Program Specialist
What you'd do
The Program Specialist position is located in the VBA at the Boston, Manchester, and White River Junction (BMW) Regional Offices in the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Division. The incumbent is responsible for assisting with technical management of the VR&E caseload, providing assistance to Veteran clients, scheduling of orientations, timekeeping, IT coordination functions, management of IRIS inquiries, VR&E corporate mailbox(es), IPPS, e-VA , and the centralized mail portals.
Major duties
Major Duties: Analyzes and prepares program status reports for review at all levels. Responsible for internal controls and Division System Analysis of Operation (SAO) reports. Plans and/or accomplishes special projects. Performs a variety of duties related to special projects involving program issues that contain complicating elements. Maintains diaries, collects data, and prepares recurring reports for VR&E internal controls, and other SAO reports (group orientation appointments, national STAR reviews, local QA, receipt of contractor reports, and division overtime funds). Communicates internally and externally with the full range of agency stakeholders. Evaluates, processes, or makes recommendations for effective organizational changes. Performs organizational analysis for changes in the functional areas of division. Incumbent is responsible for serving as Division Timekeeper. Incumbent ensures that all leave is appropriately entered into the VATAS system. Leave such as FMLA is tracked appropriately and all timecards are certified to schedule. 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. The grade progression for this position is GS-07/09. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm 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, 39047A, 39046A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required Bargaining Unit: Yes
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/16/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-07/09 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-09. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. The grade may have been in any occupation and 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 must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status (career, career-conditional, or excepted service), time-in-grade requirements have been met, and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate possession of time-in-grade requirements. In this instance, you must also submit your most recent Promotion or Within Grade Increase SF-50, or a Promotion or Within Grade Increase SF-50 that indicates the highest grade/step previously held. DO NOT submit Award SF-50s and/or General Adjustment SF-50s as they cannot be used to verify time-in-grade. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as experience that demonstrates a practical knowledge the principles, techniques, and methodologies of adult education. The experience would include: Understanding of the VR&E program for the VBA; managing records, cases, files, or other documentation sources; administering and scoring a variety of tests; knowledge and understanding of Chapter 31 benefits or related programs pertaining to Veterans employment and education benefits; using VA automated systems; composing reports, documentations, requests, or memorandums. Examples of specialized experience for the GS-07 level include, but are not limited to: Knowledge and basic skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies; Basic knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and precedents which affect work processes and operations; and Basic experience conducting analysis of issues, work functions, and/or work processes. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: One (1) full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; OR A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1) class standing, 2) grade point average or 3) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov. OR Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or higher. Specialized experience is defined as experience that demonstrates an advanced knowledge of the principles, techniques, and methodologies of adult education. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-09 level include, but are not limited to: Applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to internal and external stakeholders. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of an LL.B. or J.D degree, if related. Graduate-level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. 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: Majority of the work is sedentary and places no special demands on the incumbent. The work includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as paper, CER folders, and manuals. 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/.
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