Program Specialist

As a Program Specialist in the Veteran Readiness & Employment Division (VR&E), incumbent is responsible for administrative and technical work, managing the efficient and effective coordination and accomplishment of the programs VR&E provides to servicemembers and their dependents. Responsible for assisting the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) and the Employment Coordinators (EC) with technical management of the VR&E caseload and aiding Veteran clients.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/25/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must 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 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 9/11 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants 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. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves: Experience working with Veterans Readiness and Employment Chapter 31 and Chapter 36 programs; Experience working with contracting practices and procedures; Experience working with Veterans Readiness and Employment operations. Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Note: Transcripts Required. GS-11 Grade Level: 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. Specialized experience is defined as comprehensive knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents which affect processes and operations; extensive experience conducting detailed analyses of complex issues, mastery of organizational principles and project management, researching, expert skills information in editing, creating and utilizing various software, and technological platforms. Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (including LL.M., if related) or I have completed three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Note: Transcripts Required. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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. 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: There may be some walking, standing, bending and carrying light items and shall involve travel to other locations. 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/.