Voluntary Services Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/05/2024. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 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. GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Voluntary Services Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience includes Qualifying specialized experience includes experience working for a company, organization, or department specializing in volunteer and/or philanthropic activities; communicating with individuals and groups in community; performing technical program development for a specialized program; performing record keeping and recognition of a volunteer and/or philanthropic program; and applying a high level of expertise in identifying special skills and attitudes necessary for sensitive assignments. OR, Education: One (1) full year of successfully completed graduate level education or superior academic achievement. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. 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. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. A grade-point average of “B” (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of “B+” (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. GS-09 level Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Voluntary Services Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience includes planning, supervising, and coordinating volunteers of a volunteer program; evaluating and monitoring the effectiveness of a specialized program and devising new methods for improvement; effectively recruiting, interviewing, and evaluating prospective employees/volunteers in order to appropriately utilize their talents and interests; utilizing interpersonal communication skill to foster effective working relationships with others; and familiar with a wide variety of principles and practices to evaluate program trends. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. GS-11 level Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Voluntary Services Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience includes managing a program of volunteers and contributing organizations within a medical or hospital setting; development and implementation of a detailed marketing plan for a specialized program; managing a program service budget and managing a donation needs list of an organization; utilizes laws and regulations governing the General Post Fund and solicitation and acceptance of donated gifts; and understanding and applying personnel management practices for interviewing, screening, placing, and counseling purposes. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master’s or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. Administration and Management Communications Managing Human Resources Organizational Stewardship 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: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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/.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the Center for Development and Civic Engagement/Voluntary Service Modernization Initiative which is a new model of organizing and consolidating essential voluntary functions and services to the Medical Center. This streamlined and focused approach moves VHA forward in its continuum of providing comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care to Veterans.