Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current permanent competitive federal employees, veterans (e.g. VEOA, VRA, 30% disabled), Schedule A, Reinstatement, Military spouses.

The three (3) core business lines of CDCE/Voluntary Service include:

1. Voluntary Service - having the largest integrated volunteer program in the Federal government, this line of business is a government-wide model for the strategic integration of volunteers, appointed as without-compensation (WOC) employees within Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) regional offices, and National Cemetery Administration (NCA) cemetery locations, as well as within State Veterans Homes and other authorized VA programs.

2. Philanthropic Engagement - building key relationships for the purpose of influencing, motivating or persuading individuals and organizations to contribute and advocate on behalf of the agency mission through monetary and in-kind giving, as well as capacity- building initiatives to augment the volunteer corps. These engagements include a wide variety of business/corporate organizations, Veterans Service Organizations (VSO's), non-profits, foundations, and other community/civic organizations.

3. Partnership Solutions - the official development and management of strategic partnership agreements implemented at the local, state, regional, and national levels; specifically designed to address VA goals, priorities, or identified issues or gaps that when resolved, serve to enhance the care and service for Veterans, their caregivers, or families.

Duties of the (Chief) Voluntary Services Officer include but not limited to:

• Full scope of fiscal management and accountability for the office, including the preparation of an annual operating budget.
• Establishing performance measures for all aspects of the CDCE/Voluntary Service program, monitor the results, and make program adjustments.
• Responsible for project and event management of varied sizes and scope, occasionally requiring rapid execution due to a change in priorities or strategic need.
• Providing technical and administrative superv1s1on to subordinates.
• Overseeing the daily operation of the unit, ensures that agency policies and priorities are being followed.
• Responsible for the planning, design and development of each volunteer role and the work to be accomplished.
• Prepares the work schedule for each volunteer and assignment across the healthcare system and associated VA programs.
• Local subject matter expert on volunteer and donation management.
• Strategic advisor to executive leadership for the utilization of community resources in support of operational goals, assesses risks, anticipates outcomes, and alternative strategies.

Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telework: Ad-hoc at the supervisor's discretion
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Voluntary Services Officer - Chief/PD99897S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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 dentification 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, 03/23/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Planning and leading all philanthropic activities and programs within widely dispersed locations across the healthcare system, VA Administrations and State Veterans Homes.
• Collaborates with Department-level organizations and community stakeholders to support initiatives.
• Utilization of volunteers throughout the healthcare system, across Administrations and those assigned to community-based roles.
• Management of enterprise General Post Fund Accounts.
• Upholding the national and international occupational standards established for the profession.
• Conducting and analyzing comprehensive needs assessments for optimal alignment of the program in support of the organization's mission and goals.
• Accurately maintaining and documenting all donations in the VA's enterprise-wide system of record for contributions to the agency and complying with national, VISN and local audits.

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

• Financial Management
• Managing Human 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: Work is moderately sedentary, although considerably variable. It requires a fair amount of standing, sometimes for long periods, walking, climbing stairs, and bending. Work may require some heavy to moderate lifting, transporting of materials, equipment and supplies for special events and other programs. Due to the diverse nature and scope of the work, it may require occasionally working in extreme temperatures (hot or cold).

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

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

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.

Next steps