Summary The Education Program Specialist (EPS) is responsible for initiating, planning, coordinating, delivering and evaluating education programs/projects that support the professional development of staff at Ralph H. Johnson Health Care System and associated community based outpatient clinics. The EPS is supervised by Chief of Employee Experience. Responsibilities Major duties of this position includes, but are not limited to: Develops innovative courses for diverse training programs. This may include adapting or modifying current instructional material into appropriate course frameworks. Instructs courses and program curricula with enduring resource materials. Education may include a diverse spectrum and should include innovative teaching strategies, tools, theory that are designed for individual learning needs or broad target audiences Organizes, illustrates, advertises, and communicates education opportunity throughout the medical center and Communicate Based-Outreach Clinics. Independently performs courses evaluation by gathering, analyzing and trending pertinent data. Develops and implements recommendations or designs program enhancements to optimize delivery for the intended target audience. Develops, modifies, and adapts education delivery in response to various aspects such as individual learner needs, available materials, information, research, delivery modalities, logistics, regulatory and documentation requirements. Formulates new or revised policy/standards covering professional development programs, activities, or functions for which Employee Experience Service has responsibility. Plans and develops educational programs and/or projects where the program is of moderate size and complexity covering of one or more specific areas within the education program with support and close supervision. Provides technical support, assistance and training to staff who need assistance with educational software and learning management systems. This may include planning and delivery of customer support systems such as installation, configuration, troubleshooting, program assistance, training, system access in response to learner needs. Coordinates educational program/project activities such as meetings, conferences, task groups, information gathering and contract negotiations. Meets the needs of internal and external customers (employees, patients, and trainees). Utilizes various computer applications and software in the performance of duties, i.e. MS-Excel, Access, Visio, Publisher, Outlook, InfoPath, Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VisTA) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and public related education and resource websites. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm, Monday - Friday (subject to change based on the needs of the organization) Telework: This position may be authorized for telework (ad hoc only). Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Education Program Specialist/PD019360 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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 To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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, 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, 03/27/2026. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 1720 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. All applicants must meet one of the following for this position: Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, OR Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, plus appropriate experience or additional education. OR Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university. OR At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion. In additional to meeting the above IOR, applicants must also possess the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience - experience that equipped the applicant with particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of Education Program Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been 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 may include, but are not limited to: demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and evaluating professional training programs, ability to assess learning needs, develop curriculum, and facilitate engaging in-person and virtual training sessions for diverse employee groups, knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design methodologies, and current trends in workplace learning and development, experience collaborating with cross-functional teams to align training initiatives with organization goals and enhance overall employee experience, excellent communication skills, presentation, and project management skills. 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. 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
