Instructional Systems Specialist.

Department of War Education Activity (DOWEA); Quantico (VA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) in Quantico, VA seeks an experienced instructional designer to design and maintain high-quality instructional resources for DoDEA students and staff, including online courses within the DoDEA Virtual High School.

You will ensure compliance with applicable standards and laws, serve as a COR for assigned contracts, and contribute to program evaluation and continuous improvement initiatives within the agency.

Qualifications

• One year of full-time specialized experience developing instructional materials.
• Experience ensuring resources meet accessibility and regulatory standards.
• Experience contributing to program evaluation, compliance activities, or continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Designs and maintains instructional resources for students and staff using agency-approved tools.
• Maintains online courses for the DoDEA Virtual High School.
• Ensures instructional resources comply with relevant standards, laws, and regulations.
• Acts as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for assigned agency contracts and oversees performance.
• Develops and monitors Performance Work Statements and oversees contractor compliance.
• Provides instructional design support for agency initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Performs additional duties as required.

Skills

Instructional design

COR duties

Compliance standards

Program evaluation

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Authoring tools

Job description

• Designs and develops high quality instructional resources for students and staff using Agency procured and approved digital authoring tools.
• Maintains online courses for the DoDEA Virtual High School.
• Applies relevant industry standards, laws, and regulations to ensure instructional resources are compliant and accessible.
• Serves as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and carries out all associated responsibilities for assigned Agency contracts.
• Develops Performance Work Statements, oversees product or service implementation, and monitors contractor compliance.
• Provides instructional design support for Agency initiatives, program compliance activities, and continuous improvement efforts as assigned.
• Performs additional duties as required.

Duties

• Designs and develops high quality instructional resources for students and staff using Agency procured and approved digital authoring tools.
• Maintains online courses for the DoDEA Virtual High School.
• Applies relevant industry standards, laws, and regulations to ensure instructional resources are compliant and accessible.
• Serves as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and carries out all associated responsibilities for assigned Agency contracts.
• Develops Performance Work Statements, oversees product or service implementation, and monitors contractor compliance.
• Provides instructional design support for Agency initiatives, program compliance activities, and continuous improvement efforts as assigned.
• Performs additional duties as required.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Requirement.
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship required.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• One year probationary period may be required.
• Appointment subject to a suitability/fitness determination, as determined by a background investigation.
• This position requires a Tier 1 (T1) investigation.
• This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
• You may be required to sign a transportation agreement.

Qualifications

Who May Apply:

Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See

• Current Competitive Service Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) Civilian Employee
• Current Department of War (DoW) Civilian Employee
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• People with Disabilities, Schedule A
• Priority Placement Program, DoW Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoW Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoW MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoW Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

Basic Requirement:

Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least four of the following five areas: (1) Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material. (2) Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness. (3) Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. (4) Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training. OR (5) Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software.

NOTE: You are required to submit ALL TRANSCRIPTS with at a minimum, your bachelor's degree. Your Master's, EDS, Doctorate etc. may need to be submitted as well if they must be used to meet the education requirement. If you do not provide this, your application WILL be rejected.

In Addition To Meeting The Basic Requirement Above, To Qualify For This Position You Must Also Meet The Qualification Requirements Listed Below:

Specialized Experience:

One year of full-time specialized experience which includes: developing high-quality instructional materials within an educational environment; applying industry standards, laws, and/or regulations to ensure resource compliance or accessibility; and contributing to program evaluation, compliance activities, or continuous improvement initiatives. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service or equivalent (GS-12).

NOTE: If your resume doesn't clearly describe this experience, your application WILL be rejected. One year is defined as 365 days or 52 weeks of full-time experience, whichever comes sooner.

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Time in Grade Requirement:

Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION:

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Additional information

• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Be advised that effective Jan. 1 2018, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, most civilian employee relocation allowances became taxable. The Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) reimburses eligible employees for the additional Federal, State, and local income taxes incurred as a result of receiving taxable travel income. RITA does not apply to new government employees or employees returning from an overseas assignment for the purpose of separation from Government service. For more information, visit
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the
• This position requires a 1-year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests:

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.