Employment Specialist
What you'd do
This position is located in the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Montgomery, AL. The incumbent will serve as a "triage" team member to help disabled Veterans make an informed choice regarding the appropriate employment track that best meets their needs with the understanding that Veterans can move between tracks.
Major duties
Typical duties include, but are not limited to: Resume preparation Interviewing assistance Career search activities Discussion of disability and related accommodations Assistive technology needs Labor market information Re-employment information, assistance, and/or referral Self-directed job search via networking and electronic database 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 full performance level of this position is GS-12. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: 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#: Employment Specialist, GS-11: 11623A, GS-12: 01623A, Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not 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:07/24/2026. 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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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- 11 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as application of a wide range of administrative laws, policies, regulations, and legal precedents as they relate to the employment of disabled individuals, assisting and coordinating job network placement and offering direction to potential employers and/or employees and providing employment assistance to various groups of individuals. OR Education Substitution: You may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. In addition to the specialized experience required at the GS-11 level, specialized experience for the GS-12 is defined as experience using marketing concepts to enhance employment opportunities for disabled individuals; participating in and coordinating targeted outreach at various career fairs and jobs clubs and delivering formal presentations to diverse audiences. Education Substitution: There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be 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/.
Before you apply
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