Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Staff Learning and Development within the Office of the Management, Headquarters, Washington, DC. OSLD leads Peace Corps efforts to become a high-performing learning organization that consistently works towards employee development. This Division is responsible for training and career development programs that support Federal mandate, Peace Corp policy, occupational requirements, and individual professional growth.
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Responsibilities

The Training Specialist (Employee Development) performs the following major duties:
Curricula Administration for Training & Development Programs

• Leads the design, development, implementation, management, and assessment of leadership and employee development curricula for the Agency.
• Develops new courses and seminars which meet the specifications of the instructional strategy for course objectives, course manuals, selections of instructors, and post-course assessment tool.
• Assists in the identification of innovative approaches to instructional design by creating and testing new techniques for analysis of needs. Assists in the development of instructional strategies to improve effectiveness of the agency.
• Conducts current literature searches and research in training, education, and instructional technology to identify and apply improved methods. Stays abreast of changes in training needs and trends in the federal government to identify and coordinate potential changes or new courses for the Agency.
• Identifies need for updates to training materials and assessing facilitator/instructor delivery. Oversees development of related materials-marketing, forms, jobs aids and manuals, evaluation etc. to support assigned programs.

???????Training Services Program Management and Administration

• Leads administration of the Peace Corps Global Onboarding program, PATH, for all levels of staff and implements track-based Career Development programs for various departments across the Agency.
• Implements agency employee development program and delivers in-resident and online trainings to Agency workforce, including Headquarters and worldwide Posts. Activities include trainee selection, course support, classroom management, instruction and delivery, course evaluation; and return-on-investment determinations.
• Successfully executes Career Development programs to include tracking and resourcing education for individuals in positions requiring certification and/or licensure such as Medical Support Staff, Acquisition, Contracting Staff and IT Staff.
• Proposes and/or develops new or revised agency-wide employee training and development policies, procedures, and guidelines. Prepares, develops and conducts workshops for employees and managers to disseminate information regarding regulations, directives, agency policies and Federal statutes related to training and development.
• Develops career progression tracks for key agency occupations.
• Develops procedures, criteria and standards for use in evaluating the agency training and educational programs and conducts surveys to evaluate program effectiveness in relation to the needs of the agency.
• Works collaboratively with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Manager to design and administer the data in conjunction with agency missions, organizational goals and employee development needs. Based on analysis, identifies training solutions that fit training needs to be administers to employees, managers and supervisors within the agency. Training Services and Assistance

Training Services and Assistance

• Provides advisory services to OSLD management on training and development programs of critical importance or top priority to the Agency's mission.
• Serves as an authoritative consultant and troubleshooter on training and development issues.
• Provides technical assistance and advisory services in the development of new or expanded training programs, in areas such as program design, content and evaluation.
• Provides advisory assistance in the development of methodologies, policies, and procedures for administering new training and development programs and products.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Conditions Of Employment

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• You must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination.
• All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• A one (1) year trial period is required.
• This is a bargaining unit position.
• This position requires a Moderate risk Public trust background security clearance.

Peace Corps Information

• This is a Federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. PC employees are paid on the Foreign Service scale and employment is limited not to exceed (NTE) 5 years.
• Qualified internal applicants will be given first consideration.
• Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.
• Peace Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
• Peace Corps is a drug free workplace and promotes a drug free environment.
• Peace Corps is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture. Our goal is to attract and develop the best and brightest from all lifestyles and backgrounds. Peace Corps strives to create a culture of inclusion where individuals feel respected and are treated fairly in all aspects of differences. Our commitment is to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
• Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-692-1200 or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity on 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience:

You must meet the specialized experience at the grade level(s) in which you choose to be considered by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 10/21/2021 (the closing date of the announcement). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate dates of employment by month, day, and year and the number of hours worked per week in your resume.

This vacancy is being announced at one (1):

FP-03

Qualifying experience for the FP-03 level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the FP-04 or GS-11/12 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience designing employee development online courses and seminars to agency workforce; selecting trainees, course support, instruction and delivery and course evaluation; and preparing, developing and conducting workshops for leadership to disseminate information regarding regulations, directives, agency policies and Federal statues related to training and development.

Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Internal applicants and Federal employees who are currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying FP-04 or GS-11/12. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees (including internal employees) must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

All qualification requirements must be met by 10/21/2021 (the closing date of this announcement). Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Please note: Peace Corps employees are employed using the Foreign Service Salary Schedule (FP). The FP pay plan does not follow the same structure as the GS pay plan. In the FP pay plan, as the grade-level numbers decrease the level/pay for the position increases (the FP-09 is the lowest, entry, level/pay and the FP-01 is the highest, senior, level/pay).

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- education or a subject area related to the position to be filled.

or

Experience that provided evidence of the ability to instruct students in the use of equipment, principles, or practices of the subject or occupation.

Additional information

Intelligence Background Information

Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position. This section prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.

Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases.

Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request in the future a completed Intelligence Background Questionnaire, or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions. If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated based on your resume, attached supporting documentation and your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire. Your materials will be evaluated to validate your possession of any required knowledge, skills, abilities (KSA) and/or competencies. The following competencies will be evaluated in the self-assessment questionnaire:

• Contracting/Procurement
• Education and Training
• Managing Human Resources
• Stakeholder Management

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration; including any documentation that is being used for qualifications. Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed by a Human Resources Specialist, which must support the answers you provided. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for disqualification.

National Service (e.g., volunteer) refers to paid & unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, community, student).

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package. This includes: a detailed resume, a completed electronic self-assessment questionnaire, an SF-50 (for current and former Federal employees, including internal employees), and the submission of any other required documents. All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 10/21/2021 (the closing date of this announcement).

Resume: Include relevant work experience including job title, duties and accomplishments, employer name and address, supervisor name and phone number, start and end dates, hours per week & salary. If you are a current Federal employee or former Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09).

Veterans Documents: Veterans' preference in appointment does not apply to this vacancy; however, if you are using your 30% or more disability rating to be considered, you must attach all required documentation; including a DD-214 reflecting the type of discharge, the SF-15 and a VA Letter. Proof of a service-connected disability is required at the time of application. For more information regarding veterans' preference, please review the OPM Vet Guide .

Federal Employees: If you are a current or former Federal employee (including internal employees), you must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 (and/or the SF-50 which verifies your reinstatement eligibility). Please note that this appointment does not convey career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service; however, federal employees who have earned career tenure will not lose it as a result of this appointment.

Qualifications Based on Education or a Combination of Education and Experience: If you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s) or an appropriate course listing with a diploma. Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be used towards qualifications. Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by recognized institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website .

Note: All applicants (including internal) are required to submit the applicable documents listed above as verification of eligibility. If you fail to provide the information requested, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for these positions.