The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the principal advisor in the area of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Affirmative Employment, Civil Rights External Programs, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and Diversity Management for the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center located in Spokane, Washington. The incumbent is responsible to the Medical Center Director for program development, administration, evaluation and advisory functions.

Duties

This position requires knowledge of Federal EEO regulations and principles, as well as personnel administration compliance and enforcement skills, administrative, management and consulting skills. Duties include, but are not limited to: Function as the EEO Program Specialist at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane, WA, and provide consultation to the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center located in Walla Walla, WA. This position is located in Spokane, WA. Advises management on specific actions in support of affirmative action, and strategies for processing discrimination complaints. Assists the Office of Resolution Management (ORM) and Administrative Judges with investigations and hearings. Serves as the local liaison for all aspects of the facility's complaint processing program. Provides advice and assistance during the post-investigative stages i.e., hearings, appeals, and compliance phases) for each formal complaint. Serves as the technical expert for processing the following Federally conducted external complaints in accordance with agency policy. Develops an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program, which is any procedure or combination of procedures voluntarily used to resolve issues in controversy without the need to resort to litigation. Conducts studies and analyses on the utilization of minorities and women in the workplace, identifying obstacles and outlining alternative solutions to identified problems. Compiles and analyzes statistical data in order to evaluate progress of the EEO Program. Conducts analyses of the workforce by race, sex, grade, occupational series, and policies and practices affecting employment. Identifies program goals that may conflict with existing policies or practices, actions, reassignments, job training, sexual harassment, and reprisal, based on factors of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, and handicap. Responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, reviewing, monitoring, evaluating, and updating all plans associated with the EEO Program. Conducts briefings to the facility Director and management officials making them aware of their responsibilities in relations to these plans, and to solicit their support for successful implementation. Ensure that the plans are distributed to all levels of management and is understood by managers, as well as employees. Ensures the activities of the SEP Managers and their respective committees are carried out in accordance with departmental and local policy. Serves as representative for the facility in establishing and maintaining contact with local community groups, which are interested in civil rights or equal opportunity. Serves as the chair, member or technical advisor to the facility's EEO Committee. Establishes and implements an effective recognition program for those who make a significant contribution to members of the facility's EEO Committee. Establish and maintain effective relationships with, and gain the confidence and cooperation of employees, supervisors and managers on complex EEO and Affirmative Employment issues. Increase the visibility of the Minority Veteran Program within the Spokane VA Medical Center and the diverse communities we serve. Advise the Director and Executive Management when policies discourage minority Veterans from using services, benefits and programs. Develop/coordinate seminars designed to educate the medical center staff on the specific cultural issues or needs identified as problem areas by the different minority Veteran groups. Develops, maintains, and implements the requirements of all relevant facility policies, committee charters, and standard operating procedures as required for both the EEO and MVPC programs. Ensures EEO, MVPC, and Special Emphasis programs have well-developed and implemented communication plans, events, and activities. Assists minority Veterans in resolving, accessing or acquiring entitled benefits and ensure minority Veterans are afforded equal access to all services 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. Work Schedule: 8:00a - 4:30p Monday - Friday Telework: AdHoc Telework. 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Speciaist/PD704520 and PD704530 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/28/2023. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS 09 Qualifications: Specialized Experience GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: interpret federal EEO laws, regulations and policies to support facility EEO program; working in the EEO field and identifying problems; determining the accuracy and relevance of information; and using sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations to managers on EEO programs. 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 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related;. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and Specialized Experience directly related to the work of the position, as outlined above. GS 11 Qualifications: Specialized Experience GS-11: You 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, statues and Federal regulations, and applying analytical or fact finding techniques to interpret, resolve or recommend resolution for Federal EEO programs (e.g., informal or formal complaint of discrimination or disability process, Reasonable Accommodation, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Special Emphasis Program) for an organization. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a have 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; OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and Specialized Experience directly related to the work of the position, as outlined above. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalytical ReasoningCommunicationsConflict Management 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. Driver's License Requirement: Incidental operators are employees, other than those occupying a position officially classified as a motor vehicle operator, who are required to operate a Government-owned or -leased motor vehicle to properly carry out their assigned duties. To qualify as an incidental operator, an employee must possess a valid State license, have a safe driving record, pass a road test, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Physical Requirements: Physical demands in the job are very limited. Work is mainly sedentary. Typically, the incumbent will sit to perform work functions, with intermittent walking, standing, or carrying light items such as books, binders and reports, under 15 pounds. The use of a keyboard is required to access a computer to perform the work. The incumbent must be able to operate a government vehicle. Traveling off station to visit community-based outpatient clinics, the Walla Walla medical center, or to attend various meetings in the community may be necessary. Work Environment: The work is performed at a desk, workstation or table in a variety of office and conference room settings. The office and conference room environment is adequately heated and lighted. 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/.

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 here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4815 North Assembly Street Spokane, WA 99205 US
• Name: Gary Spence
• Phone: 206-277-5510
• Email: [email protected]