Vocational Development Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is physically located at the Vancouver VAMC. The incumbent in this position serves as the Vocational Development Specialist for Homeless Veterans.

The employee is a central figure (liaison, advocate, technical advisor) responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum in order to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 04/06/2026.

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 within 30 days of 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 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.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR).

An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 1715 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below: Undergraduate and graduate education Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position (Transcript required).

OR, Specialized experience (for positions above GS-5): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program.

Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention.

Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement requirements, applicants may qualify based on experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 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: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program.

Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M.

with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts Required.

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond 2 years (36 semester hours) as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position.

NOTE: Transcripts Required. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position.

Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.

The SPF for this position is: Maintain a valid state issued Driver's License and a safe driving record.

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: The work of this position is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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/.

Major Duties:

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides information, pre-employment assessment and workforce re-entry planning services, linkage, and coordination for VA and non-VA services, and community-based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment.

The incumbent is expected to establish respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies, including community employers.

Provides guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VAMC on resources that enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans, particularly those who are homeless or have other barriers to employment.

Works with local staff in developing templates for concise, individualized Veteran-centered assessments to determine the needed intensity level of employment services and support for homeless Veterans.

Serves as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement and support services for homeless Veterans.

Leads efforts to establish a local employment collaborative which includes VA and non-VA members and community-based employers, and documents access points, requirements for participation and points of contact as indicated.

Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community-based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative.

Insures that through the collaborative, competitive employment resources of varying levels of intensity are currently available for homeless and chronically homeless Veterans both at the medical center and in the community.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm PST Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist/PD21472-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Approved