Program Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and former VA employees who are CTAP eligible.

Specific duties include:

• Advises management on personnel management activities. Makes recommendations relating to personnel policy issues and provides guidance to management on personnel management matters and problems. Maintains relationships with the Baltimore Human Resource Center (HRC), Des Moines HRC, and HCS in areas of personnel recruiting, promotion, training, equal opportunity employment, disciplinary action, and performance evaluation.
• Prepares written correspondence and documents. Writes a variety of documents to include items for newsletters, responses to requests for information from employees and other customers, and provides guidance on regulations, policies, directives and applicable supplements. Maintains general correspondence and files for the HRL staff, hard copy and electronic.
• Manages the corporate email box and calendar including documenting and scheduling follow-up actions, reminders, etc., and ensuring inquiries, assignments and deadlines are addressed. Takes care to give proper information regarding employment and not to disclose confidential information concerning employees.
• Answers inquiries from applicants regarding such matters as the status of recruitment or classification requests, procedures for filing an application, receipt and disposition of applications, and general questions concerning federal employment, federal benefits, or benefit changes. Coordinates the receipt of required documents from applicants.
• Sends timely reminders, including all-employee emails to keep employees and leadership apprised of pay and benefits program resources, deadlines, and updates/changes. Reviews daily online HR Policy guidance and OCHCO Bulletins and sends an email to the HR Program Manager with a summary of changed or updated guidance is found online.
• Assists the HRL Staff with providing basic information to employees concerning pay and benefits including leave programs, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS), Federal Employees Government Life Insurance (FEGLI), Child Care Subsidy Program, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and routine Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirement including service deposits.
• Provides resources for eligibility requirements, effective dates, the enrollment process, and basic features (i.e., cost, coverage, time limits for filing, qualifying events, etc.).
• Assists with new employee orientations. Works with HRC HR Specialists, HR Liaisons, and Time keeping staff to ensure new employees are added to all necessary list to efficiently onboard a new or transfer employee to Education Service. Assists HRL staff and EDU management with processing or instructing new employees in updating or the completion of all required forms after attending employee orientation.
• Assists with outboarding separating employees. Distributes and explains the checkout form separation actions to the employee and supervisor. Completes and ensures all personnel actions, trackers, and gains or loss reports are properly updated and distributed.
• Reviews and submits various personnel actions for processing to Baltimore and Des Moines HRCs to include change in duty locations, name changes, reassignments, and other actions as needed.
• Handles processing of awards and make inquires to HCS concerning status awards. Maintains and updates the awards tracking log.
• Serves as the backup Education Service (EDU) Human Resources Liaisons staff (HR) person. Assists the HRL staff and management with performing the full range of human resources requirements. Serve as a back-up PIV sponsor and timekeeper for the Education Service Executive Management Office.
• Coordinates arrangements for in-person visits, meetings, trainings and in-processing new personnel and out-processing departing personnel, including securing a room, requesting technical assistance with visual and audio aids, setting up digital invites, preparing tracking sign-in sheets, meeting employees in person, etc.
• Schedules interviews and assists with reference checks for hiring and recruitment efforts. Prepares forms that the Executive Management Officer or other EDU Leader's review and signature, a variety of memorandums, letters, and other written communications.

Promotion Potential: None.
Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist; PD42190A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
This is not a bargaining unit position

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 period, 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:08/10/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet the time-in-grade requirement.

• For a GS-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.

This experience should be in or related to the position. Qualifying experience has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-12 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience is defined as experience demonstrating all of the following:

• Experience researching, analyzing, and evaluating issues, determining applicable precedents, and identifying the most effective approach to resolve human resources problems.
• Experience meeting and dealing with managers and employees at all levels in situations of a highly sensitive nature.
• Experience providing advice and guidance in the areas of staffing and recruitment and general personnel management.
• Experience with federal recruitment and staffing procedures.
• Experience with HR-Smart, USA Staffing, SharePoint sites, and similar tools to access and/or run programs and retrieve data and files.
• Experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Viseo to generate and analyze reports, track data, and create visual presentations.

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: Work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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.

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 an interview.

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
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

• Written Communication: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.
• Technical Competence: Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters.
• Reasoning: Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile or distressed.
• Communication: Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing oral and written communications; demonstrates logical thinking when describing facts and concepts, and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions.

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

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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