This position is located at the Bakersfield National Cemetery in Arvin, California.

Duties

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. The incumbent, as a Cemetery Administration Specialist, will monitor committal services for compliance with the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) standards pertaining to the mission to "honor Veterans and their families with final resting places in National Shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifices to our Nation." The incumbent represents the cemetery and the entire NCA at committal services at the National Cemetery, and at outreach events, answering questions and providing information to Veterans regarding memorial benefits. The representative is also versed in providing information to eligible family members of Veterans regarding any memorial benefits they may be eligible to receive. The incumbent of this position performs a wide variety of administrative duties in support of cemetery operations. The specific focus is on working together with the Administrative Officer and/or Cemetery Administrator in planning and administering the cemetery operations. Additional duties include, but are not limited to: Investigation and determination of eligibility for interment activities of the National Cemetery; Performs clerical office automation and typing duties in support of the administration (which requires the use of computer software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.) and interment activities and is responsible for ensuring required reports are completed accurately and timely; Acts as clearing point for problems that arise such as: Congressional or other inquiries on eligibility for burial; continuation of reserved gravesites determination of legality and eligibility of widows, widowers and children of eligible service persons and decedents interred in the cemetery; remarried spouse interment with their first spouse, family members requesting burial with parents, children and siblings; and discrepancies in name, service number, dates of service, rank of organization, etc. Performs other duties as assigned. 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 Position Description Title/PD#: Cemetery Administration Specialist/137070 The full performance level of this position is GS-07. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.
• 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.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
• Must have the ability to type at least 40 words per minute.

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, 02/07/2024. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 grade level. 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 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 tine-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. Must have the ability to type at least 40 words per minute. Must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license. You may qualify based on your education and/or experience, as described below: To Qualify for the GS-07 Grade Level Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-05) or equivalent. Specialized experience includes experience such as, but not limited to: gathering data, coordinating meetings, establishing and maintaining an efficient filing system, using computer software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.) to generate a variety of reports, meeting internal and external customer needs and establishing priorities and meeting deadlines, serving as the clearing point for issues or problems that arise, skill in communicating with the public under stressful situations, and handling conflicts and problems with customers constructively and appropriately. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for specialized experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 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 a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA is defined as (1) cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher our 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 freshmen honor societies). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond 4 years of undergraduate level education earned). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationCritical ThinkingCustomer ServiceSelf-ManagementWriting 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 conducted outdoors in all weather conditions to include severe heat and cold. It involves walking, standing for long periods and carrying 23-35 pounds. Incumbent will be required to drive a government sedan, minivan, SUVs and/or pickup and must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license. Approximately one half of the work is performed in an outdoor setting; approximately on half of the work is performed in an office setting. 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: 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 Bakersfield National Cemetery 30338 East Bear Mountain Blvd Arvin, CA 93203 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]