Program Specialist
What you'd do
This position is in Education Service (EDU). The Service has department-wide responsibility for activities relating to administering VA educational assistance programs to Veterans, Service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and eligible dependents for their military service to the Nation.
Major duties
Specific duties include: Advises management on personnel management activities. Makes recommendations relating to personnel policy issues and provides guidance to management on personnel management matters and problems. Maintains relationships with the Baltimore Human Resource Center (HRC), Des Moines HRC, and HCS in areas of personnel recruiting, promotion, training, equal opportunity employment, disciplinary action, and performance evaluation. Prepares written correspondence and documents. Writes a variety of documents to include items for newsletters, responses to requests for information from employees and other customers, and provides guidance on regulations, policies, directives and applicable supplements. Maintains general correspondence and files for the HRL staff, hard copy and electronic. Manages the corporate email box and calendar including documenting and scheduling follow-up actions, reminders, etc., and ensuring inquiries, assignments and deadlines are addressed. Takes care to give proper information regarding employment and not to disclose confidential information concerning employees. Answers inquiries from applicants regarding such matters as the status of recruitment or classification requests, procedures for filing an application, receipt and disposition of applications, and general questions concerning federal employment, federal benefits, or benefit changes. Coordinates the receipt of required documents from applicants. Sends timely reminders, including all-employee emails to keep employees and leadership apprised of pay and benefits program resources, deadlines, and updates/changes. Reviews daily online HR Policy guidance and OCHCO Bulletins and sends an email to the HR Program Manager with a summary of changed or updated guidance is found online. Assists the HRL Staff with providing basic information to employees concerning pay and benefits including leave programs, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS), Federal Employees Government Life Insurance (FEGLI), Child Care Subsidy Program, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and routine Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) retirement including service deposits. Provides resources for eligibility requirements, effective dates, the enrollment process, and basic features (i.e., cost, coverage, time limits for filing, qualifying events, etc.). Assists with new employee orientations. Works with HRC HR Specialists, HR Liaisons, and Time keeping staff to ensure new employees are added to all necessary list to efficiently onboard a new or transfer employee to Education Service. Assists HRL staff and EDU management with processing or instructing new employees in updating or the completion of all required forms after attending employee orientation. Assists with outboarding separating employees. Distributes and explains the checkout form separation actions to the employee and supervisor. Completes and ensures all personnel actions, trackers, and gains or loss reports are properly updated and distributed. Reviews and submits various personnel actions for processing to Baltimore and Des Moines HRCs to include change in duty locations, name changes, reassignments, and other actions as needed. Handles processing of awards and make inquires to HCS concerning status awards. Maintains and updates the awards tracking log. Serves as the backup Education Service (EDU) Human Resources Liaisons staff (HR) person. Assists the HRL staff and management with performing the full range of human resources requirements. Serve as a back-up PIV sponsor and timekeeper for the Education Service Executive Management Office. Coordinates arrangements for in-person visits, meetings, trainings and in-processing new personnel and out-processing departing personnel, including securing a room, requesting technical assistance with visual and audio aids, setting up digital invites, preparing tracking sign-in sheets, meeting employees in person, etc. Schedules interviews and assists with reference checks for hiring and recruitment efforts. Prepares forms that the Executive Management Officer or other EDU Leader's review and signature, a variety of memorandums, letters, and other written communications. Promotion Potential: None. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday 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; PD42190A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required This is not a bargaining unit position
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/10/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet the time-in-grade requirement. For a GS-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. This experience should be in or related to the position. Qualifying experience has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience is defined as experience demonstrating all of the following: Experience researching, analyzing, and evaluating issues, determining applicable precedents, and identifying the most effective approach to resolve human resources problems. Experience meeting and dealing with managers and employees at all levels in situations of a highly sensitive nature. Experience providing advice and guidance in the areas of staffing and recruitment and general personnel management. Experience with federal recruitment and staffing procedures. Experience with HR-Smart, USA Staffing, SharePoint sites, and similar tools to access and/or run programs and retrieve data and files. Experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Viseo to generate and analyze reports, track data, and create visual presentations. 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: 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/.
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