Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Human Resources Specialist and the Associate Director, Classification and Performance Management and has the overall responsibility to provide the leadership, direction and consultation required for the classification of positions within VACO Staff Offices, including the HRSC itself.

Additional Duties include but not limited too:

• Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates including detailees and contractors, sets and adjusts priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work; assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees; evaluates work performance of employees; provides advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on work and administrative matters; interviews candidates for positions; hears and resolves complaints from employees; effects disciplinary measures; identifies developmental and training needs of employees, provides and/or arranges for needed development and training; finds ways to improve production and increase the quality of the work directed; and develops performance standards.
• The incumbent of the position will serve as the Associate Director (AD) for Classification & Position Management (PM). He/she has full technical responsibility for independently carrying out complex studies and projects for the classification and position management of positions including especially difficult management advisory services within and outside VA HRSC. Serves as OCHCO and/or VA representative in inter-agency and intra-VA negotiations, discussions, working groups, and both formal and informal advisory forums to present, defend, and negotiate positions as recognized representative of senior administrative management.
• Directs the Classification and PM programs for the HRSC. Plans, organizes, coordinates and reviews program activities to assist management in the day-to-day and long­ term classification and position management needs of VACO Staff Offices. The AD serves as a senior advisor and consultant to VACO senior leadership and executives on the proper classification of positions. Ensures clear understanding by subordinates in applying OPM Classification Standards and sound position management principles.
• Deals regularly on classification and position management issues with a wide variety of VA officials and external sources. Is frequently called on to explain and interpret Federal VA regulations and policy regulations relating classification and position management to Human Resources Specialists, HR Officers, HR Assistants, and other program officials within and outside the immediate organization

Conditions of employment

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
• 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
• 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.

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/07/2026.

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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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.

The BASIC REQUIREMENT for the HR Specialist GS-0201 series is presumed met if found qualified at the GS-0201-7 level and above.

To qualify for this position at the GS-14 level, you must meet one of the following listed Criteria:

Criteria 1- Graduate Degree and Specialized Experience: Successful completion of a graduate level degree or higher and three years of progressive specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Applying advanced knowledge in Federal, VA Law, regulations, policies, processes and advanced practices in classification and position management. Carry out complex studies and projects for the classification and position management of positions including especially difficult management advisory services within and outside VA. Analyzes program mission and current classification and position management issues and develops possible approaches, alternatives, and solutions. Provide technical advice and assistance to personnel and customers in the resolution of difficult classification and position management related problems for all levels and complexities of organization. Maintain a current knowledge and understanding of classification, position management, global, industry, market, and social trends and applies them to create long-range options, scenarios, and plans to successfully advance the organization's mission.
~OR~
Criteria 2- Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in federal service that demonstrates HR management knowledge, concepts and principles and the performance of work in one or more of the HR specialty areas. Such experience may be gained in administrative, professional, technical or other responsible work positions in the public (i.e., Government or military) or private sector. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Applying advanced knowledge in Federal, VA Law, regulations, policies, processes and advanced practices in classification and position management. Carry out complex studies and projects for the classification and position management of positions including especially difficult management advisory services within and outside VA. Analyzes program mission and current classification and position management issues and develops possible approaches, alternatives, and solutions. Provide technical advice and assistance to personnel and customers in the resolution of difficult classification and position management related problems for all levels and complexities of organization. Maintain a current knowledge and understanding of classification, position management, global, industry, market, and social trends and applies them to create long-range options, scenarios, and plans to successfully advance the organization's mission.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Classification
• Conflict Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Manages Resources
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating

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 required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not 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/.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Applying advanced knowledge in Federal, VA Law, regulations, policies, processes and advanced practices in classification and position management. Carry out complex studies and projects for the classification and position management of positions including especially difficult management advisory services within and outside VA. Analyzes program mission and current classification and position management issues and develops possible approaches, alternatives, and solutions. Provide technical advice and assistance to personnel and customers in the resolution of difficult classification and position management related problems for all levels and complexities of organization. . Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420.

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.

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.

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.


Job Knowledge Test: A portion of your assessment is a Job Knowledge Test that will occur during the application.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) and the 10 responses you provide on the application questionnaire. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Classification
• Conflict Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Manages Resources
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All current, permanent VA Employees in HRSC
• All other current, permanent VA employees

During the application process, you will 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:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

• Current Federal Employees must provide their most recent SF-50 which must be dated within one year of the closing date of this announcement.
  • ATTENTION: You may need to submit more than one SF-50 if we cannot verify that you meet time-in-grade by your most recent SF-50. For example, if your most recent SF-50 is a General Adjustment, we need your most recent SF-50 dated 1-11-2026 and another SF-50 to verify time-in-grade. Examples of SF-50s for time-in-grade verification include your last within-grade increase or promotion to highest grade held. A promotion SF-50 shows when you started the grade level and a within-grade increase verifies that you were at that grade level for at least one year. Failure to provide your most recent SF-50 dated within one year of the closing date and other SF-50s to verify time-in-grade will result in you being disqualified. We cannot verify time-in-grade based on the grade and step you are currently on alone.
• Former federal employee applying under reinstatement eligibility must supply their latest SF-50 as well as any additional SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade as stated in the above bullet.
• Award SF-50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include in addition to your most recent 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.

• Resume
• Agency Reduction in Force notice;
• Most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location
• Most recent performance appraisal (must be fully successful or above)

Next steps