Program Specialist
What you'd do
As a Program Specialist in the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Division, you will be assigned a variety of administrative and technical support duties in the division's front desk office.
Major duties
As a Program Specialist in VR&E you will support staff that is responsible for providing eligible Veterans benefits under Chapter 31 and Chapter 36 of Title 38 U.S. Code. Duties include: Assisting in all phases of the vocational rehabilitation program. Preparing awards required to pay the Veterans subsistence while participating in the program and resolving issues regarding VR&E eligibility and entitlement. Maintaining centralized purchase card for Newark VRCs. Coordinating new applicants to the VR&E programs and facilitating group orientation sessions. Managing inquiries and providing assistance with financial oversight of the successful administration of the VR&E program for participants. Serving as timekeeper for the VR&E division. Supporting the Division's front desk office. Work Schedule: Regular office hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: 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 Title/PD#: Program Specialist, 099210 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:08/07/2026. 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. 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. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. 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. Specialized Experience GS-9: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-7). In addition to the skills for the GS-7 level, specialized experience at the GS-9 level must document experience in all of the following: a. Experience working with career transitioning programs and operations. b. Experience working in office administration and coordinating general office business practice. c. Experience providing a wide range of services for individuals in an occupational or career transitioning program and determining which is the best method/approach to use when dealing with a variety of issues. OR Graduate Education: To qualify at the GS-9 grade level, you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree; or Two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LLB. or J.D., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-9 grade level: When substituting you can only use graduate level education you have earned. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned. Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, an applicant who has 27 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester credit hours earned) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the GS-9 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; 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/
Before you apply
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