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Program Specialist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Hampton, Virginia
Closing date
Mar 11, 2021
Duties

Summary

This position is located at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) within Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 (VISN 6), Hampton, VA, under the Office of the Director.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but not limited to the following:
  • Design and conduct actions and initiatives incorporating measurable results to be used to address complex telephone customer service issues.
  • Analyzes data, creates reports, and is readily able to learn and make recommendations regarding telephone mapping and customer service to senior management.
  • Work with the QUAD and other senior leaders to develop, in collaboration with the facility Customer Experience Manager and Employee Education staff, telephone customer service training for all employees.
  • Implements mechanisms to evaluate impact of training and areas for further development.
  • Work with multiple workgroups to facilitate the telephone customer service initiatives approved by the Medical Center Director.
  • Provide expert advice to medical center leadership, facility committees and front-line staff in effective ways and behaviors that improve telephone customer satisfaction.
  • Evaluates current VAMC telephone system processes to distinguish customer service process problems and to propose solutions.
  • Researches telephone customer service best practices through literature review, networking and site visits for potential implementation at the medical center.
  • Performs management and/or program support work such as planning, research, analysis, correspondence control, communication, training program administration, special projects, and board/committee-related work.
  • Act as liaison between services and OI&T for telephone customer services.
  • Troubleshoot problems with Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) and telephone contractor and maintain communication with leadership and local staff about issues that impede excellent customer service.
  • Designs and develops reporting and analysis tools, metric, and dashboards to be used for research in the examination of internal and external telephone customer service activities.
  • Responsible for advising services on the potential benefits/uses of ACD to improve the efficiency of administrative support or program operations, and coordinating AGO service level needs to include requests for additional AGO licenses and requests for set up of new AGO users.
  • Maintains data base, tracking and trending of aims to sustainment as they relate to telephone customer service and SharePoint activity.

Work Schedule: 730-1600/800-1630, Monday-Friday
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD002776
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • 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
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process


Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/15/2021.

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-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 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:
  • 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: Knowledge of management principles, as it relates to telephone customer service goals and standards of analysis and evaluation, along with knowledge of standardized administrative practices and procedures to conduct studies; sufficient to monitor actions for improving telephone customer satisfaction based on review of national survey results, community survey results, internal survey results and focus groups; and track and trend customer data to identify problem areas, and make recommendations; Expertise in the field of telephone customer service relating principles and benchmarks for performance measures and goals to those of the facility and VISN, to effectively work with VA employees at all levels within the VAMC including key medical center staff, its committees and performance improvement teams, in the timely identification and resolution of telephone system problems that impede internal and external customer service; Knowledge and clear understanding of the performance improvement principles.Skill and ability to utilize a variety of coordinating, coaching, consensus-building and planning techniques to ensure that the work of the Telephone Customer Service Program is accomplished.Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness or the improvement of management processes and systems.Knowledge to plan, organize, and direct team study work, in efforts and to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations.Knowledge of key issues, program goals and objectives, to positively affect clinical and administrative work processes of the organization. Skill in conducting detailed analyses of complex functions and work processes to accomplish assignments that require analysis of interrelated issues of effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity affecting the telephone customer service administrative program of the VAMC. Demonstrated skill in oral and written communication with a variety of people from diverse backgrounds and various levels of understanding to effectively communicate with them. This may include clerical, technical, administrative and professional staff (medical and non-medical) people at all levels in the agency. Knowledge and skill in the use of computer equipment with a wide variety of software such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access and VHA databases to extract and organize data, produce letters, memorandums, and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms such as spreadsheets, database, word processing, desktop publishing, graphics and other related products. . OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (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 beyond one year of full-time graduate education. This education and experience must be directly related to the work of a Program Specialist. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9 (Transcripts Required).
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Creative Thinking
  • Forward Thinking
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication


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, although some slight physical effort may be required including movement throughout the medical center.

Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. Occasional travel may be required.

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/ .

Education

There is an 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.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified : applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ .

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following for each job listed:
1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet time-in-grade, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them;
2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience);
3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2007 to 04/13/2008);
4) Hours worked per week for each job listed
5) Full Name and address of Employer
6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name
7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action


The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
  • Cover Letter
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript


SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
  • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
  • An SF-50 showing 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
  • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
  • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
    • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
    • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
    • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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