Summary The position will be supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, at the Southern Arizona VA Medical Center in the Compensated Work Therapy program within the Mental Health Service. The primary purpose of the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist is to provide a wide range of rehabilitation services to meet individual patients' needs, promote recovery from mental illness, and enhance independence and community integration. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Determines the vocational interests for program participants and introduces them to other services such as job seeking skills training, resume development, or interview skills training that may be required. Determines the extent to which the program participants possesses the knowledge, skills or abilities necessary to meet the guidance for expenditure of agency resources. Analyzes mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps, in terms of the practical effects of such handicaps on motivations, adjustment to training, and difficulty in employment placement. Engages the program participants in conversations about work, and introducing the idea of return to work activities. Assists program participants with networking, contacts within the community, and members of their personal support group. Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to ensure the patients' needs are being met and minimize any possible negative consequences. Seeks opportunities to provide constructive feedback to program participants with the goal of improving the probability of obtaining community employment. Networks in the local community with businesses and employers who are directly related to the interests and desires of the clients. Supports clients in all work-related tasks, including but not limited to: transportation, on the job training, support with co-workers and supervisor negotiations, and compliance with specifications of appropriate clinical support. Provides on-going support such as assistance with problem solving, developing interpersonal work relationships, maintaining work performance and quality, and life management activities. Documents interactions with program participants and is responsible to connect them with the appropriate resources to facilitate ongoing employment in a community setting. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. work schedule, but work schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the service. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD12976-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 dentification 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, 02/25/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing support and encouragement to participants including assistance with submitting resumes, completing applications, and job interview preparation; analyzing any mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps that may require adjustments to training and employment placement; AND forming relationships with community businesses, community resources, and community service providers. 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 master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (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 education beyond the first year. Preferred Experience: Bachelor's degree in Social Service/Human Service/Vocational Rehabilitation related fields. Three years experience working with Disabled Veterans. Experience with Job Development and Job Placement. Knowledge of Severe Mental Illness diagnoses and facilitating employment services to those Veterans with these diagnoses. Cultivating and maintaining of Community Work partnerships with employers. Marketing and Public Speaking experience as it relates to the ability to educate the public/Veterans on the CWT SE program. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Employee Development Interpersonal Effectiveness 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 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/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until February 25, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be December 26, 2025. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until position is filled. 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
