Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA). FSA is responsible for responsible for awarding billions of dollars in federal student aid funds.

Duties

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APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 50 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 50th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a Supervisory Training Specialist, GS-1712-15, you will be responsible for:

• Interpreting complex regulatory and statutory frameworks and advise institutions on high-stakes or precedent-setting issues.
• Monitoring changes to laws and regulation to determine impact on processes.
• Researching issues, developing practical recommendations, and translating complex information into clear guidance for senior leaders of higher education institutions.
• Designing, implementing, and evaluating technical assistance models that generate measurable operational improvements and represent FSA externally.
• Leading multi-year programs and complex projects; balancing resources, establishing metrics, and ensuring timely completion of complex initiatives.
• Authoritatively and persuasively communicating proposals, status information, evaluation data to senior leaders. Coordinating with other units to capture, store, and sharing knowledge products.
• Leading staff, setting organizational direction, and managing workforce performance. Planning, assigning work, scheduling technical assistance visits, and supervising assigned staff.
• Monitoring performance, providing regular feedback, and setting personal development targets. Conducting training needs analysis to identify skill gaps and aligning development with organizational goals. Fostering a high-performance, service-oriented environment.
• Translating complex topics into clear guidance; delivering authoritative communications to senior level internal and external stakeholders. Leading the creation and review of communication and stakeholder engagement strategy to enhance visibility, reputation, and buy-in. Representing FSA externally.
• Developing materials, engaging learners, and delivering desired learning objectives to produce measurable outcomes. Building and maintaining long-term relationships with senior-level school officials. Accurately authoring and editing audience-appropriate technical content.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has interagency agreements (IAAs) with other agencies to ensure efficient delivery of funded programs and activities, and move closer to fulfilling the President's promise to return education to the states. Employees may receive detail assignments to these agencies in support of the IAAs).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Key Requirements:

1. Relocation will not be paid.
2. You may be subject to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period.
3. Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
4. Must be a US Citizen.
5. Must complete a Background Investigation.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factor: You must meet the following selective placement factor: Must possess and maintain a valid state-issued driver's license to operate a motor vehicle.

Candidates who do not meet this requirement by the closing date of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

You may meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15, if you possess the specialize experience.

Specialized Experience for the GS-15

One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience analyzing, interpreting, and implementing (Federal Student Aid) Title IV HEA Program requirements relating to institutional compliance and monitoring activities.

2. Experience identifying procedural problems in Title IV administrations through qualitative and quantitative analysis, evaluating workflow effectiveness and efficiency to recommend and improve operational performance, streamline processes, and enhance program outcomes.

3. Experience training financial aid professionals in person and/or virtually.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1. Knowledge of federal Title IV HEA program statues, regulations, policies, and procedures.

2. Ability to engage with stakeholders and deliver technical assistance.

3. Ability to manage programs and projects.

4. Skill in leadership or supervision, and workforce development.

5. Ability to communicate and engage with senior-level internal and external stakeholders.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement.

Degree: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in education or a subject area related to the position to be filled. (Transcripts required)

Education cannot be substituted for experience for this position and grade level.

Foreign Education:

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

Additional information

Veterans' Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email [redacted] to schedule a session with a career counselor ("Veterans Counseling Session" should be placed in the subject line of the email).

Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.

Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.

Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.

Financial Disclosure: This position requires financial disclosure.

Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Selections: Agencies have broad authority under law to hire from any appropriate source of eligibles and may fill a vacancy in the competitive service by any method authorized. We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.

The incumbent may be required to travel up to 25 percent of the time to participate in monitoring and technical assistance activities

Reasonable Accommodation 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 the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/[redacted]5-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

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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.

As an ED employee, you will also benefit from our family-friendly work environment. As part of our commitment to maintain a work life balance, we offer excused leave for Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hours); excused leave for annual health screenings (4 hours); and matching leave for community volunteer service. Other flexibilities that may be available to you include alternative work schedules. You may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive for this position. To receive this incentive payment, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon. You may be eligible to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program as a recruitment incentive for this position. To receive student loan repayments, you will be required to sign a service agreement obligating you to remain with the U.S. Department of Education for a specified period as agreed upon.

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.