Summary

This position is in the VA Central Office Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service. The Deputy Director serves as the principal advisor to the Executive Director of VR&E. This position may be filled in Washington DC.

Duties

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Specific duties include:

• Assists the Executive in formulation and implementation of national strategies, policies, regulations, and standards governing VR&E programs under Title 38, U.S.C. Chapters 31,35, and 36.

• Directs national policy for eligibility determination, vocational assessment, counseling services employment planning, rehabilitation services, and independent living programs.

• Exercises broad managerial authority over long-range planning, staffing, organizational priorities, and implementation of approved initiatives to advance VR&E program performance nationwide.

• Monitors and evaluates field station performance to ensure consistency, technical accuracy, and achievement of national program goals.

• Reviews and analyzes proposed legislation and Executive Orders, provides authoritative recommendations to ensure program alignment with statutory and regulatory requirements.

• Serves as the VR&E Service professional expert in conducting, administering, and advising in the areas of education, psychology, testing and evaluation, counseling, rehabilitation, job accommodations, and placement. Responsible for being fully knowledgeable about the technical aspects of Chapter 31 and the professional knowledge upon which Chapter 31 is based.

• Coordinates responses to Congressional, Office of Management and Budget, and Government Accounting Office inquiries, as well as the preparation of responses to controlled correspondence and/or executive communication.

• Participates in the design and directs the implementation of best practices, business process development, and requirement determinations for IT systems, the purpose of which is to assist and document the advancement of disabled veterans in public and private sectors.

• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.

Compressed/Flexible: 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#: Program Manager (Deputy Director); 396320.

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 OR 2-year trial 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 OR 2-year trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• 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 period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selectees are required to service a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:07/14/2026.

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.

• For a GS-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14 level.

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.

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

GS-15 Grade Level:

Specialized Experience: is defined as experience formulating effective strategies and setting national objectives and priorities from a long-term perspective; developing the ability of others through ongoing feedback, coaching, and formal and informal learning opportunities; preparing, justifying, and administering a program budget while monitoring expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs and policies. This experience also includes identifying and acting on the internal and external politics that impact the organization, including advising leadership and representing the program and making sound, well-informed decisions and committing to action in uncertain situations to accomplish organizational goals and cause change.

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:Position is sedentary.

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/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

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.

Review our benefits

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.