Clarification from the agency

NOTE: Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position.

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Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

Training and Firearms Program Management (40%)

• Serves as the Training Manager and Primary Firearms Armorer for the Police Service, functioning as the primary technical authority for planning, developing, and managing the Police Service training programs and firearms maintenance.
• Plans, organizes, and manages all aspects of the Police Service training program in accordance with VA Handbook 0730, established training policies, and Federal guidelines.
• Oversee the Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) program. This program is a detailed initial training conducted at the facility level for all new VA Police hires.
• Serves as the primary liaison for training-related matters with VA Central Office, other facilities, and external law enforcement partners.

Enforcement and Investigations (25%)

• Performs a wide variety of duties encompassing the enforcement and compliance of laws relating to the protection of life, property, and federal assets.
• Conducts investigations; requires and receives information relating to criminal offenses; serves and executes search and arrest warrants; serves subpoenas and summonses; administers oaths; makes arrests without warrant; takes actions to preserve the peace while protecting the federal government facilities and personnel; bears firearms and performs other activities in accordance with Title 38, United States Code, Sections 901 and 902.
• Determines facts, researches investigative reports and documentation, obtains evidence, assessments, and evaluations, and performs other investigative tasks.

Crisis Intervention/Suicide Prevention (15%)

• Serves as a member of a Crisis Intervention Team, responding to and recognizing Veterans experiencing mental health crisis, utilizing advanced de-escalation strategies and knowledge of VA resources to ensure the best possible outcome for our nation's Veterans.
• Works closely with clinical partners, including Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinators, Suicide Prevention Coordinators, Veteran Crisis Line Responders, and others, to ensure a multidisciplinary response to Veterans in Crisis, both on and off VA-controlled property.
• Ensures that all stakeholders safely enter any VA facility across the country with the confidence that they receive a consistently high level of protection and customer service without bias from VA Police Officers.

Compliance and Inspections (20%)

• Conducts inspections of federal VA facilities and worksites for compliance with VA physical security requirements.
• Performs inspections of physical security countermeasures to include electronic access control systems, CCTV Systems, Intrusion Alarms, Duress Alarms, and other systems.
• Analyzes problems, determines deficiencies, finalizes inspection results to include draft, review, editing, and evaluation, and takes corrective action.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Law Enforcement Specialist -Training Coordinator/PD00224A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: Much of the work involves on-site work requiring prolonged walking over flat and even surfaces, working in confined spaces, crouching, bending, crawling, standing, and climbing. The work requires outside exposure to all temperatures. Also requires moderate to arduous physical exertion and possible exposure to personal danger. A pre-placement physical examination is 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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, 09/11/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing law enforcement training through classroom lectures, presentations, or skills demonstrations; leading and conducting investigations, apprehensions and detentions of persons suspected or convicted of criminal violations; maintaining order to protect life and property; responding to emergency situations; gathering information and preparing reports; conducting routine patrol, traffic control, and traffic accident investigations. NOTE: 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.
  OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a field related to physical security that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position or LL.B. or J.D., if related. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. . OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

Creditable specialized experience may have been gained in work on a police force; through service as a military police officer; in work providing visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forests, or other natural resource or recreational environments; in performing criminal investigative duties; or in other work that provided the required knowledge and skills.

Experience as a security guard or corrections officer is generally not qualifying.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Patrolman", "I was a Police Officer for a number of years," or "I enforced Federal, State, county, and laws" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

DRUG TEST REQUIREMENT: Applicant selected for movement into positions covered by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control and must pass urinalysis testing as required before the appointment and periodically after that. The position is subject to random drug testing.
TRAVEL: The position may require 25% or more travel away from the office.
TRAINING: Incumbent must meet the established experience, basic training, and in ­service training requirements established for the enforcement of police powers. Incumbent must successfully complete the designated, required training, which includes the basic VA Police Officer Standardized Training (POST). Must obtain and maintain all LETC instructor certifications. Additionally, the selectee must successfully complete the Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) conducted at the selectee's assigned duty location or a different geographic area, and other in-service requirements and weapons qualifications for the enforcement of arrest authority as conferred under 902 authority.
ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL: This position may be designated as essential personnel. Essential personnel must be able to serve during continuity of operation events without regard to declarations of liberal leave or government closures due to weather, protests, acts of terrorism, or lack of funding.
Failure to report for or remain in this position may result in disciplinary or adverse action in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations (5 U.S.C. § 7501-7533 and 5 CFR Part 752, as applicable).
LAW ENFORCEMENT: This position will possess law enforcement authority under Title 38 of the United States Code, Sections 901 & 902, exercising such authority to provide investigative and law enforcement services to Veterans, Federal employees, and members of the general public located and/or conducting business in government­ owned or leased properties.
PRE-EMPLOYMENT MEDICAL REQUIREMENT: Prior to appointment, the person selected for this position must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, which may include protecting citizens, taking suspects into custody using reasonable physical force in the face of physical resistance, and responding to situations requiring physical agility and quick and legally sufficient decision making. Also successfully pass a pre-employment medical examination (which includes, but is not limited to, vision, hearing, cardiovascular, physical, psychological exam, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. This position may be subject to periodic incumbent examinations in the future.
LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT: This position is covered by the 1996 Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968. Persons convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence are not eligible for this position.
FIREARMS REQUIREMENT: The incumbent will be required to carry a firearm or firearms while performing the duties of this position. Maintaining firearm proficiency is also mandatory.
MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATION: The incumbent must possess and maintain a valid automobile driver's license and be available for frequent travel.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://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.

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 for this position:

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

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

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; 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with preference to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with preferences [i.e., intellectual preference, severe physical preference, or psychiatric preference], and/or preference veterans with a compensable service-connected preference of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.