Program Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to VHA employees and CTAP eligible. with first consideration being given to current Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center and CBOC employees; second consideration given to current VHA employees; and third consideration given to VA Employees

Program Support:
Provides support to programmatic matters related to the daily successful operation of Education services in the Medical Center. Participates collaboratively in developing strategies for the service to meet its goals and mandates in efficient and effective ways, ensuring alignment with Medical Center strategic initiatives.

The PS has a primary responsibility to a required education program such as the PMDB Program. The PS will fulfill the duties outlined in the program directive or guidelines. The PMDB Coordinator supports the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) program by helping implement policies, training, and procedures that promote safety for our Veterans, staff, and visitors. The coordinator works with facility leadership and interdisciplinary teams to assess risks, respond to disruptive behavior concerns, track program activities, and ensure staff are prepared to prevent and manage workplace violence or behavioral incidents. The incumbent drives the program and provides training for the staff at the medical center and the five Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) on the assessed PMDB training needs.

Training Affiliation Agreements:

Facility expert in all facets of negotiating, initiating, developing, coordinating, reviewing and follows to completion, all inter-service and intra-service federal and nonfederal Training Affiliation Agreements/Memorandum of Understanding (TAA/MOU). Negotiates, initiates, develops and follows to completion, renewals of these agreements and develops amendments thereto as needed. Manages the process from the Education Department perspective for scholarships and tuition reimbursement, which includes completion of appropriate documentation requesting payment; ensuring presence of appropriate supporting documents from requesting staff; submitting for leadership approval and signature; submission to Finance Department for payment; and recording/tracking amount paid and impact on the budget; and providing process education to the applicants each semester.

Administrative Management:
Manages the proficiency process for the registered nurses in the department. Tracks proficiency due dates, notifies staff of pending due date, provides appropriate forms for staff utilization, and ensures data is correct (Grade/Step). Provides communication reminders to staff to ensure leadership has adequate time to contribute/approve before the due date. Creates end of year performance award tracking for reporting to Human Resources. Creates and maintains tracking/reporting system for other human resource utilization reports.

Resource Management:
Serves as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for programs within the Education Department. Serves as the technical liaison between contractors and the Contracting Officer. Monitors, reviews, and determines whether the contractor's performance follows terms and conditions of the contract specifications and inspects all work for full compliance with contract requirements. Notifies the Contracting Officer of violations of labor standard provisions, work that does not comply with contract requirements, and if contractor fails to remove, correct, or replace rejected work. Assists the contracting officer and Education Chief in matters related to contract requirements and contract administration (i.e., coordinates with the contracting officer on proposals for contractor work not specified in the basic request for negotiations) and provides cost estimates for breakdown to determine the most economical methods to provide services. Resolves disputes, implements changes and interprets regulations and contract specifications.


Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD094450
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
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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, 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, 09/08/2026.

Current Title 38 Hybrid employees: To qualify for a Title 5 position based on the Interchange agreement, you must meet the following:

1. Be currently serving under a permanent appointment.
2. Served continuously for at least 1 year in the other merit system prior to appointment under the interchange agreement.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 or 8. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 or 10. 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. 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.


GS-09

Specialized Experience: You must possess one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Your resume must clearly reflect your experience. No assumptions can be made.

Specialized experience includes, providing day-to-day operational support to a department. This includes but not limited to supporting Program Managers within the department to ensure compliance with directives and regulatory agencies; maintaining affiliation agreements with schools and universities; managing inventory and simulation resources; maintaining budget with four control points that support the department and the facility.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. A transcript must be uploaded to support your answer.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR
Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D.

OR

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

GS-11

Specialized Experience: You must possess one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Your resume must clearly reflect your experience. No assumptions can be made.

Specialized experience includes, providing day-to-day operational support to a department. This includes but not limited to supporting Program Managers within the department to ensure compliance with directives and regulatory agencies; maintaining affiliation agreements with schools and universities; managing inventory and simulation resources; maintaining budget with four control points that support the department and the facility.

OR

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. A transcript must be uploaded to support your answer.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR
Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M if related

OR

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

Education Information: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

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: The work is primarily sedentary, but occasional standing, walking, stooping, bending and carrying items weighing 25 pounds maybe required. Assignments may occasionally involve longer periods of standing, bending and stooping to observe and facilitate group projects or activities.

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.

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 for this position:

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

1. Resume - Resume must include the following information for each job listed: job title, duties, start and end dates to include day-month-year, full time or part time status (include hours worked per week). Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
2. Current Federal Employees: MOST CURRENT SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action (required, if using for eligibility determination) - Must show your current title, series, grade, step, salary, and tenure. (This is used to determine you meet an area of consideration for internal to agency employee VA employees can obtain a copy from your Electronic Official Personnel File (eOPF) at https://eopf.opm.gov/va/; which can only be accessed from a VA networked computer.)
3. Transcript - Transcripts are required if you are using education as a substitution for experience. The transcript must include your name, the school name, degree and the date it was conferred if applicable, and a list of the courses taken.

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), CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• 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 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.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
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.

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