This position is located at the Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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 is responsible for providing support to the Cemetery Director and other management staff regarding the efficiency, quality and timely completion of Cemetery reports and statistical information by collecting, forecasting information and report data and producing monthly/quarterly/annual reports used for measuring program success. In addition, the incumbent performs procurement management functions in administering the facility operational programs and a wide range of budgetary program management functions. This position is responsible for providing miscellaneous administrative support to the cemetery staff in direct support of the mission or objectives of the National Cemetery Administration. Analyzes current and proposed program and budget operating programs to evaluate their actual or potential effectiveness in establishing and achieving the goals and objectives set by the agency. Compiles and analyzes data, identifies trends, prepares reports, and recommends solutions for resolving problems to ensure compliance with operational standards and measure. Assesses the productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency of cemetery programs/operations and recommends solutions. Ensure compliance with budget performance measures and administers the allocated budget for the cemetery to include the monitoring and tracking of all expenditures. Prepares necessary correspondence, reports, and documentation. Incumbent may also act as an alternate Contracting Officer Representative (COR) as needed to provide oversight of numerous contractors and to ensure the completion of those contracted tasks. Incumbent will perform duties as Cemetery Representative providing assistance and information to veterans and visitors of the cemetery. 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 Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Program Specialist/PD141180 The full performance level of this position is GS - 09. 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, 03/27/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 possess and maintain a valid state driver's license. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education, as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: budget experience, purchases and contracts, performing administrative functions, data entry and preparing reports. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-09 level: master's or equivalent graduate degree OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 18 semester hours. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first year or 18 semester hours of graduate level education). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-09. For example, an applicant who has 1 year of graduate level education (18 semester hours) plus another 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required specialized experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Budget AdministrationCommunicationsComputer SkillsPlanning and EvaluatingProblem Solving 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: Work is primarily sedentary, sitting behind a desk in the office. There maybe be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items like papers or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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 Biloxi National Cemetery 400 Veterans Avenue Bldg. 1001 Biloxi, MS 39531 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]