Employment Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/21/2024. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 level. 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. 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. NOTE: To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g., Promotion, Appointment, Within Grade Increase) MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience involving job networking, development and/or placement and employment assistance to various groups of individuals. The experience may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Recruiting for/placing candidates for a hiring firm or large corporations. Employment assistance duties for a non-profit or community organizations. Human Resources experience in staffing, employee relations or reemployment assistance. OR Education Substitution: master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related OR Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant’s total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant’s education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants 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. Specialized experience is defined as experience working with individuals with disabilities and providing individuals with work experiences, internships, or volunteer experiences related to overall employment goal. The experience may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Employment assistance duties for state or federal vocational rehabilitation offices. Account management/liaison for staffing or employment firms in the public or private sector. Federal Human Resources experience in staffing, employee relations or reemployment assistance. OR Education Substitution: 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 OR Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant’s total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant’s education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS- 11. **NOTE: ALL TRANSCRIPTS MUST HAVE A CONFERRED DATE** GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one 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. Direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. Specialized experience is defined as experience involving coordination of federal, private and public hiring authorities, working with veterans with disabilities to access veteran’s employment goals and aligning them to the employment track that best meets their needs. The experience may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Human Resources experience in the Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Service Organization that involves staffing and/or employment law. Employment coordination duties for private, public or government entities that involve coordinating targeted outreach at various career fairs, jobs clubs, and/or job labs. Education: There is no education substitution at the GS-12 grade level. 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. Note: 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 purpose of the contacts is to serve as an advocate for the employment of job-ready disabled veterans, influence potential employers to hire job-ready disabled veterans, assist qualified veterans in obtaining and retaining suitable employment, conduct work-site analysis to ensure work area is conducive to the. job-ready disabled veteran or encourage the employer to implement “reasonable accommodations”, and assist case managers with the development of potential job alternative for job ready disabled veterans. The employee may encounter resistance due to organizational conflict with other VR&E staff, competing resources, or employers who may have doubts about the value of hiring disabled veterans and about the Employment Coordinator as a workforce consultant. 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/.
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.