Program Specialist (ER/LR Liaison)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/10/2024. 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 (unless if in the commuting area and eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority such as Schedule A, VRA, or 30% or more disabled Veterans) by the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess 1-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50’s and/or General Adjustment SF-50’s as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and those applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: For GS-11 Level: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves: Provides advice, technical assistance, and policy guidance to management officials concerning the federal employee and labor relations activities at a federal agency with the oversight of a senior team member or supervisor. Researches labor laws and policies, analyzes program activity, determines compliance with regulations and procedures, and recommends changes to established policies and programs. Maintains and analyzes statistics on disciplinary actions to assist with addressing future issues. Has a beginning level of knowledge regarding the disciplinary process to assist with case management. Executes existing training for management officials to ensure their success in full-filling their responsibilities related to employee accountability. Reviews regulations and administrative instructions pertaining to all phases of grievances, appeals, and adverse personnel actions. Maintains relationships with local and national Union representatives, legal staff, and other partners to manage ERLR activities for the agency. Serves as an assistant advisor in the Performance Management activities of the agency. Works with management to correct performance deficiencies by providing guidance and recommendations throughout the entire Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) process. Works with the Employee Development Specialist to implement guidance and training on Individual Development Plans for agency employees. Assists with the agency’s Employee Assistance Program and communicates wellness opportunities for employees. Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for experience at grade GS-11: Applicants may substitute education for experience with 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. Combining Education and Experience: Applicants may substitute a combination of graduate education and specialized experience to qualify for grade GS-11. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-11 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. For example, an applicant who has 27 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e, 50% of graduate education required beyond the first 18 credit hours earned) and who has 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the one year of specialized experience required) would meet 100% and thus be qualified for the position. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-12 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: For GS-12 Level: 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. Specialized experience is defined as work that involves: Provides expert advice, technical assistance, and policy guidance to management officials concerning the federal employee and labor relations activities at a federal agency. Researches labor laws and policies, analyzes program activity, determines compliance with regulations and procedures, and recommends changes to established policies and programs. Evaluates trends and past practice to formulate and issue guidance that maintains consistency in disciplinary actions and leave administration of the agency. Maintains and analyzes statistics on disciplinary actions to anticipate issues and formulate prevention practices. Serves as the subject-matter expert throughout the entirety of the disciplinary process. Advises management on options for addressing misconduct and poor performance. Plans, develops, and executes training for management officials to ensure their success in fulfilling their responsibilities related to employee accountability. Reviews regulations and administrative instructions pertaining to all phases of grievances, appeals, and adverse personnel actions. Maintains relationships with local and national Union representatives, legal staff, and other partners to manage ERLR activities for the agency. Serves as the primary expert in the Performance Management activities of the agency. Works with management in to develop, approve, and implement agency performance plans. Serves as the primary technical expert in managing data in HR information systems. Develops training curriculum that assists Rating Officials in managing their responsibilities as a Rater in the performance management cycle. Works with management to correct performance deficiencies by providing guidance and recommendations throughout the entire Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) process. Works with the Employee Development Specialist to implement guidance and training on Individual Development Plans for agency employees. Manages the agency’s Employee Assistance Program and communicates wellness opportunities for employees.
This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs Debt Management Center (DMC), Support & Special Operations Division (SSOD) within the Office of Finance, Office of Management. The primary purpose of this position is to provide performance management and technical support for the Centers Employee and Labor Relations (ERLR) activities.