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Program Specialist (Employment Engagement Specialist)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Health Service Area 2.1, Central Virginia VA Healthcare System

Summary

This position is located in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Area (VISN) 2, Health Service Area (HSA) 2.1, at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS), organizationally aligned under the Engagement and Experience Office (EXO) within the Office of the Assistant Director. The position provides administrative coordination for interdisciplinary employee-engagement efforts throughout CVHCS, including support to the Richmond VAMC outlying facilities.

Overview

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Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Ad-hoc, as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$64,475 - $83,822 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBTA-13084125-27-AM
Control number
888202100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Health Service Area 2.1 (Legacy VISN 6) employees. Priority consideration will be given to current permanent employees of Central Virginia (Richmond) VA Healthcare System; and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL) eligible applicants ONLY. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program eligible applicants will NOT receive consideration.

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Duties

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The Employee Engagement Specialist (EES) provides administrative support for the implementation of employee-engagement and employee-experience programming across Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS). They assist in maintaining a continuous and systematic process of developing, assessing, reviewing, revising, and evaluating engagement activities to ensure alignment with National VA Employee Engagement drivers. The ESS contributes to communicating and integrating the CVHCS employee-engagement strategic plan, mission, vision, and values into service-line strategies, goals, and initiatives. Work performed in this role directly supports organizational culture, employee well-being, and local engagement priorities under the direction of Engagement and Experience Office (EXO) leadership.

Duties include but are not limited to:

  • Partners with the EXO Chief to design, implement, evaluate, and continuously improve employee engagement programs aligned with the EXO Strategic Plan and National VA engagement priorities.
  • Leads and oversees initiatives that promote employee engagement, wellness, experience, satisfaction, organizational health, employee voice, psychological safety, workplace culture, and organizational connection.
  • Plans, coordinates, facilitates, and executes facility-wide events, campaigns, and engagement initiatives in collaboration with EXO support staff, service lines, and organizational stakeholders.
  • Ensures engagement activities address the needs of the full CVHCS workforce, including clinic staff, second- and third-shift employees, and teleworkers.
  • Uses quantitative and qualitative employee and Veteran experience data-including surveys, feedback tools, focus groups, and rounding data-to identify workforce needs, trends, satisfaction concerns, program issues, and improvement opportunities.
  • Analyzes and integrates data from multiple sources to support strategic engagement planning, measure program effectiveness, identify organizational health trends, and develop evidence-based improvement strategies.
  • Prepares and disseminates reports, briefings, dashboards, and resource materials for EXO and executive leadership, service lines, committees, chiefs, and supervisors.
  • Publishes engagement-related reports and resources through the EXO SharePoint site and other facility-wide communications.
  • Collaborates with the EXO data analyst, EXO Chief, and Executive Leadership to identify workgroups requiring Employee Driven Collaboration Plan (EDCP) support.
  • Assists workgroups with All-Employee Survey (AES)-based goal planning, EDCP completion, and development of actionable, team-based improvements.
  • Provides timely, professional guidance to employees and services regarding engagement resources, program availability, and improvement opportunities.
  • Provides program oversight and subject-matter expertise for administrative functions supporting employee engagement.
  • Develops and maintains accurate engagement communications and materials, including brochures, posters, newsletters, pamphlets, and other informational resources.
  • Adheres to, updates, and assists in developing policies and procedures for facility-level employee engagement programs.
  • Coordinates with the EXO Program Support Assistant on inventory control, maintenance, and purchasing of materials for engagement programs, outreach, and events.
  • Cross-trains on EXO-managed data systems
  • Provides backup administrative support to ensure office continuity, including:
    • Contracting Officer Representative (COR) duties
    • Timekeeping
    • Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) functions
    • Document and package routing

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00am- 4:30pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework, per VA policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist (Employment Engagement Specialist)/PD502930
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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
  • 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 or trial 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, 10/19/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist. Specialized experience includes but not limited to: managing complex employee engagement, patient experience, and providing administrative support within a large health care system. This includes knowledge of Engagement and Experience Office (EXO) initiatives; VHA policies, regulations, and compliance requirements; program planning, data analysis, process improvement, budgeting, personnel administration, contracting, and resource management. The position requires the ability to interpret policy; analyze, interpret and present data; resolve complex administrative issues, develop training and written products, coordinate initiatives with VISN and national offices, use VA information systems, and communicate effectively with employees, leadership, contractors, and external organizations., OR
  • Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation, OR
  • Combination: equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.
Preferred Experience: Development of training and written products.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

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 Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required, to including driving an automobile. The work requires some walking, standing, bending, lifting, and carrying light items such as paper, books, and charts.

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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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.

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

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

Annestine Mizzi
Phone
708-996-2213
Email
annestine.mizzi@va.gov
Address
Central Virginia VA Health Care System
1201 Broad Rock Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23249
US

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