Summary

Serves as the Fisher House Manager within Voluntary and Hospitality Service at VAPAHCS overseeing all administrative, supervisory, and liaison functions for a multi-room Fisher House lodging facility supporting families of hospitalized Veterans and active duty service members, including daily operations, staff and volunteer supervision, budget and donation management, safety, guest support, and coordination with leadership, the Fisher House Foundation, and internal and community partners.

Duties

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Major Duties:

• Manages the day-to-day operations of the VA Palo Alto Fisher House, a multi-guest family lodging program serving Veterans, Service members, and their families.
• Provides supervisory leadership to a multidisciplinary team including a GS-9 Program Specialist, GS-6 Program Support Assistant, contract housekeeping staff, and volunteers, to ensure high-quality guest services.
• Develops, implements, and maintains local policies, SOPs, and house rules governing Fisher House eligibility, referrals, lodging operations, and guest services.
• Serves as the primary liaison between Fisher House guests and clinical teams, coordinating referrals, resolving guest concerns, and ensuring access to services such as Social Work, Patient Advocate, and clinical care.
• Builds and maintains effective working relationships with the Fisher House Foundation, VA Central Office Fisher House Program, community partners, and Veteran Service Organizations to support the program mission.
• Plans and coordinates community outreach and special events (tours, open houses, holiday activities, ambassador visits), including collaboration with Public Affairs to increase awareness of the Fisher House program.
• Develops and manages the Fisher House operating budget, including fund control points, General Post Funds, and resource utilization for daily operations, maintenance, and periodic refurbishment.
• Oversees facility safety, maintenance, and housekeeping, including inspections, work orders, safety drills, emergency planning, and ensuring a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for guests.
• Designs and delivers training and orientation for staff, volunteers, and stakeholders on Fisher House policies, customer service, safety, emergency procedures, and roles and responsibilities.
• Maintains program records and reports (donations, occupancy, budgets, key activity reports) and represents the Fisher House at facility committees, planning meetings, and external conferences.

Work Schedule: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. M-F

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/PD6838-O

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-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.
• 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 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/29/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Manages Resources
• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating

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:

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 no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.