This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO), Learning, Education, and Development Strategy (LEADS). The primary purpose of this position is to establish strategies, policies, and evaluations for department wide workforce development programs, and design and develop traditional, blended e-Learning curriculum. Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Duties

As an Instructional Systems Specialist, GS-1750-12/13, your typical work assignments may include: Developing, planning and conducting collaborative outreach programs with internal and external experts (e.g., curriculum designers, course writers, instructors, and subject-matter experts) for various instructional materials. Conducting studies, interpreting survey data and recommending minor and major changes to curriculum for continuous process improvement of training and development programs. Communicating with and providing support to content owners on developing performance tests and survey instruments, including pre- and post-tests; Developing, reviewing, and revising instructional materials for courses or occupations in accordance with specific learning objectives. Providing advisory and consultative technical guidance and direction to course managers across the department. Researching source authority documents and providing recommendations and justifications for the use of requested mandatory training courses. All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5-business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 100 applications have been received, whichever happens first. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
• Current federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
• You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: (TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED) You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited college or university that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of this Instructional Systems Specialist position. The course work must include study in at least four of the following five areas: 1) Learning Theory/Psychology of Learning/Educational Psychology: i.e., the study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material; 2) Instructional Design Practices: i.e., the 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; 3) Educational Evaluation: i.e., the 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; 4) Instructional Product Development: i.e., the study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training; and 5) Computers in Education and Training: i.e., the study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software. Specialized Experience: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the federal service, or comparable experience in the public or private sector, 1) providing technical advice and assistance to an organization on all aspects of curriculum development, 2) analyzing training accreditation and training evaluation program areas, and 3) establishing strategies, policies, and evaluations for an organizational workforce development program. (Your resume must fully support these responses; otherwise, you will be found ineligible). You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the federal service, or comparable experience in the public or private sector, 1) developing and modifying novel criteria for courses required for employee professional development, 2) analyzing training needs and requirements determination in order to develop comprehensive training materials that fully meet customer expectations, 3) reviewing organizational training program needs to formulate innovative approaches and strategies to increase effectiveness of highly visible training programs impacting employees nationwide, and 4) planning and conducting difficult training assessments, evaluations, and assignments. (Your resume must fully support these responses; otherwise, you will be found ineligible). Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement. Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE. 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, religious, 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Contacts

• Address Department of Homeland Security Headquarters OCHCO/HRMS/MS #0170 6595 Springfield Center Drive Springfield, VA 20598-0170 US
• Name: Lori Pollacci
• Phone: 202-573-0592
• Email: [email protected]