This position is located at the NCA First Notice of Death Office in Saint Louis, MO.

Duties

This position serves as a Lead Program Specialist within the Department of VA, National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Memorial Product Services (MPS) located in Washington, DC. The incumbent serves as subject matter expert for Veterans and their family members, funeral industry personnel, and other stakeholders for the scheduling of Veterans' and eligible dependents burials at 155 VA national cemeteries, and state Veterans' cemeteries, and for the provision of memorial products such as Government headstones, markers, and medallions, Presidential Memorial Certificates (PMCs), burial flags, plaque, and urns. The incumbent leads a high-performing team of 15 GS-09 Program Specialists responsible for explaining benefit and eligibility criteria, conducts telephone interviews, reviews and analyzes documents and information, identifies and resolves issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, generates correspondence letters, provides in-depth analysis and reports, facilitates training, conducts quality reviews, and enters information into NCA systems accurately and timely. 1. Ensures the NGA/MPS strategic plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the members of the team and are integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives. work plans and work products and services. 2. Articulates and communicates to the team the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion. 3. Coaches team members concerning the application of appropriate problem-solving methods and techniques; providing advice on work methods, practices, and procedures; and assisting the team and/or individual members in identifying a workable solution. 4. Trains or arranges for the training of team members in methods and techniques of team building and working in teams to accomplish tasks or projects, and provide or arrange for specific administrative or technical training necessary for accomplishment of individual and team tasks. 5. Leads the team in identifying, distributing, and balancing workload and tasks. 6. Monitors and periodically reports to the Site Supervisor on the status and progress of the team and individual case manager accomplishments, checking on work in progress and reviews completed work to ensure instructions have been followed and deadlines met. 7. Serves as a coach and mentor to all team members and facilitates the coordination of team initiatives and consensus building activities. 8. Communicates work assignments, new projects, issues for resolution, program initiatives and instructions, work deadlines and time frames for completion to the team. 9. Meets with the Site Supervisor to discuss resources needed in order to accomplish production related targets or goals. 10. Prepares reports and maintains records of work accomplishments and administrative information, as required and coordinates the preparation, presentation and communication of work-related information to the Site Supervisor. 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: May Be available Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Lead Program Specialist/PD1655715 The full performance level of this position is GS - 11. At the level GS-09, 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, 08/21/2024. 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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or Education, as described below:GS-09: 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: Leading, guiding and mentoring team members; explaining benefits and eligibility criteria; conducting telephone interviews; reviewing and analyzing documents and information; identifying and resolving issues; gathering relevant evidence; adjudicating claims; generating correspondence letters; providing in-depth analysis and reports; facilitating training; conducting quality reviews; and entering information into systems accurately and timely. 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 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as described above. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) GS-11: 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: Leading, guiding and mentoring team members; explaining benefits and eligibility criteria; conducting telephone interviews; reviewing and analyzing documents and information; identifying and resolving issues; gathering relevant evidence; adjudicating claims; generating correspondence letters; providing in-depth analysis and reports; facilitating training; conducting quality reviews; and entering information into systems accurately and timely. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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, which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education as described above. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCritical ThinkingDatabase Management SystemsDecision MakingLeadershipOral CommunicationWriting 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 primarily sedentary and may require occasional standing bending, walking, and stooping. 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 NCA First Notice of Death Office 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: NCA Human Resources Center
• Phone: (317)916-3660
• Email: [email protected]