This position is located at the National Cemetery Administration in Washington, District of Columbia.

Duties

Position functions as the Program Specialist (Watch Officer) for NCA Current and Integrated Operations ("Watch Team") in the Office of the Executive Director, Cemetery Operations, National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Performs all program management work and activities for NCA Watch Team's three major areas of responsibility for program elements: NCA FNOE; NCA Cemetery Operations Master Action Calendar; and NCA Trip Packs and Leadership Biographies. This work and related activities include but are not limited to: Using technical knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, and Adobe Acrobat to create, revise, edit, file or otherwise organize or control communications, documents, files and other resources. Developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), process improvement initiatives, action plans and/or similar resources for program management. Executing effective control of the NCA Watch Team's major program areas through interpersonal leadership, continuity of communications, and recommendations to the Supervisor, Current and Integrated Operations. Supporting the Supervisor, Current, and Integrated Operations by assessing program health, advocating for program resources, and spearheading process improvement initiatives to include the design, development and tracking of project milestones and goals. Assisting the Supervisor, Current and Integrated Operations, in formulating and evaluating overall performance goals and objectives for program activities. Coordinating routinely with colleagues to gather information related to program improvement and advocates for program needs, objectives, and deliverables with other NCA offices as needed. Applying analytical and problem-solving techniques to identify, recommend and implement process and work product improvements and advises the Supervisor, Current and Integrated Operations, on achieving solutions to problems or issues by analyzing current work methodologies, practices, procedures, and resources to recommend improvements or enhancements for the benefit of the incumbent's team, the broader organization, and our internal and external customer groups. Supporting development and execution of reporting processes and procedures to monitor readiness and operational impacts for all NCA facilities ranging from minor incidents to emergency or disaster recovery and response actions. And, as needed, supports coordination with other VA, federal, state, and/or local components, including tribal governments to support monitoring of readiness and operational impacts to other facilities that have a relationship with NCA. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. May include occasional weekends. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is a Virtual Position. Virtual positions are where an employee works outside of original hiring duty station at VA-owned or leased space. The original hiring duty station for this position is National Cemetery Administration Central Office - Washington, DC and your work duty location will be at one of the following: NCA National Scheduling Office - St. Louis, MO Midwest District Office - Indianapolis, IN North Atlantic District Office - Philadelphia, PA Southeast District Office - Decatur, GA Continental District Office - Lakewood, CO Pacific District Office - Oakland, CA WAshington, District of Columbia Position Description Title/PD#: Program Specialist (Watch Officer)/PD1621637 The full performance level of this position is GS - 12. At the level GS-11, you will perform similar duties but under closer supervision. 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. 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.

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, 03/22/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 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 non-award SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-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 experience and/or education, as described below: GS-11 Specialized experience: 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 those similar to the GS-12 but at a lower level of responsibility. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such or a degree or LL.M, if related which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the 36 semester hours of higher graduate-level education earned. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) GS-12 Specialized experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: specialized administrative/office work experience that includes work such as applying complex fact-finding, analytical and problem-solving methods and techniques to identify problems and draw conclusions. This experience should also include knowledge of computers and computer programs; specifically, Microsoft Office Suite applications. Designs, develops, and generates recurring and/or ad hoc products and reports using a variety of desktop software packages and databases. (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 one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level). OR Education: There is no educational substitution at the GS-12 grade level of this position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalysis and Problem SolvingCommunicationComputer SkillsCritical Thinking 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 sedentary and requires sitting, walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items such as books, papers, files and laptop computers. Deployment to alternate work sites may be directed in support of emergencies, disasters, activation of the ERG, activation of the COOP or as directed to support drills or exercises. The work area is adequately lighted, heated and in ventilated areas. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Education

GS-12: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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