Summary The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is recruiting for an Equal Employment Manager. This critical leadership position reports directly to the Executive Director and is responsible for the management and oversight of the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) service for Battle Creek VA Medical Center (BCVAMC). Responsibilities The Equal Employment Manager serves as the principal advisor to the Executive Director, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Service Chiefs, Supervisors and all front-line employees for programs and services encompassed by EEO. More specifically, these include programs such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Reasonable Accommodations. The EEO Manager is the driving force responsible for continuous program development and advancement to ensure premium services are provided at all levels. Incumbent is also expected to serve in a leadership role as the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program Manager as well as leading the process of developing new local standard operating procedures while ensuring the BCVAMC is compliant with all national directives. Duties include but are not limited to: Responsible for the continuous development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). ADR programs are classified as any procedure or combination of procedures voluntarily used to resolve employment issues in controversy without the need to resort to litigation. EEO Manager manages the full lifecycle of all administrative and personnel management functions including the assignment of duties, recruitment/evaluation/selection and onboarding of new employees Works closely with their team to develop performance standards for all employees, explains performance expectations to employees and provides regular feedback on their performance Assist in settlement negotiations, conciliation, facilitation, mediation, fact-finding, minitrials, and arbitration, that require an impartial advisor or neutral third party. Serve as the BCVAMC' ombudsman for resolving workplace disputes at the main medical center, and community-based outpatient clinics Responsible for identifying, training, and appointing alternative ombudsman representatives at each site to ensure these services are offered in timely/effective manner. Recognized as the healthcare system expert, this person is expected to play an active role in identifying cases or disputes relevant to ADR, to persuade aggrieved parties of the benefits of informal resolution of their concerns, and to play an active role in the resolution of these matters. Responsible for the management and oversight of this program, the incumbent must possess the ability to analyze disputes, research relevant case law and regulation, determine the healthcare systems' potential for liability, and to assemble all necessary partners in an effort to resolve the most significant workplace disputes. Chief advisor to all Executive Leadership Team members in ensuring every advanced method of dispute resolution is utilized to address all issues. Must have the advanced skills to manipulate large databases of workforce statistics on a continuous basis while conducting analysis of these data to evaluate the overall effectiveness of EEO affirmative employment programs and measure progress. Incumbent is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating, reviewing, monitoring, evaluating, and updating all plans associated with the EEO program. Must cultivate and ensure buy-in of these plans throughout BCVAMC. The incumbent is recognized as possessing the expertise and gravitas to conduct briefings with the Executive Director, ELT, and other management officials. Must conduct periodic evaluations of the workforce to develop data that can be utilized in evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework at supervisory discretion. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Manager/PD91869O 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. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 identification 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 may be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, 06/26/2026. 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 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in advising managers and supervisors on Equal Employment Opportunity principles, laws, regulations and policies; receiving and processing formal complaints of discrimination to include acceptance and dismissal decisions; providing input to management; consulting with stakeholders to explain special emphasis programs and develop awareness of responsibilities; and identifying Equal Employment Opportunity concerns to assist management in determining causes and developing strategies for resolution. 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. 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/.
