Program Specialist

Clarification from the agency

The area of consideration is current, permanent employees of the CW Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and satellite offices and those employed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within VISN 8.

Duties consist of the following, but are not limited to:

• Researches and evaluates existing programs having an impact on the employee experience and making recommendations, based on research and analysis, to improve said programs.
• Serves, supports/advocates as trusted advisor and thought leader on employee experience, engagement, and workforce development to executive leadership.
• Support and advocate for an equitable and inclusive workplace, incorporating feedback from employees.
• Analyzes a wide variety of issues as identified by supervisor(s), senior leaders and other customers requesting employee experience assistance.
• Initiates and fosters collaboration with internal and external partners involved in Employee Experience (EX) such as Employee Whole Health(EWH), to assist in establishing new or improving respective programs.
• Assists in driving deliberate, disciplined design and delivery of experiences to employees as determined by Directorate leaders.
• Aids in the development and execution of project plans, establishing priorities, and tracking respective project requirements for the purpose of keeping direct supervisor informed.
• Collaborate with colleagues in the offices of EWH coordinators, and Organizational Development Programs (ODP) in development and implementation of proactive initiatives by applying EX design and measurement methods as needed. Examines forecasting data to develop strategic objectives and operating plans to support the office EX strategic objectives.
• Evaluate existing and relevant Department level strategy and planning through analysis of data, studies, reports, and briefings and advocates for Employee Experience, Employee Whole Health & Well-Being to be represented in that strategy and translating Department level strategy to tangible action at the local level.
• Leads office level environmental scan of respective office strategies and provides update recommendations to respective leadership.
• Collaborate with EWH coordinators to recommend communication strategies to proliferate Employee Experience programs and approaches throughout the local organization, the Department, and other federal partners.
• Creates, facilitates and/or participates in internal and external forums for sharing best practices and lessons learned for program performance and effectiveness, workplace innovation and employee engagement support.
• Conduct continuing and periodic studies involving compilation and analysis of industry and government data for purpose of evaluating Employee Experiences.
• Identifies, analyzes, and interprets local and national trends or patterns to understand employee expectations through All Employee Surveys (AES) and ESignals data.
• Utilizing LEAN Six Sigma, and/or other performance/process improvement methodologies, integrates data analytics and measures to improve, meet, and sustain goals and objectives.
• Converts analytical data into an assessment of Employee Experience. Assessment is provided to respective managers and senior leaders for their review and recommended action.
• Develops and implements data collection reporting and other strategies that will optimize statistical efficiency and data quality.
• Collaborate with EWH coordinators and ODP to conduct analytical studies on operational processes, issues topics or projects that impact Employee Experience.
• Conducts and/or leverages research on projects focused (but not limited to) on the Employee Experience Journey Map (JM), as identified by senior leadership or through feedback from employees.
• Identifies other opportunities for research and makes recommendations to senior leadership for further development.
• Evaluates current Employee Experience programs and collaborates with leaders and champions on programs and engagement efforts and identities opportunities for said programs where they do not exist.
• Collaborate with EWH coordinators and ODPs to collect and analyze data to provide useful information to support and enhance employee experience.
• Lead workshops, seminars, classes and demonstrations for the instruction of employee engagement practices.
• Participate in training classes for professional and ancillary personnel.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD11309A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/24/2026.

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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Researches and evaluates existing programs having an impact on the employee experience and making recommendations, based on research and analysis, to improve said programs.
• Prepare executive level briefs, presentations, and other documentation.
• Must possess a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office products to include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point, or any additional tools, software, and applications made available on a computer terminal (i.e., PC or Laptop).
• Plans events and leads workshops, seminars, classes and demonstrations for the instruction of employee engagement practices.
• Collecting, analyzing, and reporting on qualitative and quantitative employee feedback data to inform leadership decisions and organizational improvements.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR,

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Master's degree.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Knowledge Management
• Learning
• Organizational Development
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Research
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary. Typically, the incumbent sits comfortably to do the work. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items, or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to do the work. The work environment should be ergonomically appropriate. Telework or remote work may be used as approved and appropriate.


For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Resume Reminder - Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or to present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, please use as much detail as needed including the hours worked per week, position title, and how the experience was gained. If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade (e.g. GS-0301-09.) Your resume must NOT include photographs, inappropriate content, or personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number. If your resume does not contain the required information specified, or contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position. (Cover letters are optional.) Please view Resume Tips.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: Does not apply to Merit System Promotions whose Area of Consideration is limited to current facility and agency employees

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