Supervisory Government Information Specialist

Summary The Supervisory Government Information Specialists are responsible for one of seventeen processing teams under the Centralized Support Division at the St. Louis Regional Office within the VBA. The position is located in the Centralized Support Division, St. Louis VA Regional Office. The Centralized Support Division has primary responsibility for conducting required management activities related to VBA paperwork management, Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Responsibilities Supervisory Government Information Specialist Directly supervises approximately 20 employees engaged in processing requests for military records from all VBA Regional Offices or processing PA/FOIA request. Plans and schedules work to be accomplished by subordinates. Provides subordinates the requirements and descriptions of the work to be performed and tracks progress. Sets priorities and quarterly and annual goals. Resolves work problems presented by subordinates and recommends or implements ways to improve the unit's production/quality of work. Prepares performance standards and evaluates the performance of subordinates. Interview candidates for positions in the organization, making or approving selections for non-supervisory positions. Makes recommendations for employee promotions or reassignments. Hears and resolves complaints from employees, referring more serious complaints to a higher-level supervisor. Major Duties: The incumbent has the responsibility for special projects related to the records retrieval system of the VA as well as the release of those records to external stakeholders. This entails coordination with not only VA entities but also with the Department of Defense, National Personnel Records Center and other federal, state, and local agencies that during the routine course of their activities require access to records. The incumbent also has the responsibility for ensuring the efficient service provision of nonrelated workload and other missions as assigned by VA Central Office. Managing the day-to-day activities of the Personnel Information Exchange System (PIES), Privacy Act, and Freedom of Information requests and supervises the work of employees supporting the workload. Resolves work problems presented by subordinates and recommends or implements ways to improve the unit's production/quality of work. Provides guidance and instruction to employees, staff, and other entities in completing and obtaining the required documentation. Uses administrative practices and procedures to identify potential issues or procedural inefficiencies, recommending solutions that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of protecting personal data. Develop and deliver oral and written briefings, talking papers, communications, and other publications for senior leadership to address issues that may impact decisions. Experience supervising and managing a staff of employees providing overall direction and oversight of workload processes to achieve goals for claim processing or record management related to work. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Telework: Telework eligible, this is not a Remote Position Position Description Title/PD#: 0306 Supervisory Government Information Specialist GS-09, PD# 41997-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not. Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are/were federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50 (not an award or general adjustment SF-50). Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. The Supervisory Government Information Specialists are responsible for one of seventeen processing teams under the Centralized Support Division at the St. Louis Regional Office within the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Centralized Support Division is responsible for responding to requests from all VBA Regional Offices for digital and/or paper military personnel, service treatment records, and as the centralized function for VBA to respond to Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of Information Action (FOIA) requests from Veterans and third parties for compensation and pension records from the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).. The position is primarily responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Personnel Information Exchange System (PIES), Privacy Act, and Freedom of Information requests. Specialized Experience: In addition to the experience required to qualify at the GS-09 level, applicants must also have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07). Specialized experience may have been gained in such ways as: Experience with management techniques, methods, theories, principles, and labor relations concepts, to assure optimum utilization of personnel, equipment, and space for the accomplishment of all program objectives with combined technical and administrative oversight. Experience applying regulations, other official guidance and principles, including the latest procedures and techniques sufficient to oversee the planning, development and implementation of the technical aspects of programs specific to the position being filled. Knowledge of how to communicate orally and how to communicate in writing, using computer software. Supervisory Experience: The incumbent plans work to be accomplished by subordinates; sets and adjusts short-term priorities and prepares schedules for completion of work. The incumbent assigns work to subordinates based on priorities using the difficulty and requirements of assignments to evaluate appropriate assignment based on grade structure and position description requirements. The incumbent evaluates the work performance of subordinates; gives advice, counsel and/or instruction to employees on both work and administrati.ve matters. Or, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required with a Master's or equivalent graduate degree. Or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Or, Combination of Education and Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience. To calculate; first calculate the percentage of qualifying education you have as a percentage of the education required. Next, calculate the percentage of specialized experience you have as a percentage of the experience required. Then, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% for you to qualify for the position at GS-9. Note: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. For example: an applicant who has 75 semester hours of education (i.e. 15 semester hours beyond the second year, which is the equivalent of 25% of the required education) and has 9 months of specialized experience (75% of the required experience), would meet the total qualifications by combining education and experience. Education Applicants may substitute education for the experience required with a Master's or equivalent graduate degree. Or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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. 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. Additional Information 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. Promotion Potential: The position is at the Full Performance Level (FPL). Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Please contact the special placement coordinator or the human resources specialist listed on this vacancy for more information regarding applying for consideration under schedule A or as a 30% disabled veteran. Displaced federal employees: The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. A well-qualified candidate is defined as meeting all of the minimum qualification standards and eligibility requirements as well as possessing skills that clearly exceed the minimum qualifications requirements for this position. A score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire is considered well qualified. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility can be found here. Military Spouse Hiring Authority To be eligible under this hiring authority, the military spouse must be in one of 3 categories: Accompanying a member of the Armed Forces on a permanent change of station move (PCS, with PCS Orders); The spouse of a totally disabled (100%) retired or separated member of the Armed Forces; or The un-remarried widow or widower of a member of the Armed Forces killed while performing active duty DD214 with an Honorable Discharge of Military Spouse. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies and other vacancies in the same series, grade, and location. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf