Vocational Development Specialist

Summary

West Palm Beach VA Medical Center is looking for Vocational Development Specialist who works as a Community Employment Coordinator for Homeless Veterans as a member of the Compensated Work Therapy/Vocational Rehabilitation (CWT/VR) Team, located in the Transitional Work Experience Program within the Social Work Service.

Duties

• The Vocational Development Specialist is a central figure (liaison, advocate, technical advisor) responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services. They works with the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist 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. The position has a direct impact on the local implementation of the National imperative to end Veteran homelessness, unemployment being a key barrier to permanent sustainable housing. The position is vital in encouraging local stakeholders (e.g. VAMCs, VHA, VBA, State, and private employment entities etc.) to work together towards employing homeless Veterans while reducing redundancies in services. In this role the Vocational Development Specialist provides vocational rehabilitation services to veterans who are eligible to receive services through the medical center. In this role, will also provide coverage for the Transitional Work Experience (TWE), Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment, and Supported Employment (SE) staff in their absence as necessary. All Recovery Program services are based on a philosophy that recovery is possible. Our mission is to nurture hope in veterans and assist them on their Recovery journey. A goal that we have for all veterans is that they are able to live, learn, work, and develop social relations within their local community. Additional Duties Include But 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. 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 West Palm Beach 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 and support services for homeless Veterans. 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. Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community-based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative. Ensures that through the collaborative, competitive employment resources of varying levels of intensity are currently available for homeless and chronically homeless Veterans both at the medical center and in the community. Coordinates with homeless, CWT and community program managers on rapid access and placement strategies for Veterans that reduce barriers to employment and identify appropriate supports to sustain outcomes. Conducts bi-monthly conference calls with all the members (VA and non- VA) of the local employment collaborative serving Veterans and resolves access barriers to rapid job placement. Monitors performance and progress through review (at least quarterly) of cases referred to the members of the collaborative to ensure that Veterans are receiving services leading to competitive employment and appropriate follow-up supports. Provides feedback to the homeless program staff and West Palm Beach VAMC leadership on system resources, strengths, accomplishments, challenges, and recommended corrective actions on a quarterly basis. Develops and maintains a database on referral and placement outcomes and provide feedback to the collaborative members as well as national homeless leadership. Serves as an advocate on behalf of Veterans with members of the employment collaborative and community employers, when appropriate to ensure comprehensive service delivery resulting on competitive employment. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist/PD027290 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/21/2026. 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-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. Individual Occupational Requirements: Applicants MUST meet the minimum requirements to qualify for the Vocational Rehabilitation Series, 1715. Undergraduate and Graduate Education - Major study - vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position OR Specialized Experience: Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program. Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. AND 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 would typically include, but are not limited to: interviewing potential program participants utilizing the Vocational Assessment Profiles (VAP); utilizing Motivational Interviewing techniques to ensure the highest level of services; gathering information to assist the program participant in identifying occupational areas in which they would like to target their job search activities towards; providing assistance with job seeking skills and strategies as needed; monitoring the program participant's progress, providing feedback, support, and assistance in the job seeking process; finding techniques such as job carving to assist the program participant in obtaining community employment; and working closely with interdisciplinary teams to assist the program participant in obtaining and maintaining suitable community employment OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related (transcripts required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond a master's degree. NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify for position at GS-11. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service: Works and communicates with clients and customers to satisfy their expectations. Committed to quality services. Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal skills-Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, cooperation, concern, and politeness to others; relates well to different people from varied backgrounds and different situation. Influencing/Negotiating: Persuades others to accept recommendations, cooperate, or change their behavior; works with others towards an agreement; negotiates to find mutually acceptable solutions. Labor Law: Knowledge of state and federal employment laws, regulations, guidelines, and legal precedents related to hiring practices, equal employment opportunity, and wage and hour restrictions. Communication: Expresses information (example ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive or controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. 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. Physical Requirements: The position is primarily sedentary. 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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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/.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/21/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052487. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ 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. 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/. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.