Government Information Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and CTAP eligibles only.

Specific duties include:

• Assist with planning, interfacing, coordinating, and supporting necessary planning efforts, responding to requirements requests from internal and external OMS IAP directorate customers and stakeholders.
• Serve as a Privacy Act Automation Privacy Officer and help to coordinate Privacy Act Automation activities VBA stakeholders to establish and maintain an automation platform that processes Veterans' incoming Privacy Act requests.
• The incumbent will assist with all ongoing activities related to the development, implementation, maintenance, and adherence to the VBA Central Office policies and procedures covering FOIA and Privacy access of Veterans and their families, employees, contractors, and administrative information to ensure compliance with federal statutes and VA privacy practices and regulations.
• The incumbent shall utilize and maintain comprehensive knowledge of the FOIA, Privacy Act, Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, FISMA, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and other areas of administrative information.
• Support the organization in responding to members of Congress, the public, the media, other agencies, and employees and officials of the Department who are seeking information about interpretation, policy process and procedure and/or technical assistance concerning access and privacy laws administered by the VBA.
• Provides world-class customer service and ensures all customer issues and requests are properly addressed and forwarded to the appropriate contact for resolution. Cognizant in providing quality customer service through effective verbal and non-verbal communications and ensuring issues that arise are properly notified and completed.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist; GS-0306-13 PD# 41487-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• 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

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/27/2026.

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.

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-13 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: defined as experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include:
  
  • Applying relevant privacy laws (Privacy Act, e-Government Act, FISMA) and guidance to help ensure an agency's privacy program meets or exceeds standards for federal agencies.
  • Providing general and role-based privacy orientation, education, and training to employees and contractors, as well as responding to specific questions
  • Experience reviewing and analyzing the content of responsive laws based on the FOIA, Privacy Act, Open Government Act of 2007, and organizational policies and procedures.
  • Conducting research and applying data-gathering techniques to accurately interpret the release of information material under the Privacy Act of 1974 provisions.
  • Experience processing requests from inception to completion, coordinating resources, establishing timelines and deliverables, preparing reports, and conducting quality assurance reviews of Privacy Act request responses.

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: The work is primarily sedentary but includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying items such as files, supplies, and books.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

• Reasoning - Identifies and applies regulations, laws, rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
• Oral Communication - Expresses information (facts, decisions, and ideas) to individuals or groups clearly and concisely, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); listens to others; asks questions and gains or shares information related to the claims review process. Facilitates an open exchange of ideas and fosters atmosphere of open communication.
• Written Communication - Expresses facts and ideas in writing in a succinct and organized manner.
• Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical decisions; provides solutions to individual and organizational problems.
• Computer Skills - Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Resumes may not exceed two pages and must be legible for review of eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.

• Resume:
  • Contact Information:
    • Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number
  • Relevant Work Experience:
    • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include:
      • Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
      • Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022)
      • The number of hours you worked per week
    • Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement
  • Optional Details:
    • When relevant, include:
      • Current Security Clearance
      • Job-related training
      • Language skills
      • Organizations and affiliations
      • Professional publications
      • Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
• A copy of your most recent NON-award SF-50. The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
• Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g. Promotion, Appointment, etc.).
• Current VBA Employees seeking a reassignment/change to lower grade: you must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (non-award) AND the SF-50 placing you into your current position.
• An SF-50 showing 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: Award and General Adjustment SF-50's do not provide sufficient information will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time in grade. Recommended SF-50's include Within Grade Increases (WGI), Promotions and Appointments.

Additional Documents accepted:

• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750)
• Award SF-50s
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

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