Program Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/29/2026. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

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-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Provide one-on-one consulting sessions for prospective small business contractors on the nuances of VA operations and opportunities; Staff small business booths at trade shows, small business conferences and Small Business Administration (SBA) matchmaking events; Plan and manage special projects to conceive and implement new initiatives and projects to strengthen, facilitate, and integrate programs; Serve as liaison to collaborate effectively with staff members and key groups within and outside of the organization and exercises full commitment authority; Develop and prepare presentations, conference materials and promotional items in support of attendance at small business conferences, trade and industry shows, and for public speaking engagements; Perform administrative work in one or more of the following areas: personnel management/ administration, budgeting and financial management, procurement and contracting, property management, and/ or supply; Analyze on a quantitative or qualitative basis the effectiveness of programs and/ or operations in meeting established goals and objectives and evaluates agencywide programs against short and long range goals; Evaluate capability statements of small business seeking to do business with VA and arrange meetings and briefings for small businesses to present their qualifications and capabilities to senior VA program officials utilizing the Direct Connect process.

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: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list the grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 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.

01Physical Requirements

Work is primarily sedentary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 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/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420.

Duties include: Provide training and consulting sessions for prospective small business contractors on the nuances of VA operations and opportunities; Provide support to the small business community and large prime contractors; Arrange meetings and briefings for small businesses to present their qualifications and capabilities to senior VA program officials utilizing the Direct Connect process; Develop and prepare presentations, conference materials and promotional items in support of attendance at small business conferences, trade and industry shows; Staff small business booths at trade shows, small business conferences and Small Business Administration (SBA) matchmaking events for small businesses; Provide one-on-one counseling to small businesses interested in pursuing business opportunities with the VA.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available at Manager's discretion. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in affect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption. Telework: May be authorized in accordance with agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: PD80567A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized