Summary The incumbent serves as the Training Specialist for VA Portland Healthcare System, Office of Community Care (OCC). The primary responsibility is developing, implementing, and maintaining the ongoing administrative training programs for employees within the VA Portland Healthcare System, OCC. Responsibilities Major duties include, but are not limited to: Develops, maintains, and administers training programs for staff. Coordinates orientation activities for new employees and prepares materials to acquaint new employees with the organization's mission, structure, history, objectives, and policies. Facilitates the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures. Ensures quality provisions are planned, developed, and implemented to identify, prevent, and correct unsatisfactory conditions and elements that influence the regulatory correctness and responsiveness of staff. Works with Supervisors, Medical Support Assistants, and other staff as needed to develop data capture and electronic procedures to track the progress of quality program management initiatives. Analyzes segments of the business process or transactions and identifies indicators, progress measures, objectives, and emphasizes areas for action for improvement. Develops, implements, and evaluates training courses and programs and assess quality and effectiveness for continuous improvement. Monitors newly released directives, national, VISN, and facility policies and releases patches regularly to assess any potential effects on end-users and employees. Conduct and evaluate employee training needs assessments to provide guidance to the Business Office Management on establishing and operating internal training programs, developing or obtaining training aids, and selecting appropriate training resources. Investigates and analyzes adverse quality trends or conditions and initiates corrective action. Tracks all employee education and training compliance, utilizing established computer system software and Talent Management System and will use this to prepare reports on the status of training hours and mandatory courses. Participates in process improvement teams and assists managers and technical experts develop realistic quality improvement plans. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: This is a developmental position leading to a GS-09 level, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Training Specialist/PD219000 and PD248880 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. 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 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, 11/04/2026. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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: The 1712 Training Instruction series requires specific education or experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. All applicants must meet one of the Individual Occupational Requirements listed below in addition to the grade specific requirements. Applicants may qualify based on their experience and/or education as described below. Education: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in education or a subject area related to the position to be filled. (Transcripts required) OR, Specialized Experience: Have at least one (1) year of Specialized Experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Experience must demonstrate a practical knowledge of the subject area of the position and of the methods and techniques of instruction. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation, or industrial establishment in the appropriate field(s). Supervising or administering a training program. Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc., and evaluation of training results. Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis. In addition to the Individual Occupational requirement above, applicants must have education/specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. You may qualify based on your specialized experience and/or education as described below:GS-07: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist in developing and coordinating staff training education; and, assist in training and course surveys. NOTE: 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 their resume. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed one (1) full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education, directly related to the work of the position, beyond a bachelor's degree. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. OR, Superior Academic Achievement: Applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: a) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. b) A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. c) A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 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 of undergraduate study. d) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. GS-09: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Develop and maintain administrative training programs, identifying, reporting, and create strategies for improvement for areas that are non-compliant. Analyze national performance standards on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis and reports weekly to management the results, findings and action plans for services not meeting performance measures. Coordinate application access and training ensuring staff are in compliance with mandatory training requirements. Utilize Microsoft Excel, data visualization tools, or business intelligence platforms for operational analysis. NOTE: 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 their resume. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B. or J.D. in a related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is 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. 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/.
