MILITARY FUNERAL HONOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to the following category (CAT): CAT 7 - U.S. Citizens (Veterans Preference DOES apply).

Serves as the primary point of contact, coordinator, and advisor for questions regarding Military Funeral Honors and/or Casualty Assistance. Receives request for Honor Guard support, verifies eligibility, and assigns appropriate Funeral Honors Staff to perform the ceremony. Provides advisory services to family members of deceased military members (current and former), and serves as a liaison between the family, funeral directors, veterans services organizations, Veterans Affairs offices, National Guard Bureau (NGB), Regional CAC, and other military services. Provides assistance to the family members by advising them of the deceased member's entitlements and provides information or assistance with filling out any required forms. Maintains files and libraries of current funeral/casualty assistance material including policies, procedures, and guidance from Department of Defense (DoD), NGB, Regional CAC, and the Veterans Administration. Coordinates with the Regional CAC, funeral home, Honor Guard Teams, supporting military units, and each Casualty Assistance Officer/Casualty Notification Officer (CAO/CNO) to ensure all requests for funerals and casualty assistance are supported. Performs program development and the coordination of functions for the Military Funeral Honors Program (MFHP), which provides military funeral honor ceremonies for service members and veterans. Develops, implements, interprets, and publishes SOPs, policies, operating regulations, and procedures. Plans, develops, schedules, and makes recommendations for changes to MFHP. Responsible for creating a cooperative network of agencies, organizations, and individuals whose interactions can lead to an improved Military Funeral Honors Program. Serves as representative at conferences and meetings for Military Funeral Honors Programs.

Develops, manages, and coordinates MFHP training for the state. Is responsible for maintaining the documentation and recording the certifications into the various NGB required systems. Recruits, organizes, and trains National Guardsmen from within the Guard communities to render Military Funeral Honors in a professional and dignified manner. Coordinates with NGB and the Regional Casualty Assistance Coordinator (CAC) for assistance and support in the conducting of training for the Military Funeral Honors/Casualty Assistance Programs in support of the State's Program.

Interacts with the community by providing briefings on the capabilities of the program, eligibility requirements, and procedures to receive Honors, as well as the training for Military Funeral Honors. Works with various community Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) to provide certification for their Honor Guard Teams. Also works to develop a cooperative network of organizations and individuals whose interaction can lead a network of professional honor guard teams in all regions of the state.

Responsible for consolidation of Military Funeral Honor's expense information used to make estimates for the program's annual operating budget. MFHPC participates in the establishment and control of fiscal programs necessary to ensure compliance with applicable state funding rules and regulations. Sets up controls to monitor expenses during the year and recommends budget adjustments including restructuring budget allocations to deal with changing situations and changes in the availability of funds. Maintains and transfers funds between several unrelated appropriated fund accounts. Serves as the program manager for travel orders, ensuring availability of funds, proper lines of accounting, reviewing orders for appropriate expenditures, and reviewing vouchers prior to submission to travel section for payment of travel claims. Reconciles un-liquidated obligations to maximize funds utilization and may serve on the Program Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC).

May direct the daily activities of a small staff assigned to assist in carrying out the operations of the state program. Assures the effective and efficient administration of activities supervised. Plans work to be accomplished by the team, responsible for setting and adjusting short term priorities. Assigns work to team members based on their capabilities. Provides input to the supervisor on performance evaluations. Advises, counsels, or instructs new employees on both work and administrative matters. May participate in interviewing candidates for vacant positions and recommends selections, evaluates and enacts minor disciplinary measures, identifies training needs of employees and assures the conduct of such training, and develops performance standards.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
• Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
• May be required to travel by car, in military and/or commercial aircraft, and by other means of transportation as appropriate to perform temporary duty assignments.
• 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.
• The work may require the incumbent to drive a motor vehicle; if so, and an appropriate valid driver’s license is mandatory.
• 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.
• Head of Agency requests to exceed 14 days in a calendar year must be approved in advance by the National Guard, Director of Manpower and Personnel (NGB-J1).

