Summary The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Specialist reports to the EEO Manager, Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS). Summary of position includes assistance to ORM field office personnel during both counseling and investigative stages. Such involvement includes providing documentation as requested; locating and identifying employees involved in the complaint process; facilitating resolution efforts, negotiating settlement agreements, and drafting the same on behalf of management. Responsibilities Exercise a high degree of judgment in analyzing and recommending solutions to problems that adversely affect EEO and Affirmative Employment. Provides advice and guidance during the post investigative stages, i.e. hearings, appeals, and compliance phases, for each formal complaint. Serves as the technical expert for processing the following Federal conducted external complaints in accordance with agency policy. Providing documentation as requested; locating and identifying employees involved in the complaint process; facilitating resolution efforts, negotiating settlement agreements, and drafting the same on behalf of management. Developing, implementing, coordinating, reviewing, monitoring, evaluating, and updating all plans associated with the EEO Program. Assures that all levels of management, as well as employees and union officials are aware of the plans and objectives and how these objectives will be measured. Conducts briefings to the medical center director and management officials making them aware of their responsibilities in relations to these plans, and to solicit their support for successful implementation. Conducts periodic evaluations of the workforce to develop data that can be utilized in evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Ensures the activities of the Special Emphasis Program Managers and their respective committees are carried out in accordance with departmental and local policy. Serves as the representative for the facility in establishing and maintaining contact with local community groups, which are interested in civil rights and/or equal opportunity. Serves as technical advisor to the facility's Special Emphasis Programs. Creates advertisement, programs, flyers, and pamphlets for all elements of the Diversity Program. Provides sound technical advice to management and employees or applicants regarding human resources management program requirements and issues. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday through Friday, 8:00AM - 4:00PM. Subject to change based upon facility needs. Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Subject to change based upon the needs of the facility. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist/PD037250 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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. 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. A pre-placement evaluation my be 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 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, 09/17/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have oat least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-9 in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Patient Representative/Advocate. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Applies comprehensive knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies as related to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and practices; Skilled in conducting interviews to obtain information and information relevance of information relative to answering specific questions/solving routine problems; Advises management on actions in supporting affirmative actions and devising strategies of handling EEO discrimination complaints; Recommends changes in employment policies and practices; Communicates effectively both verbally and in writing, and brief management officials at the facility level. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., in a field related to this position that demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent Combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience (beyond the first two graduate years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administrative Law Analytical Thinking Communications Planning and Evaluating 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: This 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 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. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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/.
