Summary The incumbent serves as the Supervisory Voluntary Service Officer of the Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), who is responsible for the administration, coordination, planning, evaluation, and implementation of comprehensive, active, well-balanced Voluntary & Recreational Therapy Service Programs. Voluntary Services provide a high-quality supplement of personnel and resources, not available through appropriated funds, to enhance the mission of the Washington DC VA Medical Center. Responsibilities Program Oversight Serves as the Voluntary Service Officer (VSO) with full delegated authority and responsibility for designing and implementing a voluntary services program that meets the needs of a complex VA healthcare delivery system. This includes planning, establishing, and implementing policy; developing program goals and objectives; managing the gifts and donations program; resolving sensitive and complex situations; coordinating with (internal and external) sources to establish and maintain effective relationships; and responsibility for the operation, coordination, and evaluation of the facility VA Voluntary Service program. Develops short and long-range plans for the accomplishment of the program goals and objectives; develops and implements programs and program changes that impact the ability to meet the medical center's needs; develops innovative and creative community outreach programs that provide volunteers as well as financial resources to the facility. Staffing Serves as full advisor to top management on the program. Takes a proactive role in meeting the voluntary service needs of the hospital and affiliated satellite clinics and establishes a vital link with the community. Assumes full authority for the promotion, recruitment, and recognition of volunteers; evaluates staff requests for volunteers; develops a formal orientation, education, and/or training programs for both volunteers and utilizing services; and identifies/obtains resources. Technical and Administrative Supervision Provides direct technical and administrative supervision to the Voluntary Service Staff: (1) GS-12 Fisher House Manager, (1) GS-05 Program Support Assistants, (1) GS-12 Administrative Officer, (3) GS-11 Voluntary Service Specialists, (1) GS-06 Voluntary Services Assistant (1) GS-12 Recreation Therapist Supervisor, and (8) GS-11 Recreation Therapists, and a multitude of programs that involve inpatients, outpatients, volunteers, family members, community organizations, VSO's, employees, etc. Responsibility includes development of performance standards, writing position descriptions, evaluating work performance, counseling of employees whose performance is marginal or unsatisfactory, and initiating disciplinary actions when necessary. Hear and resolve complaints from employees. Plan and assign work to be accomplished by subordinates; sets short and long-term goals; assigns work based on priorities; approves leave, instructs employees on work and administrative matters. Initiates recruitment actions, interviews, and selects new employees. Obtains resources for continuing education of employees and determines their training needs. Committee Duties The VSO serves as Deputy Chairperson of the station's VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) Committee and provides information about the medical center and the VAVS program to various representatives and deputy representatives from affiliated veteran's service organizations, civic groups, and local community organizations. Provide orientation and training to newly appointed VAVS representatives and deputy representatives. Establishes and maintains relationships with the members of the committee for the purposes of motivating increased attendance and participation at the committee meetings, as well as for increasing volunteer involvement in hospital programs. Conducts Annual Joint Reviews with the representatives from the Committee organizations. Arranges official visits from national, state and local organizations. Expenditure/Purchase Approval The VSO, as a designee of the Medical Center Director, is the sole employee authorized to accept or reject offers of gifts and donations for this facility in accordance with established procedures and regulations. Ensures gifts and donations are accepted, recorded and disbursed appropriately according to VA policy. The incumbent is the approving official for expenditures/purchases for general post fund accounts. Program Development Has sole responsibility for developing and implementing a wide range of programs and services within the program, including volunteer recognition ceremonies and awards programs, volunteer recruitment fairs, student volunteer programs, community outreach activities, special events, recruitment presentations, official visits/tours, and fundraisers. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Volunteer Services Officer (Chief)/PD200230 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: administration, coordination, planning, budgeting, funding, evaluation, and implementation of a comprehensive, active, well-balanced Voluntary & Recreational Therapy Service Programs. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Financial Management Managing Human Resources Partnering Planning and Evaluating 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: Refer to VA Handbook 5019. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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/. 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. 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), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.