Summary As an Employment Specialist you will oversee the activities of job readiness, job-seeking services, job development, and job placement that entail consideration of diverse state, regional and local employment laws and regulations. The incumbent also develops employer partnerships to assist in the successful placement of veterans into job vacancies developed with those employers or identified through networking with other resources such as state employment services. Responsibilities Major Duties Markets to employers based on vocational goals of the job-ready disabled Veterans. Markets and provides special employer incentives such as on-the-job training, non-paid work experience, special employer incentives, and available tax information. Coordinates employment readiness classes for veterans ready to go to work but lacking important traits in employment readiness. Maintains and promotes a positive image of the VR&E program through active networking and ongoing contacts with employers Offers direction to employers regarding reasonable accommodation and rehabilitation technology accommodations. Disseminates labor market information to assist counselors and veterans with "informed choice." Provides Employment Services Performance Data for local office. Maintains and continually updates a database of job-ready disabled veterans (incorporate Corporate WINRS tracking system); Assists veterans with job networking, development, and placement; Develops partnerships with employers and other agencies to assist veterans with employment services (e.g. - the Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, local and state agencies, and private sector businesses and employment services); Assists counselors with employment follow-up according to regulatory requirements; Coordinates efforts to develop job clubs, job labs, or job readiness resource rooms for use by veterans in job readiness preparation and self-directed job search; Maintains records of employment activities through case notes in Corporate WINRS; Markets to and becomes initial "point of contact" for employers who need assistance with return-to-work cases of disabled veterans whose job is affected by disability. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement,10/21/2024. Time-in-grade: Applicants who are/were 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 GS-7. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50. Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. For a GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 grade level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. For a GS-12 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 grade level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here. AND Specialized Experience - GS-09: 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 corporation; Employment assistance duties for a non-profit or community organizations; Human Resources experience in staffing, employee relations or reemployment assistance. GS-11: 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. NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. If one year of work experience is credited for the Basic Requirement, that year cannot also be used for qualifying at the GS-11 level GS-12: 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. OR Education - GS-09: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. GS-11: One year of post-master's degree professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience or successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or have a PH.D or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology, or LL.M. if related. Or A combination of specialized experience as described in A, and more than two years but less than three years of education as described in B. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. Note: 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. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application, if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: There is no education accepted for the Employment Specialist GS12. Additional Information Work Schedule: Regular office hours; Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Alternate work schedules may be available. Title/PD#: Employment Specialist GS - 9/11/12; PD 31623-A, 11623A, 01623A Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level .The the full performance level is grade 12. Physical Requirements: The work involves moderate risks which require special safety precautions, such as when assessing work-site accommodations and traveling to various locations. The employee may be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves arid/or shields. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Please contact the special placement coordinator or the human resources specialist listed on this vacancy for more information regarding applying for consideration under schedule A or as a 30% disabled Veteran. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. A well-qualified candidate is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualifications requirements for this position. Information about CTAP eligibility can be found here. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP),