supervision as follows:

1) Assign to and review work of subordinates, train and work effectively with subordinates from a variety of backgrounds and with different levels/areas of training;
2) Accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set limits of cost and time;
3) Plan own work and carry out assignments effectively;
4) Communicate with others effectively both orally and in writing in working out solutions to problems or questions relating to the work;
5) Understand and further management goals as these affect day-to-day work operations; and
6) Develop improvements in, or design new work methods and procedures.

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: This work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, stooping and carrying of lightweight items (i.e. folders, claims files).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

1. Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

2. Administration and Management - Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.

3. Analysis and Problem Solving - Applies the process of discovery that involves the diagnosis of a problem or issue, identification and gathering of relevant information, formulation and evaluation of alternative solutions or courses of action, and selection or recommendation of the preferred solution
or course of action.

4. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

5. Management and Organizational Information - Identifies a need; gathers, organizes, and maintains information; determines its importance and accuracy, and communicates it by a variety of methods.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview.