Summary

The incumbent represents and acts as the Chief and may represent the Assistant Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other Government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones.

Duties

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Specific duties include:

• The incumbent represents and acts as the Chief and may represent the Assistant Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other Government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones.
• Manages projects: typical projects include(1) Performance of needs assessments to identify or validating requirements for training; (2) Data analysis and/or evaluation of training programs and instructors; (3) Creation of and/or revision of training products, such as guidebook, and job aids, to be distributed to the field; (4) Selection of subject matter experts utilized for course development, classroom training, and broadcast duties; and (5) Management and administration of training, projects, and workload (6) Effectively makes recommendations pertaining to hiring.
• Provides status reports on the progress of the training-related initiatives and establishes goals and tracks the progress of those efforts toward meeting established milestones. Ensures that the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, work plans and work product and services.
• Monitors and reports the status and progress of staff workload, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to ensure that leadership instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met timely.
• Responds to inquiries related to compensation training issues requiring specific knowledge of training programs and systems as they relate to VBA training curriculum training events and Veterans Service Center activities.
• Serves as a mentor and lead over assigned team. Address day to day inquiries on a variety of issues from workload to simple personnel issues and ensures that appropriate leadership is engaged in all activities on the team.
• Identifies field training needs through review and analysis of quality findings, surveys, focus groups, and similar tools that provide feedback and priorities from employees, managers, and supervisors. Analyzes the results of these needs assessments and makes plans for training to meet the identified needs.
• Recommends innovative programs and new approaches that improve the effectiveness of training. Considers training objectives, program needs and associated costs, VA priorities, and the availability of subject matter experts in formulating recommendations.
• Plans, coordinates, executes, and oversees national training initiatives. This includes setting up national training sites, surveys, selecting and coordinating instructors, assignment of students, in conjunction with other VBA staff elements. This also includes the creation and maintenance of a national computer student-training database.
• Represents the Director at meetings and conferences within VA, at other government agencies, with VA contractors and with representatives of service, civic and fraternal organizations. Has the authority to speak for and commit the Director to courses of action that involve training plans and operations.
• Advises on Compensation Service training policy and planning. This includes providing service-connected disability claims processing subject matter expertise, guidance, and advice on issues with compensation claims, processing, and technical training.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.

Telework: This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Lead Veterans Claims Examiner; PD37681A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In 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.

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period
• 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 I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/31/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 14 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-14.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

GS-14 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Incumbent must show a mastery of planning, effective communication orally and in the written format, in order to provide cohesive training necessary to facilitate training wide information to both seasoned and new employees. The incumbent must possess knowledge of Federal, state, and local laws, regulations, procedures, and judicial determinations applicable to administering compensation, pension, and related benefits. The incumbent must have experience in the methods and techniques of instruction, which includes: a subject matter expert writer/instructor developing training materials through analysis, such as, but not limited to ELITE certification.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, however, may include significant periods of standing while providing classroom instruction or course managing.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no education substitution for the GS-14 grade level.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 your current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/[redacted]5-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

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

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.