Equal Employment Specialist

Summary This position is located at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL (578) – a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility – and is organizationally aligned under the Office of the Medical Center Director. The incumbent functions as an Equal Employment Specialist in the areas of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Affirmative Employment, the Civil Rights External Program, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Diversity under the direction of the EEO Program Manager. Responsibilities The position requires knowledge of Federal EEO regulations and principles, compliance and enforcement skills, administrative management and consulting skills, and knowledge of federal personnel administration. The incumbent must be a trained and certified National Facilitator and may conduct EEO training, including but not limited to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, for all employees, managers and supervisors. The incumbent is a certified Mediator and works in cooperation with the EEO Manager and other mediators to facilitate or assist in the scheduling, processing, resolution and mediation of complaints of discrimination in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Processes informal complains received and information/document requests from the Office of Resolution Management (ORM), prepares written reports on complain status and forwards these to the EEO Manager for review. Maintains strict attention to timeliness and accuracy when carrying out duties within the EEO Program. Works with the EEO Manager in providing services to ORM and Administrative Judges with investigations and hearings. Shares responsibility with the EEO Manager in meeting with employees who seek assistance on complaints related to EEO matters. Briefs the EEO Manager on all complaints and the related actions. Performs information gathering, fact-finding, and analysis in external discrimination complaints. Works with the EEO Program Manager to ensure that a well developed Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program is in full operation at the facility, which is any procedure or combination of procedures voluntarily used to resolve issues in controversy without the need to resort to litigation. May conduct studies and analysis of the utilization of minorities and women in the workplace, identifying obstacles and outlining alternative solutions to identified problems as requested. Conducts analysis of the workforce by race, sex, grade, occupational series and policies and practices affecting employment. Acts as the liaison in supporting the hospitals Special Emphasis Program in accordance with departmental and local policy. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00am- 4:30pm Telework: Not suitable for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Equal Employment Specialist/PD11048A Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Salary Ranges: GS-9: $66,942 – $87,024 GS-11: $80,994 – $105,289 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, 10/25/2024. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-9 GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Must have one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the mission, organization and policies of the VA related to EEO/Affirmative Employment. Thorough knowledge of Federal EEO laws, regulations and policies. Knowledge of the principles of Personnel Management and of Federal Personnel Regulations that provide the basis for recommending changes in employment policies and practices. Knowledge of the cause of barriers to EEO and the cause and effect of discrimination practices. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and prepare a variety of reports. Ability to conduct hospital wide trainings in the area of Equal Employment Opportunity. Ability to distinguish whether programs are in compliance with existing regulations. Ability to establish positive working relationship with employees in all segments of the hospital. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a masters or equivalent graduate degree; 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B. or J.D., if related.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above. GS-11 GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Must have one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the mission, organization and policies of the VA related to EEO/Affirmative Employment. Thorough knowledge of Federal EEO laws, regulations and policies. Knowledge of the principles of Personnel Management and of Federal Personnel Regulations that provide the basis for recommending changes in employment policies and practices. Knowledge of the cause of barriers to EEO and the cause and effect of discrimination practices. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, and prepare a variety of reports. Ability to conduct hospital wide trainings in the area of Equal Employment Opportunity. Ability to distinguish whether programs are in compliance with existing regulations. Ability to establish positive working relationship with employees in all segments of the hospital. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree; 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and higher level graduate education as described above. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Compliance Managing Human Resources Personnel and Human Resources 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 regular and recurring work typically involves sitting at a desk in an office environment, sitting in conferences and meetings and traveling in an automobile and occasional visits to worksites for fact finding or documentation gathering purposes. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. 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/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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 applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.