FAMILY PROGRAM SPECIALIST - TITLE 5 Job

Vacancy No. GA-12563772-AR-24-345 Department Army National Guard Units
Salary $63,369.00 to $82,379.00 Grade 9 to 9
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/15/2024 Close Date 11/15/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Columbus, GARome, GASavannah, GAWinder, GA


Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.

This National Guard position is for a Family Program Specialist, Position Description Number T5301000 and is part of the Joint Force Headquarters, National Guard.

This is a full-time, Excepted Permanent Position that does not require a National Guard membership.

Area of Consideration: All United States Citizens.

Duties

As a Family Program Specialist GS-0301-09 you will:

Serves as an advisor on quality of life and Family Program matters for National Guard and reserve members with the goal of maximizing retention and readiness. Assists in the development, planning, and implementation of the Family Program, which includes readiness, volunteer management and improving the quality of life and well being of members and families. This includes issues involving benefits, entitlements, scheduling events, missions, roles, and functions of the National Guard.

Assists in planning, maintaining, and updating an ongoing system of information and referral for use by the military community. Coordinates dissemination of information. Prepares and disseminates information to staff and units to provide to family members and stimulate interest and support on benefits and entitlements. Conducts or assists in conducting seminars, conferences, and workshops as appropriate. Conducts needs assessments to identify other programming needs of family members. Assists in developing and maintaining local information and referral programs. Provides technical assistance to personnel publicizing quality of life and the Family Program. Conducts briefings and training for staff and units to stimulate interest, support, and provide necessary information. Provides technical assistance to personnel publicizing the Family Program.

Receives and maintains volunteer hours contributed; supports Family Readiness Groups; designs and conducts training programs for volunteers; and designs and conducts volunteer recognition activities. Identifies key volunteers at the unit level to serve as volunteer coordinators. Develops standard formats and procedures to collect data. Initiates and provides technical assistance for the development of Family Readiness Groups. Identifies training programs and recognition activities for volunteers. Implements Guard Family Team Building (GFTB) and Guard Family Action Plan (GFAP) programs. Develops standard formats and procedures to record volunteer hours and to collect other volunteer related data. Identifies and maintains current listings of professional volunteer literature and training materials for the orientation for current and new volunteers.

Serves as representative at conferences and meetings on quality of life and Family Program matters. As required, prepares, explains, and defends budgets relative to quality of life and Family Programs. Provides staff assistance to local units in accomplishing the objectives of the program. Conducts staff assistance visits to ensure that policies conform to guidance, to assist and gather information for new initiatives and direction. Provides technical interpretation and guidance. Advises chain of command of current and proposed programs and policies requiring modification to improve family readiness and wellness. Ensures all recommendations are in accordance with applicable guidelines, policies, and regulations. Provides staff assistance and conducts visits to ensure policy guidelines are met.

Plans and coordinates mobilization processes for pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment issues. Coordinates with local community resource agencies, i.e., active duty installations, American Red Cross, and military health benefit administrators. Coordinates the state family youth program that addresses issues and concerns of youth related to Guard life and youth readiness and well being. Coordinates with local youth related organizations and agencies.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
  • Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
  • Must undergo initial and periodic job suitability and credentialing assessments.
  • Work may require access to classified information. Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance.
  • The incumbent will be required to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.
  • The incumbent of this position description must have, at a minimum, a completed National Agency Check (NAC) prior to position assignment.
  • 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 require travel in military and/or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments.
  • The employee may be required to travel in military and/or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments.
  • The work may require the employee to drive a motor vehicle and if so, an appropriate valid driver’s license is required.
  • 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.

Qualifications

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. 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.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Specialized Experience: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as serving as a team member and advisor on Family Program issues, assist in the development, planning, implementing, and administering the Family Program concerning family and quality of life issues. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as Human Resource Management or Business Administration. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

A minimum of 3 months experience utilizing the MARRS-N system as system of record for managing cases, community networking, community resources, and deployment outreach efforts.




Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Additional information

If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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):

  • Customer Service
  • Decisiveness
  • Oral Communication
  • Problem Solving

Required Documents

You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire. You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional.

A complete resume is required. Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr.), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.

Are you applying for a promotion? If you are a current GS employee applying for a higher grade than the grade that you currently hold you must provide an SF-50 that shows that you have held the next lower grade for at least one year. Some SF-50s effective within the last 52 weeks will not demonstrate you have held the next lower grade for at least one year (e.g. General Adjustment SF-50 from this year). In many cases, we need to see two (2) SF-50s to determine time-in-grade and eligibility for promotion. If you are a DoD employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF- 50(s) from MyBiz.

Are you claiming membership in any professional organizations, or possession of a license, certificate or credentials? Check the Conditions of Employment section above to see if any are required. If you claim membership, license, certification, or credentials, you must submit a copy of said document in your application package.

Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. You may submit a copy your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified. Claims for approved "grandfather" clauses must be fully supported with documentation.

Are you a veteran claiming 5-point veterans' preference or claiming sole survivorship preference? You must submit a copy of your latest DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (any copy that shows all dates of service, as well as character of service [Honorable, General, etc.] is acceptable) OR a VA letter that shows dates of service or service connected disability AND character of service. If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty service, submit a copy for each period of service. If you were issued a DD-215 to amend aforementioned information on the DD-214 you must submit that too. If you are not sure of your preference eligibility, visit the Department of Labor's website: Veterans' Preference Advisor

Are you a disabled veteran or claiming 10-point veterans' preference?
If you are eligible to claim 10 point veterans preference you must submit a DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty as described above for 5-point preference.

You must also provide the applicable supporting documentation of your disability (e.g. disability letter from the VA) as described on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf.

Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).

Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12563772

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Lyntrell Jacobs
Address
GA JFHQ
1000 Halsey Avenue Bldg 447
Marietta, GA 30061
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.