The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Specialist for the EEO/Affirmative Employment (EEO/AE), Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), and external Civil Rights (CR) functions for the VA Western North Carolina Healthcare System, Asheville, North Carolina within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Duties

The EEO Specialist assists the EEO/D&I Manager in planning, development, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of the Affirmative Employment and EEO Programs in the organization. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Serves as an EEO/D&I Specialist responsible for providing a wide range of administrative and technical support while performing a variety of duties to ensure that all EEO/D&I Program activities are administered and implemented to the organization's leadership, staff and employees Develops and presents training programs and provides advice regarding the broad range of EEO/D&I and Affirmative Employment issues impacting the organization Develops and maintains appropriate statistical data regarding the discrimination complaint process, responds to routine inquiries from complainants and responding management officials and assists with preparing various reports; Conducts analysis of trends regarding demographic data and maintains appropriate contact with officials (from the Office of Resolution Management, managers and supervisors and the Office of Regional Counsel) pertaining to the EEO discrimination complaint process and other related EEO/D&I Program matters Reviews EEO/D&I policies and guidance and updates as needed Provides broad program support and administrative responsibilities such as coordinating and planning the logistics for meetings, training and performing all other related duties associated with the EEO/D&I Program Reviews and implements projects that impact the operations of the organization, determines program effectiveness through periodic assessment Prepares correspondence for the signature of senior level officials. Reviews and drafts correspondence and reports as required Designs, implements and facilitates EEO/D&I and related training. Provides support to the EEO/D&I Program Manager; Provides advisory services to all levels of management regarding the requirements and implications of the office services provided Provides advice to managers and supervisors on how provided services can assist in accomplishing their mission and programs Assists with the management of the Special Emphasis Programs Drafts Equal Employment Opportunity Program Status Report, Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP) Report, Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Plan (DVAAP) Report and other EEO reports as required Incumbent performs other related duties as assigned 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. Work Schedule: Part-Time 40 hours per pay period. 8:00am - 4:30pm (5 days per pay period) Telework: This position is approved for Ad-Hoc Telework Only. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist/PD044790 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/22/2024. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. Note: A non-award SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent 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 SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education, as described below: GS-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as an Equal Opportunity Specialist. Examples of qualifying experience includes, but is not limited to working directly with managers and employees to provide information about facility personnel policies, procedures, and guidelines; Under the direction of the EEO Manager, provides management with advice on the requirements of the equal employment opportunity program; Ensuring that information communicates agency policy and regulatory requirements; applying a good working knowledge and skill in interpreting, explaining, and applying federal EEO laws, regulations and policies; Knowledge of the jurisdiction of the State and local Equal Employment Opportunity compliance agencies; Skill in written and oral communication to write letters, memoranda, and reports and to clearly explain complicated regulations, procedures and concepts to persons outside of the agency. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement in the discipline of Human Resources Management that included coursework specifically related Labor Relations, Employment Laws, Regulations and Policies, etc. 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 directly related to knowledge, skills and abilities that has equipped me to do the work of an Equal Employment Specialist. For GS-9: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the principles, concepts, legal requirements, and methodology of the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program and skill in applying this knowledge to perform assignments independently for which there are precedents. Practical knowledge and skill in interpreting, explaining and applying a body of laws, regulations and procedures. Skill in applying conventional fact-finding, analytical and problem-solving methods. Knowledge of the common policies, practices and operations of the Federal personnel system, the structure and function of Federal agencies including the Veterans Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). Knowledge and skill to analyze facts identify problems, report findings, make conclusions and recommendations of corrective action or other appropriate action. Knowledge and skill to deal effectively with people in various settings (meetings, committees, panels, mediations, etc.) and to identify and make recommendations for programs or solutions to problems. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level which included coursework specifically related to Employee/Labor Relations, Employment Laws, Regulations and Policies, etc For GS-11: Specialized Experience: 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, but are not limited to: Comprehensive knowledge of the laws, regulations, executive orders, court decisions and issues related to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Diversity and Inclusion Program such as Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 and skills to interpret and apply this knowledge to a variety of difficult and complex work assignments. Thorough knowledge of and skill in applying the operating principles, methods and techniques of the EEO/D&I Program to include the fact-finding, analysis, counseling, discrimination complaint and investigative processes, the roles of the EEO/D&I Committee and Special Emphasis Programs, as well as all required plans and reports. Comprehensive knowledge of VHA's organization, administrative and operating program missions, goals, objectives and regulations, sufficient to serve as an expert analyst on program implementation and advisor to top management officials. Knowledge of basic principles involved in recruitment, selection, labor relations, job evaluation, and other Human Resources specialties. Knowledge sufficient to identify barriers to Equal Employment opportunities, the cause and effects of discriminatory practices against protected classes of individuals and the ability to establish objectives to eliminate systemic program deficiencies; Able to routinely access data from federal databases, research, retrieve, update, analyze and maintain EEO case documents and information independently. Extensive knowledge of MS Excel, MS TEAMs, MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Adobe Acrobat Pro. Must be familiar in researching and developing presentations as well as conducting trainings/presentations virtually and in-person. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. 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 a degree or LL.M., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level which included coursework specifically related to Employee/Labor Relations, Employment Laws, Regulations and Policies, etc You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ThinkingInformation ManagementLegal, Government and Jurisprudence

Education

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 regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, sitting in conferences and meetings, and occasional visits to facility work sites

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: John Westling
• Phone: 828-333-3451
• Email: [email protected]