Summary The Vocational Development Specialist position is located at VA Boston Health Care System, at the Jamaica Plains campus. This position is Full time, 40 hours a week. Responsibilities This position is physically located at each VA Medical Center/Healthcare System (VAMC/HCS). The incumbent in this position serves as each VAMC's Community Employment Coordinator for Homeless Veterans. The employee is a central figure (liaison, advocate, technical advisor) responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum in order to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services. The incumbent works with the local Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Manager or designee in orchestrating clinical and administrative staff, within the Medical Center and without, into a cohesive platform with which homeless Veterans can obtain competitive employment with appropriate supports. Duties include but are not limited to: Provides information, pre-employment assessment and workforce re-entry planning services, linkage, and coordination for VA and non-VA services, and community ­based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment. The incumbent is expected to establish respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies, including community employers. Provides guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VAMC on resources that enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans, in particular those who are homeless or have other barriers to employment. Works with local staff in developing templates for concise, individualized Veteran ­centered assessments to determine the needed intensity level of employment services and supports for homeless Veterans. Serves as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement Serves as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement. Leads efforts to establish a local employment collaborative which includes VA and non-VA members and community-based employers, and documents access points, requirements for participation and points of contact as indicated. This collaborative should include but is not limited to: Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT); HCHV and HUD-VASH Employment Specialists; Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and GPD grantees that target employment; Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)/Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E); Department of Labor grantees such as the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP); and local community and faith-based organizations. Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community-based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad-Hoc Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist/ PD02383A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/04/2025. 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-9. 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 one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience at this level include, but may not be limited to: General knowledge and experience in job development; marketing and securing jobs; contact and work creatively with community employers with job placement; working knowledge of a broad range of occupations, identify Veteran strengths, interests, skills and needs; working knowledge with matching Veterans to jobs; identify and arrange long-term supports to help Veterans maintain employment; and working knowledge of the local job market and familiarization with Internet job sites. (NOTE: The required Specialized experience must be well represented in your resume).; OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience for the GS-11 grade level. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree with major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling or other fields related to position or LL. M., if related. Based on the Individual Occupational Requirement, if education is used, the major study should be vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position; OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 grade level if the creditable education hours and experience combined equal 100% of the required experience for the position. A transcript must be submitted with your application packet if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and Training Partnering 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. Preferred Experience: 1+ years experience developing employment opportunities. Some experience working directly with veteran population. Basic knowledge of utilizing trauma informed principles. Physical Requirements: Routine physical demands are minor; however, the complexities of the program and treatment required by the Veterans can create extremely stressful situations. The work will occur both at and outside the Medical Center in the community (i.e. job sites, transitional housing, agencies, business, etc.). Incumbent will be at the Medical Center for meetings with the supervisor, providing direct services to Veterans, interacting with medical center staff, and when performing administrative functions. This position requires no exposure to blood borne pathogens, body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.