Program Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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: 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS-7: A) One Year of Specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience producing professional communications (briefings, reports, correspondences) to internal and external contacts to an office setting and experience providing recommendations to management on administrative operations such as budgeting, staffing, and/or workload management. OR B) Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: 1 full year of GRADUATE level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; or A Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1) class standing, 2) grade point average or 3) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov OR C) Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience and Graduate Education: A combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To calculate, first identify your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required; then add the two percentages. The total of percentages must equal 100% to qualify. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. GS-09: A) One Year of Specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience producing professional communications (briefings, reports, correspondences) to internal and external contacts to an office setting and experience providing recommendations to management on administrative operations such as budgeting, staffing, and/or workload management. OR B) Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree; OR 2 full years of progressively higher level GRADUATE level education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B. or J.D., if related For graduate education to be creditable, it must demonstrate the competencies (as listed in How You Will Be Evaluated) required for this position. OR C) Equivalent combinations of Specialized Experience and Graduate Education: A combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To calculate, first identify your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required; then add the two percentages. The total of percentages must equal 100% to qualify. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. 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. Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of lightweight items (i.e. folders, claims files). 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 Program Specialist for the Boise veterans Service Center (VSC) located at the Veterans Benefits Administration, Boise Regional Office, Boise, ID and provides advice and assistance to the management staff relative to effective operations of the Veterans Service programs in the state of Idaho.