Summary This position is located at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by AFGE. Please note that as provided for in the AFGE/VA Master Agreement the FIRST area of consideration for this position will be permanent employees of the local cemetery, the SECOND area of consideration will be employees at other NCA facilities, and the THIRD area of consideration will be all other eligibles. Responsibilities Represents NCA and the Director of Great Lakes National Cemetery, at all assigned committal services. Incumbent exercises a great deal of tact and diplomacy when dealing with the public and must be able to deal with people who may be under emotional duress. The incumbent is responsible for scheduling interments for all casket and cremation burials, memorials and In Memory of (IMO) request based on information received from the Department of Defense, NCA Scheduling Center, funeral directors, and/or families of the deceased. The incumbent performs extensive public contact by telephone, which requires tact and patience, often requiring the ability to deal with the decedent's immediate family in times of emotional crisis. The Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist obtains the essential information required and schedules interment services in compliance with local policies and directives. All personal and veteran information must be carefully reviewed prior to establishing eligibility. The incumbent is expected to be knowledgeable of the operational characteristics at the National Cemetery to ensure that interments are scheduled according to the requirements at the cemetery. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing the investigation and determination of eligibility for cases established during the normal business week. The incumbent is responsible for providing on-the-job training for other Cemetery Administration Specialists (CAS), and volunteers. Incumbent will ensure CAS employees are fully trained in both BOSS/Admin duties and leading committal services. Work schedule: Required to work Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends, and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Not Available Remote/Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position. Position Description Title/PD#: Lead Cemetery Admin Specialist / PD1596556 The full performance level of this position is GS-09. Relocation Expenses: Not authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required If interested in applying for this position you may preview the online application: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13007500 Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 07/27/2026. 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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 grade level. 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 your most recent non-award SF-50 has an effective 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 tine-in-grade. 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. Must have the ability to @type at least 40 words per minute. Must possess and maintain a REAL ID valid state driver's license. You may qualify based on your education and/or experience, as described below: To Qualify for the GS-09 Grade Level Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-07) or equivalent. Specialized experience includes experience such as, but not limited to: gathering data, coordinating meetings, establishing and maintaining an efficient filing system, using computer software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.) to generate a variety of reports, meeting internal and external customer needs and establishing priorities and meeting deadlines, serving as the clearing point for issues or problems that arise, skill in communicating with the public under stressful situations, and handling conflicts and problems with customers constructively and appropriately. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for specialized experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 1 full year of graduate level education from an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work; OR a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA is defined as (1) cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher our of a possible 4.0 for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 years of undergraduate study; (2) GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years; (3) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision or (4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshmen honor societies). OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond 4 years of undergraduate level education earned). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Critical Thinking Leadership Oral Communication Plan and organize work Written Communication 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 mainly sedentary in nature, however, standing, walking, bending, stooping, and lifting of administrative records, registers and other small items is required by the position. The administrative tasks are accomplished in a well-lighted, heated, cooled, and ventilated office. Tasks may also require representing the cemetery at services which require being out in all @types of adverse weather. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will 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. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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. Additional Information Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
