Program Specialist

• Responsible for creating policies theories and strategies and putting them in to action to grow and strengthen Employee Engagement.
• Reviews employee satisfaction data; organizational performance planning as it relates to employee experience; and collaborates with services to develop organizational performance planning and development of long-term strategic initiatives geared toward improvement.
• Functions as the facilitys Program Specialist for Employee Engagement and Employee Experience.
• Researches ways to improve and enhance Employee Engagement and the Employee Experience and spreads/provides staff training on the key components for implementation.
• Performs tasks relating to budget execution by compiling resource data from various financial management reports.
• Conduct studies on new models of Employee Engagement growth to determine the benefit of this growth to the Employee Experience.
• Provides active leadership on interdisciplinary committees task forces and other groups which have the objective of improving organizational performance and/or strategic planning.
• Serves as the AES coordinator for VHSO controls coordinates analyzes validates and participates in the preparation of the AES and numerous other statistical and narrative reports.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pmsubject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD032920
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS):Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Physical Demands
The work is primarily sedentary although some slight physical effort may be required. Incumbent will
be required to have a valid drivers license to visit the multiple sites of the facility to assess program
effectiveness and milestone completion of implementation plans.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 07/23/2026.

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-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 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 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to:

• Experience planning developing and managing employee engagement and employee experience programs.
• Experience conducting complex analytical studies and evaluations.
• Experience collaborating with leadership and teams to implement initiatives.
• Experience designing coordinating and implementing employee engagement and employee experience programs including developing recognition activities organizational strategies and system-wide engagement initiatives.
• Experience conducting analytical studies and data-driven assessments using tools such as the All Employee Survey (AES) V-Signals SHEP and other feedback mechanisms to identify trends evaluate program effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Experience collaborating with executive leadership interdisciplinary teams and service lines to plan develop and execute long-range strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing organizational culture employee well-being and workplace performance.

OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 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. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation..

OR

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have the equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify a copy of your transcript is required.

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 Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans Preference.

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 these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at

Required Experience:

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