Summary The employee will serve as the Supervisory Social Science Program Specialist, located in the Office of Mental health and Suicide Prevention , Veterans Crisis Line, Veterans Affair (VA). The VCL is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year service aimed at connecting callers worldwide to a caring, qualified Veterans Administration employee. The VCL's mission is to provide 24/7, world-class suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to Veterans, Service Members and their family members. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: Supervises Training staff by providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through both formal and informal performance management evaluations. Observes staff's performance, providing performance and productivity input and taking appropriate steps to recommend and/or effect changes when needed to enhance employee and section performance. Assures that employees are trained or otherwise familiar with duties/responsibilities and Office of Mental health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP _policies and procedures. Assures subordinates are adequately trained to perform their assigned duties, recommending additional training when needed or required to enhance employee development. Performs supervisory duties within the scope of existing OMHSP policies and within the scope of the negotiated labor contract. Resolves informal complaints and grievances. Recommends personnel actions, including disciplinary and performance-based actions. Makes recommendations for recognition of special contributions and/or superior performance by employees. Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative and qualitative basis, the effectiveness of training programs and initiatives in meeting established goals and objectives. Continuous oversight of assigned program areas for effectiveness is essential and directly impacts OMHSP organizations in meeting its mission and goals. Evaluating and analyzing training needs, assigning workload, reviewing processes, and assessing functional requirements of all training activities from contact center operations to social science services. Provides guidance and technical direction to staff for accomplishing the work of the unit. Plans and distributes work, assigns projects/tasks, balances workload, keeps track of the status and progress of work, estimates and reports completion of work, provides instruction and guidance to employees, responds to questions and inquiries, resolves recurring problems and discrepancies, develops basic procedural guidelines, provides on-the-job training and reviews/evaluates work of subordinate employees and making basic recommendations. Performs work related to coordinating and assigning projects for the development and implementation of training course or course materials. Coordinates activities associated with significant matters such as tuition assistance, policies, course prerequisites, learning objectives, and training contents, instructional methods, assessments, failure and attrition, employee developmental needs, etc. Provides training advice and guidance in the areas of training course development/design, delivery, evaluation and modification. Oversees development work of courses for training programs. Conducts fact-finding and analyses which contribute to research in a specific field of competence; have curriculum coordination responsibilities; and represent the organization at professional and public gatherings, lectures and panel discussions. Arranges and moderates' seminars and conferences, provides guidance to trainers and learners, and participates in panel discussions. Participates with a training committee, academic department head, or higher-level instructor in determining specific topics covered by the course. Performs work associated with the evaluation of courses for training programs. Plans and conducts studies which evaluate and predict program achievements and student performance, and prepares interpretations of results and recommendations. Performs work involving review and modification of training courses. Conducts studies and analyses in functional specialty or subject matter areas. Analyzes educational or instructional problems or questions involving a functional specialty area of education and training, a subject- matter area, or may involve a grouping of courses. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Tour of duty is typically administrative hours. Flexible schedule may be available after training. VCL has multiple tours that cover our 24/7/365 operations (this does include Holidays). Tour is subject to change based on program needs. Remote: This is remote position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Social Science Program Specialist/PD06809A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not required Financial Disclosure Report: Not required This is not a bargaining unit position 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, 05/04/2026. 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: INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived. The 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 the Social Science 0101 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following: Degree: behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. NOTE: Examples of related behavioral or social science degrees are as follows: psychology, social work, sociology, family counseling, mental health counseling, nursing, ministry, and criminal justice. In addition to the above Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR), applicants must meet the Specialized Experience. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. For GS-12, 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. In order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet 3/5 of the following examples of specialized experience: Designing, evaluating, and developing employee development programs, training plans, course methods, materials, and aids. Coordinating and assigning projects for the development and implementation of training courses or course materials. Leading or supervising a fast-paced, diverse team by providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Experience providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. Assuring subordinates are adequately trained to perform their assigned duties, recommending additional training when needed. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Must possess advanced skills in providing feedback and constructive criticism that promotes successful learning and behavioral change. Developed expertise in the broad functional or specialized area of education and psychological services. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Managing Human Resources Project Management Requirements Analysis 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. 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 Transcript Reminder: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must depict the name of the college to determine accreditation, and your name must also be displayed on the transcripts. If qualifying based on a degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show the date the degree was conferred. If selected, you must provide official transcripts. Transcripts should state degree conferred and have a date. Copies of official transcripts are accepted and are the best way to ensure your education is interpreted correctly in accordance with OPM qualification standards. Unofficial transcripts are accepted if they contain all the required information. 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 Order of Referral: This job announcement will remain open until 05/04/2026. Applications received up to 11:59pm EST on the date in which 50 applications is reached will received first consideration (initial cutoff). Applications received after 11:59pm EST on the date in which 50 applications are received may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. Additional applications will be reviewed in one-day increments at management request. 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. 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. The 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/.
