Program Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:09/04/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 09 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 Grade Level Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service. Experience includes providing and performing operational and administrative tasks in support of an organization and applying basic analytical techniques to resolve program issues and problems. Examples of specialized experience for the GS-7 level include, but are not limited to: Providing administrative support services to office staff in the areas of travel, tracking action items, scheduling/calendar oversight; Explaining program-related information to visitors and callers; Managing phone and reception activities in a diverse and busy office; Preparing and editing correspondence using standardized computer software; Completing projects requiring experience using computer programs that manage data and information OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: One (1) full year of graduate level education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position; OR A Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) is based on: 1) class standing, 2) grade point average or 3) honor society membership. For more information on calculating SAA please visit www.opm.gov. OR Combination of education and experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education. GS-09 Grade Level Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service. Experience includes providing and performing operational, administrative, budget and procurement-related tasks and applying analytical techniques to resolve veteran benefit-related program issues. Examples of specialized experience for the GS-7 level include, but are not limited to: Providing administrative support services to managers in the areas of travel, budget and procurement, tracking action items, and scheduling/calendar oversight. Explaining veteran benefit program-related information to visitors and callers. Managing phone and reception activities in a diverse and busy office that may receive distinguished visitors; Preparing and editing complex correspondence using standardized computer software. Completing projects of a technical nature requiring experience with data analysis and information management programs OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year of graduate education. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education you must have: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in an accredited or pre-accredited college or university; OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of an LL.B. or J.D degree, if related. Graduate-level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of education and experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: The 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.