This Instructional Systems Specialist position is based out of the National Cemetery Administration's National Training Center in St. Louis, MO.

Duties

This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Office of Management, Human Capital Management (HCM), Training and Safety Directorate. The training division is responsible for providing training to employees, supervisors, and other key personnel from NCA, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Interior, and state and tribal governments to ensure they have the skills necessary to be effective stewards of national and Veteran's cemeteries. Using the industry-standard "ADDIE" instructional design process - Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate. The Instructional Systems Specialist builds effective training that fully addresses organizational performance, skill and knowledge gaps to meet NCA strategic goal to implement competency-based training solutions to develop leaders, enhance individual performance, and support continuous learning. The NCA Training Program provides educational training services to NCA employees that are learner focused, accessible, performance linked, and cost-effective. The Instructional Systems Specialist develops and provides high quality educational/training programs for the workforce that are driven by and closely linked to VA/NCA strategic goals. Primary Purpose: The purpose of this position is to plan, develop, implement and consult on a variety of training projects to accomplish results-oriented outcomes and promote the values and goals of the department specifically in the areas of Leadership Development and Supervisory Training; provide expertise and guidance to NCA clients related to training approaches to enhance service to veterans and their families or improve business practices. Formulates recommendations for the development/creation of training solutions for the existing and projected systems that fulfill NCAs commitment to develop a highly skilled work force and which delivers services to veterans and their families in an effective and efficient manner. Creates dynamic and interactive instructional systems and training programs of major size and/or complexity that are aligned with organizational goals, staff development needs, and overall training requirements to ensure that NCA personnel have the appropriate knowledge and skills to successfully execute NCA's mission on a national scale. Conducts training analyses and needs assessment analyses to identify or validate requirements, using the ADDIE systems approach to training, for applicable training situations within the NCA. Applies industry accepted standards and practices, educational theories, and knowledge of cognitive/interactive team skills to support ADDIE phases in training solution life cycle. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Remote work may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate. Position Description Title/PD#: Instructional Systems Specialist/111519 The full performance level of this position is GS-13. Relocation Expenses: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Recruitment Incentive: Not authorized.

Requirements

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility: This vacancy is open only to current CTAP/ICTAP eligible applicants. To be eligible under CTAP for this vacancy you must: - be "surplus" or "displaced" from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - occupy a position in the same local commuting area of the vacancy- have a current performance rating of at least "fully successful" or equivalent - currently hold a GS-13 (FPL) or higher-grade position - meet the application deadline in the announcement - be found "well qualified" for the job. You are "surplus" if you: - are in the competitive service - are in tenure group I (career) or tenure group II (career-conditional); and -have an official notice from VA saying that your position is no longer needed. You are "displaced" if you: - are in the competitive service - are in tenure group I (career) or tenure group II (career-conditional); and - have an official notice from VA saying you will be separated by reduction in force. This notice could be a specific reduction in force separation notice; or a notice of proposed removal because you declined a directed reassignment or transfer of function out of the local commuting area. To receive selection priority in other agencies through the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), your current or last position must be/have been career (tenure group I) or career-conditional (tenure group II) in the competitive service, and you must fall under one of these categories: - RIF--you have been (or are being) involuntarily separated from an Executive branch agency through reduction in force - Transfer of Function/Directed Reassignment--you have been (or are being) separated under adverse action procedures because you declined a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another local commuting area - Injury Compensation--you were separated due to work-related injury, your worker's compensation benefits have stopped because you recovered, and your former agency is unable to place you through its Reemployment Priority List (RPL) - Disability Annuitant--you retired with a disability and your annuity has been /will be terminated because OPM considers you recovered - RIF--Retired--you received a RIF separation notice and elected either optional retirement on the RIF effective date, or discontinued service retirement on or before the RIF date - Military/National Guard Technician--you were a Military Reserve or National Guard Technician and now receive a special OPM disability retirement annuity. - If you fall into one of ICTAP categories above, you must also meet the following requirements. - have a current performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent*** - occupy or have been separated from a position in the same local commuting area of the vacancy - apply for a specific vacancy at or below the grade level you are being or have been separated from that does not have greater promotion potential than your last position - meet the application deadline and be found "well qualified" for the job. ***Note: This requirement does not apply if you qualify for ICTAP due to injury compensation or disability annuity. To qualify for a position under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/11/2023. You may qualify based on your education and experience, as described below: Basic Education Requirement: This position has a Basic Education Requirement. You must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least four of the following five areas: Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software. Selective Placement Factor-This position requires Kirkpatrick Evaluation Certification (Certificate of Completion required). Work Sample-Please provide example of your experience designing leadership development and supervisor training courses. (Include an example of course content Powerpoint/Instructor Guide and/or a narrative of types of courses created to include course topics.) Specialized Experience: To qualify for a position under CTAP/ICTAP, you must have specialized experience at or above the full performance level of the vacant position. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to documented experience developing and designing the instructional content (using the ADDIE systems approach to training) for instructor-led or web-based training courses in an adult education environment as well as experience coordinating and integrating the types and capabilities of instructional methods, materials, and media for a training plan/program. Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, salary, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have specialized experience at or above the full performance level of the vacant position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningCommunicationCreativity and InnovationEducation and TrainingEmployee Development 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Occasional travel may be required. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Education

There is no educational substitution for experience at this grade level however a transcript must be submitted with your application to establish the basic education requirement is met.

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: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. 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.

Contacts

• Address NCA Training Center 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]