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Must have experience, education or training which provided a general knowledge of principles of organization, management, and administration. Compiling reports, letters, memoranda, etc., and required person-to-person contacts to convey information. Progressively responsible experience which demonstrates the ability to provide technical guidance and assistance in the type of work or in comparable work of the position to be filled. Experience using computer and automation systems.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Must have one of the following:

A) 1 year specialized experience, education or training equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Must have experience providing technical guidance and assistance in the type of work or in comparable work of the position to be filled. Applicants must have a thorough knowledge and understanding of administrative procedures and practices of management. Experience developing administrative procedures.
(MUST address your experiences in detail on resume, if using specialized experience to qualify)

OR

B) A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.
(MUST provide copies of all relevant transcripts, if using education to qualify)

OR

C) A combination of Specialized experience and Education equal to 100% of the requirements.
(MUST address your experiences and provide copies of all relevant transcripts, if using a combination of experience and education to qualify)

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.

To apply, you must submit a complete application package, if required items are missing, incomplete, and/or resume does not address the qualifications/experience requirements listed in the announcement and assessment, the applicant may be deemed unqualified and/or be found ineligible for Veterans' Preference (if applicable).

Required Documents:

1. Your resume MUST contain a DETAILED description (how, when, where, and at what level) in your own words, of civilian and/or military training/experience/education as it relates to the General and Specialized Experience.
2. List of other supporting documents in item 2a below.
3. Veterans' Preference documents:

• If claiming 5pt Veterans' Preference, MUST submit DD-214 (Member Copy 1 NOT accepted) or items listed in item 3a below.
• If claiming 10pt Veterans' Preference, MUST submit with resume, a (VA) Disability Verification Letter with DD-214 (Member Copy 1 NOT accepted). Those claiming Spousal or Parental Veterans' Preference must submit a completed SF-15 with packet; others may be requested to complete SF-15 later. See the documents listed below in items 3a and 3b.
• If claiming preference or hiring authority as a Military spouse, the documents listed in items 3a, 3b, and 3c.

NOTE: DD-214 Member Copy 1 WILL NOT be accepted for determination of Veterans' Preference eligibility.

More information:
2a. Other supporting documents: Items used to qualify applicant and those listed on announcement as required MUST be submitted; (i.e., copy of transcripts (IF USING EDUCATION AS A SUBSTITUTION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCES), Military membership documents (NGB 22/22A), certifications, SF-50s and other items).

3a. A DD-214 (Member Copy 1 not accepted) is REQUIRED if claiming any Veterans' Preference. Review 3b for 10pt requirements (MUST submit VA Disability Verification Letter with resume). It must be legible and shows dates of service, expedition/campaign medals (if using for Veterans' Preference), character of service (honorable, general, etc.). HRO prefers DD-214 Member Copy 4. If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and are claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, character of service, military rank, type of discharge and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by, or by direction of military member's military personnel offices, unit commanders or higher headquarters.

3b. If claiming 10pt preference (disability - XP, CP, CPS) or Sole Survivor Preference (SSP), you must submit a disability verification letter with DD-214. An SF-15 is required for Spousal or Parental Veterans' Preference; for all other must be submit SF-15 if requested. Forms must be completed and submitted with supporting documentation of claim listed on form and any listed disability documentation (if claiming disability preference) for claiming. Copy of marriage certificate is required for spouse's SSP or XP claims. You may obtain a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs reflecting your level of disability for preference eligibility by visiting a VA Regional Office, contacting a VA call center or online. For SF-15: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf.

3c. If claiming preference or hiring authority as spouse of a veteran, a copy of the marriage certificate is also required in addition to item 4a documents, i.e., for DoD Priority Placement Program (must notify HRO rep on advertisement if claiming this status), and SSP or XP Veterans' Preference claims.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for spouses claiming Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire/application. If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant. Certification must reflect the dates of service, military rank, character of service (honorable, general under honorable, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form.

***Documentation is required and applicant MUST claim veterans' preference within the assessment questionnaire to be awarded preference.***

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