Job opening: Program Specialist
Salary: $60 526 - 78 683 per year
Published at: Aug 07 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is located at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama.
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.
Incumbent analyzes current and proposed program and budget operating programs to evaluate their actual or potential effectiveness in establishing and achieving goals and objectives set by the agency. The incumbent performs budget and program analysis duties and serves as the principal assistant to the Administrative Officer and Cemetery Director. Assures the coordination of the cemetery's Organization Assessment and National Shrine Standards as well as assists the Administrative Officer and Cemetery Director in accomplishing a variety of administrative functions.
Incumbent compiles and analyzes data, identifies trends, prepares reports, and recommends solutions for resolving problems and to ensure compliance with operational standards and measures. Assignments involve special studies and investigations to promptly detect problem conditions in connect with operations through the cemetery. Resulting recommendations and advice may have impact on more than one interrelated activity and have strong impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of future cemetery program operations. Studies relate to the full scope of interment operations, grounds maintenance operations, headstone/marker/niche cover operations, and equipment maintenance operations, as well as to other topics such as facilities, personnel and security.
Objective is to assess the productivity, effectiveness and efficiency of the programs of the cemetery operations and to recommend resolution of problems in a full range of administrative and field activities. Evaluates the overall effectiveness of the primary mission of the cemetery. Scope of work encompasses the evaluation of the effectiveness of the organizational mission and its component activities. Evaluates and monitors the eligibility process to assure that requests are handled timely and compassionately while meeting regulatory requirements.
Administers the allocated budget for the National Cemetery, including monitoring and tracking of all expenditures in assigned fund control points, including contract maintenance operations.
Must have or obtain a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Certification.
Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday. 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/PD1604825
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, 08/14/2024.
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.
Must have or obtain a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Certification.
You may qualify based on your education and/or experience, as described below:
To Qualify for the GS-09 Grade Level
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: interacting with customers and staff, analyzing data; preparing graphs, charts, presentations, maintaining a database system; tracking and logging expense items; scheduling appointments; coordinating meetings and scheduling conferences; establishing and maintaining an efficient filing and reference system for all files; using automated data processing equipment to generate a variety of reports; typing letters, memos, reports, etc. in final form; processing incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other forms of written communication; establishing priorities and setting deadlines; providing an interpretation of policies; gathering data; preparing reports, and making recommendations; develop findings, recommendations, and justifications, coordinating budgets, performing work as a Contracting Officer representative, etc. OR,
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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 do the work. 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 first 18 semester hours of graduate-level education earned.
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: The physical demand requires moderate amounts of walking, standing, bending, or stooping. In the absence of sufficient cemetery representative coverage, incumbent may be subjected to inclement weather in accomplishing their task.
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 Alabama National Cemetery
3133 Highway 119
Montevallo, AL 35115
US
- Name: NCA Human Resources Center
- Phone: (317)916-3660
- Email: [email protected]
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