The Employee Specialist position is located with the Veterans Benefits Administration, San Juan, PR, Regional Office in Guaynabo, PR.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: 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. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Available Virtual: No Position Description/PD#: Employment Specialist/31623A,11623A, 01623A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Promotion Potential: Yes, at performance level GS-12

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this announcement.
• Subject to background or security investigation.
• Selective service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 09/15/2023. 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 the09/15/2023 of this announcement. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. NOTE: A SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. A copy of your most current SF 50 is required to verify your status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent non-award SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 1. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least grade the next lower grade (GS-07). 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. Or 2. Education: 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. (Must provide transcripts) Or 3. Combination of Education and Experience: Applicant must prove a combination of specialized experience and required education. To calculate; divide total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (Must provide transcripts). GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09). 1. 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 any position. 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. Or 2. Education: 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 3.Combination of Education and Experience: Applicant must prove a combination of specialized experience and required education. To calculate; divide total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide 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. GS-12: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11). Specialized Experience is defined as experience involving coordination of federal, private and public hiring authorities, working with veterans with disabilities to access veteran's employment goals and aligning them to the employment track that best meets their needs. The experience may have been gained in any position. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Human Resources experience in the Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Service Organization that involves staffing and/or employment law. Employment coordination duties for private, public or government entities that involve coordinating targeted outreach at various career fairs, jobs clubs, and/or job labs. There is NO educational substitution at the GS12 level. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, and/or carrying lightweight items. 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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Contacts

• Address San Juan Regional Benefit Office 50 Carr 165 Guaynabo, PR 00968-8024 US
• Name: Crystal Russell
• Phone: 601-364-7271
• Email: [email protected]