Vocational Development Specialist-Community Employment Coordinator
What you'd do
The incumbent in this position serves as the Community Employment Coordinator (CEC) for Homeless Veterans across all sites and counties covered by the Orlando VA Healthcare System. The CEC has the responsibility of utilizing best practices to assist Veterans experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness in returning to community living and competitive employment. The incumbent is supervised by the Homeless Program Manager.
Major duties
Duties include but are not limited to: Provides information, pre-employment assessment and workforce re-entry planning services, linkage, and coordination for VA and non-VA services, and community-based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment. Establishes respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies, including community employers. Provides guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VAMC on resources that enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans, in particular those who are homeless or have other barriers to employment. Works with local staff in developing templates for concise, individualized Veteran-centered assessments to determine the needed intensity level of employment services and supports for homeless Veterans. Leads efforts to establish a local employment collaborative which includes VA and non-VA members and community-based employers, and documents access points, requirements for participation and points of contact as indicated. Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community-based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative. Provides services targeting chronically homeless Veterans who may benefit from a more intensive individualized job development and placement model such as supported employment, as well as Veterans who may request and require a less intensive or even singular service (e.g. resume preparation or job leads) in order to achieve an improved employment outcome. Coordinates with homeless, CWT and community program managers on rapid access and placement strategies for Veterans that reduce barriers to employment and identify appropriate supports to sustain outcomes. Conducts bi-monthly conference calls with all the members (VA and non-VA) of the local employment collaborative serving Veterans and resolves access barriers to rapid job placement. Monitors performance and progress through review (at least quarterly) of cases referred to the members of the collaborative to insure that Veterans are receiving services leading to competitive employment and appropriate follow-up supports. Provides feedback to the homeless program staff and VAMC leadership on system resources, strengths, accomplishments, challenges and recommended corrective actions on a quarterly basis. Develops and maintains a database on referral and placement outcomes and provide feedback to the collaborative members as well as national homeless leadership. Serves as an advocate on behalf of Veterans with members of the employment collaborative and community employers to ensure comprehensive service delivery resulting on competitive employment. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30AM-4:00PM, 8:00AM-4:30PM or 8:30AM-5:00PM Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist-Community Employment Coordinator/PD069770 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/04/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement-SF-50 Submitted: 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. Note: 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. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) which is a minimum qualification requirement. To be considered for the position, you must ensure that the experience is reflected in your resume and/or if applicable, transcripts must be uploaded to support education requirement or substitution. Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR, Experience General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided a knowledge of training practices, techniques, and requirements as they relate to vocational development or rehabilitation. Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program. Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. In addition to meeting the above required Individual Occupational Requirement; applicants must meet the following Specialized Experience required for the GS-11 Grade Level: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff; Developing concise, individualized assessments to determine the needed intensity level of employment services and supports for homeless Veterans; Serving as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement and support services for homeless Veterans; Coordinating with program managers on rapid access and placement strategies that reduce barriers to employment and identify appropriate supports to sustain outcomes; Monitoring performance and progress through review of cases to insure that Veterans are receiving services leading to competitive employment and appropriate follow-up supports; Developing and maintaining a database on referral and placement outcomes OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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 (Transcript required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Master's degree (Transcript required). Preferred Experience: Providing pre-employment assessments and workforce re-entry planning. Experience working with homeless and justice-involved populations. Experience in networking with employers and community providers. Experience in job development, placement and supportive coaching. Ability to communicate effectively to people of various socio-economic backgrounds. Ability to communicate both orally and in writing. Ability to drive a government vehicle. Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to manage time effectively. 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/. Physical Requirements: Position requires walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position requires regular and recurring periods of standing, walking, lifting, accessing transportation, and driving a government car or van. Work requires being physically able to lift and carry objects up to 15 pounds, conducting street outreach in the community in the extreme heat and unpredictable inclement weather of Central Florida, walking a moderate to high distance to obtain a government vehicle and to make contact with Veterans for face-to-face visits as a part of outreach efforts, ability to climb and descend several flights of stairs, and to maintain an individual level of self-preservation in the community.
Before you apply
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