Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current, permanent (career/career conditional) employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and CTAP eligibles only.

Specific duties include:

• Directs the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VRE)Program, which performs technical, administrative, and professional work.-Serves as the Regional Office's professional and technical expert in conducting, administering, and advising in the areas of education, training, testing, evaluation, counseling, rehabilitation, psychology, job development, job placement, and entitlement.
• Provides administrative and technical direction and professional leadership to a professional and technical staff of Counseling Psychologists, Rehabilitation Counselors, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists, Employment/Program Specialists, and support staff as well as providing oversight of contractors.
• Oversees a team of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) and other staff in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office (RO), RO Out-based office locations, VetSuccess On Campus (VSOC) school sites, or Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) locations on military installations.
• Develops short- and Long-term plans to assure work is accomplished in a timely manner, is of acceptable quality, and accomplishes the changing initiatives and emphasis established by VA Central Office managers, as well as local management policy changes and procedural modifications.
• Ensures that his/her staff provides expert and high-quality services to the Veterans with a service-connected disability such as vocational counseling and consultation; counseling interventions; and superb case management.
• Responsible for managing allocated budgetary resources and for authorizing and supervising the expenditure of funds such as staff travel, beneficiary travel, tools, supplies, equipment, revolving fund loans, tutoring or reader services, individual instructor fees, tuition, and subsistence allowances.
• Provides counseling, training, and employment services to all eligible beneficiaries within the State of Indiana through two full-time offices. Activities and services provided by the VR&E Program directly .and significantly impact a wide range of agency activities. The VR&E Program deals with the direct payment of benefits to veterans and dependents as well as providing payment for educational programs which can typically cost many thousands of dollars.
• Provides the Regional Office Director's full-time assistant, the Assistant Director, who is authorized, a clear line of authority.
• Directs the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program, which encompasses between 1650 and 1700 participants at any point in time. The program administers approximately $10 million in expenditures from the Rehabilitation Benefits Account. VR&E Officer exercises significant responsibility in dealing with other Division. Chiefs, higher level VR&E program officials, officials of Veterans Service Organizations, officials of other local, state, and federal agencies, officials of institutions of higher learning, and community. based contract service providers. Establishes division goals and objectives as well as related priorities to assure program and Regional Office mission and objectives are accomplished.
• Meets with senior managers at the Regional Office, State or Labor representatives, focal VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and other facilities. Incumbent must frequently contact high-ranking civilian managers, supervisors, and technical staff regarding contracting of services. Other professional contacts are with physicians, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, social workers, program and administration officials with VA and other local, state, and federal agencies. Given the interrelated nature of the various contracted services, state and federal Vocational Rehabilitation programs, the level of these contacts has a decided impact on the successful performance of the work.
• Decision Making: Develops short- and Jong-term plans to assure work is accomplished in a timely
  manner, is of acceptable quality, and accomplishes the changing initiatives and emphasis established by VA Central Office managers, as well as local management policy changes and procedural modifications. Takes a variety of personnel-related actions such as hearing/resolving grievances or complaints, proposes disciplinary and adverse actions, evaluates performance of rehabilitation professionals; decides on nonroutine training needs, approves expenses relative to employee travel and overtime; recommends within-grade increases, awards, bonuses; and recommends changes in position classification.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Available.
Telework: Ad Hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor; 38428A.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Conditions of employment

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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• 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 probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/24/2026

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.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 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. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and those applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You must meet the basic requirements and have one year of specialized experience as described below for the GS-14 Grade Level:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for positions in the 0101 series, candidates must meet the following basic requirements:

Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

Specialized Experience:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

• Specialized experience is defined as experience in Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs:
• Expertise with employment and vocational rehabilitation programs.
• Possessing knowledge and expertise in the procedures for vocational and rehabilitation law.
• Expertise to administer and counsel in the areas of counseling, rehabilitation, psychology, career development, and job placement entitlements. Expertise to control budgetary resources for approving and monitoring financial expenditures.

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: Position is sedentary.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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.

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

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

This position will utilize a Structured Interview Assessment which includes a pass/fail score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the pass score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the pass score or fail to complete the assessment.

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