Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (SVRC)

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent San Diego, CA VBA Regional Office employees and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible. For the purpose of this job announcement, Fiduciary Hub bargaining unit employees in the commuting area are considered facility employees.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assessing office problems, client and organizational needs, and directives, ensuring actions are taken to achieve appropriate goals for the division based on timeliness, accuracy, cost, customer satisfaction, and employee development.
• Ensuring that the professional, technical, and administrative quality and timeliness of service meets VBA's organizational goals.
• Assuming responsibility for the cost-effective use of resources to accomplish the VR&E's assigned outcomes.
• Monitoring the Systematic Technical Accuracy Reviews (STAR), both local and national, and administering appropriate training to the division.
• Acting as a program consultant to other federal and state rehabilitation agencies to coordinate services. As such, the incumbent facilitates operations with major public and private universities, community colleges, and vocational/technical institutes in the state to resolve training issues.
• Serving as technical representative in developing, awarding, implementing, and evaluating contracts to provide professional counseling, evaluation, case management, employment, and other services.
• Supervising and coordinating intra-state and inter-state transfer of cases, and consulting with VR&E Officers throughout the country.
• Familiarity with all phases of the VR&E division, including interviewing claimants in person or over the telephone and eliciting information essential to resolve administrative reviews or concerns, or to obtain necessary evidence so that a pending claim may be properly adjudicated.
• Gathering and interpreting a wide range of data addressing service concerns. Further, they can recommend appropriate action to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer and/or the Assistant Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer based on the data.
• Possessing an understanding and the ability to apply the principles of individual counseling and small group dynamics.

Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: 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 Title/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor; 39814A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required. The selectee must submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450) before entering on duty, and annually thereafter.
Bargaining Unit: No

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.

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• 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 or trial period.
• You may be required to serve a Supervisory probation period.
• Selectees are required to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• 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: 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.

Qualifications

1. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal GS employee, you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-13 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.

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.


2. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To be eligible for this position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements:

• Supervised Internship: The education in the Basic Requirements above must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.

OR

• Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.

Reference: Additional information on the qualification requirements for this position can be found on the OCHCO VA Qualifications Standards website.

3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the time-in-grade and education/internship requirements, you must also meet the following grade-specific qualification requirements. Creditable experience must have been obtained post-graduate and be directly related to the duties to be performed to qualify to work as a professional VRC.

Specialized Experience is one year equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). Specialized experience is documented experience that has provided comprehensive knowledge of Vocational Rehabilitation programs. Specifically, documented concepts, principles, and theories of testing and evaluation, rehabilitation, job development and job placement, and demonstrated comprehensive experience in ALL of the following:

• The incumbent has experience working with groups. They are capable of planning and assigning work activities for subordinates, with final technical authority over the final work product.
• The incumbent has experience in training and teaching. They must be comfortable presenting to both large and small groups, capable of explaining complex regulations and policy.
• The incumbent is highly organized and capable of monitoring and managing multiple projects, tasks, and assignments.
• The incumbent is capable of gathering and interpreting a wide range of data addressing service concerns and recommends appropriate actions based on the data.
• They must be familiar with all aspects of the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) processes, including initial evaluations, case management, and employment services.

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; religious; 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. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The position is primarily in an office setting. Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings, or customer interactions.

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. 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):

• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Resilience

• Conflict Management
• Auditing
• Leadership
• Oral communication
• Technical competence
• Teaching others
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence

Supervisory/Managerial Abilities:

Candidates must also demonstrate experience or training they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities of successful supervision as follows:

• Assign to and review work of subordinates, train and work effectively with subordinates from a variety of backgrounds and with different levels/areas of training;
• Accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set limits of cost and time;
• Plan own work and carry out assignments effectively;
• Communicate with others effectively both orally and in writing in working out solutions to problems or questions relating to the work;
• Understand and further management goals as these affect day-to-day work operations; AND
• Develop improvements in, or design new work methods and procedures.

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 preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13025105

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 be limited to, responses to the knowledge, skills, and abilities; completion of a work sample; and/or 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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package, including the documents detailed below.
Failure to submit the required documents may result in your application being considered incomplete and you being deemed ineligible. It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not request additional documentation or accept late or missing documents after the announcement has closed.

• Resume, limited to 2 pages, detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position.
  • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you must also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
• Transcript reflecting your master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling (or related degree).
  • Your transcript must show coursework and the total number of credits earned, including graduation date and degree. A diploma is NOT sufficient to determine qualifications.
• 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 (e.g., Promotion, Appointment, etc.) to verify time-in-grade requirements.

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.

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50s (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or CTAP documentation (for displaced VA employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

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 50s do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50s include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Next steps