Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees of the National Cemetery Administration.

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This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Office of Management, Human Capital Management Directorate, Training & Safety Division. The National Cemetery Administration honors Veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines and lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation. The NCA vision is to be the model of excellence for burials and memorials for our Nation's Veterans and their families. The program focuses on leadership and cemetery management and operations. Over the course of the program, the trainee will complete a curriculum focused on 1630 competencies and will become a GS-1630 upon successful completion of the program. The trainee will spend time in the classroom and many hours receiving "hands on training" at a National Cemetery, completing interments, grounds maintenance, and ceremonies and learning how to maintain our national shrines.

The incumbent will also be required to travel to the National Training Center in St. Louis, MO for three 5-week instructional sessions. Additional travel may be required.
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• YOU MUST SIGN A MOBILITY AGREEMENT INDICATING THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE NECESSITY FOR AND AGREE TO ACCEPT ASSIGNMENTS AT VARIOUS INSTALLATIONS DURING EMPLOYMENT.

Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work.

Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position.

These positions will be located at the National Cemeteries. The final location offered for this position will be determined upon selection. To the extent possible, due consideration will be given to the preferred locations indicated by the applicant in the occupational questionnaire and every effort will be made to accommodate the preferred location(s) selected. However, there is no guarantee or obligation on the part of the employer that the final location can or will be offered to a potential selectee at one of the preferred sites selected and you may be considered for all locations where there is a need.

Position Description Title/PD#: Cemetery Director Trainee (Cemetery Director Development Program)/PD1726331
The full performance level of this position is GS - 11. At the level GS-09, you will perform similar duties but under closer supervision.
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.

Relocation Expenses: May be Authorized
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with a transfer between duty stations or facilities. For more information go to http://vaww.fscdirect.fsc.va.gov/pcs.aspRelo.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

If interested in applying for this position you may preview the online application:

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12864513

This announcement will remain open until the closing date, Friday, January 16, 2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 100 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up to 11:59 p.m. eastern standard time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.

Conditions of employment

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• MBI Background Investigation is required.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 01/16/2026.

You may be required to serve a supervisory probationary period.

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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement.

• 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.

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 your most recent non-award 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Experience must be equivalent to the GS-07 level of federal service to be eligible for the GS-09 level; or be equivalent to the GS-09 level of federal service to be eligible for the GS-11 level. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: preparation of recurring and special reports; and maintaining the annual operating budget; review administrative audit and investigative reports to determine appropriate changes or corrective action required; evaluate financial trends and ensure compliance with organizational guidance; make clear and convincing oral presentations; influence, motivate and challenge others; adapt leadership style to a variety of situations.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have:
  • GS-09 level: master's or equivalent graduate degree OR two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.
  • GS-11 level: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-9/11 grade levels. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Customer Service
• Communication
• Leadership
• Administration and Management
• Writing
• Organizational Awareness

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.

Note: A 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 Demands/Work Environment: The position requires walking and standing including significant periods of outdoor duty under all types of weather conditions, to perform tasks such as performing services and inspecting sections of the cemetery (including sections which are active interment areas or under construction). The position requires bending, stooping, and lifting cemetery records, manuals, cremains containers and other small items. The position requires assisting with the moving of caskets placed on wheeled biers in and out of committal shelters. The work is primarily administrative within facilities that are adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated, but includes exposure to outside elements such as heat and cold as well as wet, humid, or arid conditions. The incumbent is exposed at times to· pesticides/herbicides, fertilizers, and moving machinery. They require protective clothing or gear such as goggles. All safety precautions are observed when exposed to these various elements. The position requires travel to the National Training Center, Cemeteries, District offices, training sites, communities within the cemetery region, and other locations. Occasional overnight travel is required, to include multiple extended training sessions at the National Training Center in St. Louis, MO.

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Trainees will be expected to sign an agreement at the start of the program that outlines expectations, including a commitment to completing the program and expectation to continue in the 1630 series for a minimum of 1-year post graduation. Trainees will be expected to meet minimum passing scores and other requirements to graduate.

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

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

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 contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.