RECREATION SPECIALIST (YOUTH ACTIVITIES)

Summary

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Youth Program Specialist at an Air Force (AF) installation who provides assistance to the Youth Activities Director in organizing, implementing, and conducting various sports, fitness, recreational and social programs for eligible youth.

Duties

• Plans, organizes, coordinates, and implements a developmentally appropriate and diverse, educational recreational, fitness and leisure year-round youth program that promotes physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development and fosters achievement, leadership, and recognition of youth. Program serves a population of family members, ages 5 to 18 years, of active duty, reserve, retired military, DOD civilians, contractors and other authorized customers Monitors day-to-day operation of the Youth Center; assisting the Youth Center Manager in oversight of program management, administrative duties, facility, property, and maintenance. Provides supervisor with program data for various statistical reports and studies required or requested by higher organizational level and other like human services agencies Administers Youth Center Program resources Provides a safe and healthy environment for youth and staff Assists in developing marketing strategies to promote and publicize the youth program and increase awareness and participation

Qualifications

Conditions of employment cont: This position has been identified as having "regular contact with children". IAW AFI 34-144, DODI 1402.05 and section 13041 of Title 42, United States Code, Pre-employment screening will be conducted and preliminary suitability determinations made based on the following documents or checks of: Application and/or Resume, Optional Form 306, "Declaration for Federal Employment", DD Form 2981, Basic Criminal History and Statement of Admission, Installation Records Check, National Sex Offender Public Website check, Advanced FBI fingerprint check, and References. Final suitability will be determined based on results of Child Care National Agency Check with Inquiries (CNACI) and State Criminal History Records Checks (SCHRC). The DD Form 2981 requires annual certification and requires personnel to immediately report to their supervisor any incident that may invalidate their prior background checks and make them ineligible for contact with children/youth. Personnel will undergo a reverification every five years performed using the same investigations as required during the initial investigation. This position has been designated by the Air Force as a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Air Force Civilian Drug Demand Reduction Program. Employee must pass initial and periodic short notice drug testing. Illegal drug use by employees in sensitive positions presents a clear threat to the mission of the Air Force, national security, and public safety. In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Administrative and Management positions for Recreation Specialist Series, GS-0188 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-05, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes which may have been gained while assisting in the planning, organizing, coordinating, or evaluating community, industrial, outdoor, institutional, or other recreational programs; planning, establishing, or evaluating a recreational curriculum for junior college or higher academic levels; instructing in the principles and techniques of recreational program planning and management and serving in a leadership role in the programs and activities of local, regional, and/or national recreational organizations. OR EDUCATION: Successfully completed one full academic year of graduate-level education with a major study in general recreation, or one of the appropriate fields of recreation such as outdoor recreation; recreation and parks leadership; wild land recreation management; natural resources recreation; youth recreation; public, urban, or community recreation; special populations recreation (e.g., senior citizens, institutional, etc.); or physical education OR I have a bachelor's degree in a subject area related to the position and am claiming Superior Academic Achievement. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in­-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: 1. Knowledge of youth development theory, methodology, and practices relating to physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development. Knowledge of recreation and leisure program planning concepts, principles, and methodology. 2. Knowledge of requirements involved in the qualifications and suitability of adults to work with youth. 3. Skill in preparing budgets, program evaluations, and facility administration; managing financial and physical resources of youth programs; and in effectively organizing and utilizing available resources within the program framework. 4. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. 5. Ability to implement policies, practices, and procedures in youth programs and safety management. 6. Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships and be an effective leader for other staff and volunteers. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcripts with the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. ********************ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICES MEMBERS******************** ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date. Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave. At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD-Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Active duty members applying for a civil service position without submitting a valid certification memo or DD-Form 214 with their application will render the member ineligible for the position. The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following: Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member Branch of Armed Forces Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s) Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty Terminal leave start date (if applicable) Expected character of service (honorable or general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement) Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander. Note: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If appointed, a DD Form-214 must be submitted upon receipt

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before starting the application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/08/2026, closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052803 Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/08/2026. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 5. A complete Application Questionnaire 6. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 7. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here 8. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBs you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. 9. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 10. Review all instructions prior to beginning your Assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. 11. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. 12. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources, click here To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click here Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.