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Early Childhood Education Specialist

Department of Defense
Military Treatment Facilities under DHA
Defense Health Agency, Indo-Pacific Market

Summary

About the Position: This position is located in the Directorate of Medicine, Early Intervention Services of the U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa, Japan.

Incumbent serves as an Early Childhood Special Educator providing services in early identification, assessment and educational intervention for children from birth to 3 years of age.

ACCESS TO MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE IN JAPAN IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/02/2026 to 01/16/2026
Salary
$63,795 to - $82,938 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Kadena Air Base Okinawa, Japan
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
HSJG-26-12858286-MP
Control number
853290800

Duties

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  • Develop an appropriate Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for an Infant or toddler and family.
  • Perform detailed evaluations to make recommendations for treatment.
  • Provide cognitive and developmental enrichment activities and special instructions to the child and family.
  • Facilitate trainings for other EDIS providers, medical providers, and staff of Child Development Centers.
  • Participate in Child Find activities and meetings of representatives of all appropriate community support agencies.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • One year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction 1315.19.
  • Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD/DoD-Issuances/140025/.
  • This position is designated Tier 3, Non-Critical Sensitive, Moderate Risk and requires the incumbent to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance Level as a condition of employment.
  • This position requires regular contact with children under the age 18 and a favorable determination of suitability to do so.
  • Required to lift up to 20 lbs. Pre-employment physical required and annually thereafter.
  • This position is subject to a pre-employment Drug Testing, screening, and random testing thereafter, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident.
  • This position is “Mission Essential”. In the event of severe weather conditions or other such emergency type situations the incumbent may be required to report to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
  • This position requires Basic Life Support training certification in accordance with the American Heart Association and American Red Cross. Current Advanced Life Support does not supersede Basic Life Support completion.
  • Employees assigned to a medical treatment facility are screened for immunizations or preexisting immunity. This position is subject to screening and update of required immunizations unless exempted for medical or administrative reasons.
  • This position has a mandatory seasonal influenza vaccination requirement. Applicants tentatively selected for appointment to this position will be required to sign a statement (Condition of Employment) consenting to seasonal influenza vaccinations.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected.

  • Current Civilian Employees of the Defense Health Agency (DHA)
  • Current Permanent Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Employee
  • Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
  • Family Member Preference (FMP) for Overseas Employment
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Military Spouse Preference (MSP) for Overseas Employment
  • Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality (NAFI)
  • Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
  • Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998


In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for: Early Childhood Education Specialist, GS-1701-11

A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) that included or was supplemented by major study in education or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position, such as child development or early childhood education.

OR

B. Combination of Education and Experience: Courses equivalent to a major in education, or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position, such as child development or early childhood education, plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the four-year course of study described in A above.

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

Specialized Experience
: One year of specialized experience which includes collecting information to assist in developing an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for infants, toddlers, and their families; performing evaluations to determine services required to meet the needs of the eligible infant or toddler; and providing education or resources to families of children with developmental delays or disabilities. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

OR

Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: child development or early childhood education.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications.

Additional information

  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
  • Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
  • If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
  • If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation 1342.13, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI 1342.12 and DoDM 1342.12.
  • Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
  • Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
  • Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI 1400.25 volume 1250.
  • For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
  • The initial length of this overseas tour is 24 months.
  • Recruitment or relocation incentives MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.

If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

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