Clarification from the agency

Open to current, onboard permanent and indefinite technicians/employees only. Initial pull is 24 March 2026.

As a EDUCATION SERVICES SPECIALIST (TITLE 5), 1740-9, you will serve as program manager, advisor and consultant within the state.

Major Duties - This is NOT an all-inclusive list:

• Perform educational and vocational counseling which consists of advising and assisting ARNG members on individual programs of study available, to include High School Equivalency (GED), correspondence, self-teaching, new and innovative/non-traditional college to include Associate, Baccalaureate degree programs, first Masters or Professional degree which meet their academic and vocational requirements.
• Provide advisory services to the education services officer, recruiting and retention command, and battalion and unit commanders concerning the educational needs and incentive eligibility of their assigned personnel and customer support.
• Principle liaison between National Guard members and participating in public and private educational institutions.
• Provide oversight for the receipt of evaluations and certification of transcripts.
• Promote interest and participation in educational services and activities by speaking to groups concerning education opportunities.
• Maintain files and libraries of current educational material, including catalogs of colleges and universities, military and government sponsored education programs, occupational books, periodicals, manuals, and other vocational materials concerning opportunities and requirements for specific vocations/occupations.
• Contact institutions to negotiate agreements for a variety of traditional, non-traditional, and special purpose education contracts.
• Develop, collect, analyze, and disseminate data on educational and incentive programs and entrance requirements for the ESO.
• Arrange for tuition assistance for the student.
• Assist personnel with entrance and enrollment applications, when necessary.
• Assist in arranging summaries of experience and assists the institutions to better understand and evaluate the experience.
• Coordinate with State Recruiting and Retention Manager and Incentives Manager and assists with recruiting and incentive programs in educational institutions in which National Guard programs are established.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• Subject to provisions of DoD Priority Placement Program.
• file:///C:/Users/1616598224.CIV/OneDrive%20-%20US%20Army/Desktop/PPP%20DD%203145-2%20Checklist.pdf
• This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.
• IAW The Fair Chance Act, Agency employees may not request criminal history information at the point of initial application, upon receipt of an application, or prior to, during or after a job interview. If an Optional Form (OF) 306, Declaration of Employment is submitted prior to the point of a conditional offer, questions related to background information section may not be asked.
• Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. This designation will not exceed 14 calendar days per year unless otherwise approved in advance by the TAG.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.

Qualifications

BASIC EDUCATION: MUST possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university that included, or was supplemented by, at least 24 semester hours relevant to this position? These hours must include at least one course in Tests and Measurement OR Adult Education, plus additional courses (one or a combination) from the following areas: Educational Program Administration, Curriculum Development or Design, Teaching Methods, Guidance and Counseling, Career Planning, or Occupational Information.

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 Level. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-9 Level MUST possess at least 1-year equivalent to at least a GS-7; experience providing advisory services concerning educational needs and incentive eligibility; experience providing oversight for the receipt of evaluations and certification of transcripts; experience speaking to groups concerning education opportunities; experience maintaining files and libraries of educational materials; experience arranging tuition assistance for students.

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; religious; 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.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e. the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed below. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Education Management
• Educational Service Programs

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: (Must not exceed 2 pages in length. Resumes over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed.) Your resume that clearly demonstrates experience that meets the requirements of this position as outlined in the "Qualifications" section. Your resume must contain identifiable information such as your name, address, and phone number. It must also show your work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed. If you use Resume Builder, you are encouraged to save your resume to a Word document and upload the Word document in lieu of submitting your resume created through Resume Builder. This helps ensure you meet the 2-page resume limit.

• SF-50 - Must be included
• OFFICIAL transcript (copy)

Other supporting documents (as applicable):

• Certifications
• DD-214
• NGIL Form 73

https://www.il.ngb.army.mil/Portals/30/Documents/Jobs/NGILForm73.pdf?ver=2019-05-01-161908-260

*NGIL Form 73 - Illinois National Guard Technician Program Supplement to Application for Dual Status (DS), to reflect military qualifications.

Documents NOT accepted: photographs, copies of position descriptions, training certificates, performance ratings, awards, and letters of appreciation.

Next steps