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Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a key operation position in the national coordinating center Hub Site for the Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (MIRT). The incumbent functions as part of a coordinating center team, with independence in performing for a number of vital administrative functions, such as processing of fellow applications and generation of a wide variety of reports, correspondence, and memorandum.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/09/2022 to 08/30/2022
Salary
$81,338 to - $105,733 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
Palo Alto, CA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBSW-11597624-22-ARH
Control number
670293400

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Duties

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Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency
Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD02360O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

The program specialist, GS-0301-09, operates under supervision of the Director to provide critical administrative support of fellowship operations for the national coordinating center Hub Site. Administrative activities primarily fall under the categories of communications with fellows and directors, tracking of fellow information and outcomes, and purchasing and budget preparation. Further, the incumbent contributes meaningfully to team decisions, ideas, and implementation of ideas that support the coordinating center's long-term efforts to increase fellow diversity through improved recruitment and retention, and to support fellow knowledge about working with diverse Veterans through our educational offerings.

Duties for the position include but are not limited to:

  • Responsible for providing administrative functions on the Hub Site coordinating center team that supports national MIRT Fellowship programs.
  • Follows VA Central Office regulation and procedures and, under supervision of the Director, and communicates with site Fellowship Directors as to the rules, regulations, and proper procedures for the Fellowship program.
  • Tracking and follow up of all active Fellows ensuring that annual progress reports are completed in a timely manner and submitted to the Hub Site.
  • Tracking Fellowship appointments at all sites, assisting each site with the appointment process, maintaining database of all current and graduated Fellows, and issuing graduate certificates.
  • Manages communications between the Hub Site and individual site Fellowship Directors and Fellows.
  • Responsible for organizing and managing weekly video-delivered didactic sessions, ensuring all Fellowship sites are properly connected to didactic sessions via video and all Fellows attend required sessions.
  • Manages and summarizes Fellow evaluations of didactics for the Hub Site team to inform future curriculum development.
  • Assists the Director in the budgeting and financial management for the Hub Site. This includes financial management and financial reporting.
  • Manages budget formulation and execution for a changing budget of administrative expenses involving different funding sources.
  • Analyzes Federal budget calls, reviewing guidelines and instructions.
  • Briefs managers of schedules and data requirements.
  • Participates with manager in reviewing office needs, plans, and goals to develop budget data and justification for review and approval.
  • Prepares budget package for submission to the budget office and responds to all questions from that office.
  • Monitors balances, and status of projects, and recommends reprogramming of funds as needed.
  • Reviews financial reports and resolves discrepancies with the appropriate accounting office.
  • Manages procurement for the Fellowship Hub Site. This may include preparing procurement requests, evaluating proposals for work, acting as a Contracting Officer's Representative for procurements, and/or maintaining procurement and contracting records.
  • Prepares and reviews purchase order for supplies and non-expendable property such as equipment, to include personal computer hardware and software and other specialized equipment necessary to the effective functioning of the office.
  • Exercises authorizations for obligation and expenditures of funds.
  • Other related duties as assigned.

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
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/30/2022.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-09 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 assistance in the oversight, management, and/or coordination of a health care program and/or services; performing personnel management and administration responsibilities for an organization with varied functions and activities; managing and coordinates online communication tools such as internal SharePoint websites and other related informational tools; applying knowledge of policies, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to the effective operation of a program, coordinating activities, tracking costs/budget, etc.; and establishing and maintaining effective working relationships at all levels of key management officials and charitable organizations/sponsors, applying tact, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates 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: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an 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 a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Administration and Management
  • Communication
  • Financial Management


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, including unpacking and proper organization and storage of shipments for the program (e.g., books, other office supplies).

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a VA job announcement includes language requiring applicants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply to this Job Announcement. VA may request information regarding your vaccination status, if selected, for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

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.

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