Job Details

Summary This position is located at the Mountain Home National Cemetery in Mountain Home, Tennessee. Responsibilities This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by AFGE. Please note that as provided for in the AFGE/VA Master Agreement the FIRST area of consideration for this position will be permanent employees of the local facility in which this position is being filled, the SECOND area of consideration will be employees at other VA facilities, and the THIRD area of consideration will be all other eligibles. This position serves as a Program Specialist at the National Cemetery Administration, Southeast District, Mountain Home National Cemetery (MHNC). The primary purpose of this position is to assess the productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency of administrative programs at MHNC and recommend viable solutions. Assignments involve special studies and investigations to promptly detect problems impacting internal business operations at MHNC. The incumbent compiles and analyzes data, identifies trends, and prepares various reports. Conducts studies that relate to the full scope of operations involving office administration, interment, grounds maintenance, headstone/marker/niche cover, and equipment maintenance. Serves as Privacy and Records Control Officer responsible for all records management and privacy matters at MHNC. The incumbent establishes and maintains files as well as file structure; conducts internal records management reviews; establishes and maintains a functional suspense system for correspondence and reports. Serves as alternate Contracting Officer Representative (COR) as needed to provide oversight of numerous contractors to ensure the completion of contracted tasks. Coordinates the purchase of equipment, tracks major purchases, and serves as purchase cardholder as needed. Performs public outreach as needed. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Not Available Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Specialist/PD1662657 The full performance level of this position is GS - 09. At the level GS-07, you will perform similar duties but under closer supervision. 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. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/14/2024. 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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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 your most recent non-award 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education, as described below: For GS-07: Specialized Experience: You must have 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in a position that requires a broad knowledge of operating policies and procedures related to administrative activities, records management, contracts and purchase card requests; experience with budgetary methods, practices and regulations; experience analyzing data and preparing reports. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed 1 full year of graduate-level education from an accredited college or university? Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work; OR do you possess a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement: SAA is defined as (1) cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 years of undergraduate study; (2) GPA of 3.5 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; (3) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or (4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies)? TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED 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 4 years of under-graduate level education earned) is creditable. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED For GS-09: Specialized Experience: You must have 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience assessing the efficiency and productivity of administrative programs; conducting special studies and investigations to detect problems that impact business operations; experience with operating policies and procedures related to administrative activities, records management, contracts and purchase card requests; experience with budgetary methods, practices and regulations; experience analyzing data and preparing reports. (EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED IN A DETAILED RESUME) TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate level education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position? This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of graduate education and specialized experience (as described above). This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Analysis and Problem Solving Budget Administration Communication Computer Skills 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: Work is primarily sedentary and and requires a moderate amount of walking standing, bending, stooping, or lifting. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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. Additional Information 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. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.