Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist.

National Cemetery Administration; Dixon (CA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

National Cemetery Administration seeks a Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist to supervise five CAS, schedule over 4,200 interments, and ensure eligibility and quality control for burial applications.

The role requires leadership, data handling, and strong public-facing communication, with a focus on honoring veterans and their families at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.

Qualifications

• Experience at the next lower grade or equivalent in federal service.
• Ability to gather data, coordinate meetings, and generate reports.
• Strong communication with the public under stress.

Responsibilities

• Represent Cemetery Administrator at committal services and outreach events.
• Schedule interments for casket and cremation burials and memorials.
• Lead five Cemetery Administration Specialists and oversee workload and training.

Skills

Public relations

Public speaking

Interment scheduling

Leadership

Typing 40 wpm

Data handling

Education

Graduate education

Bachelor's degree with SAA

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Teams

Job description

Duties

The incumbent, as a Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist, and represents the Cemetery Administrator (Director) in public relations by assisting in maintaining positive rapport with employees and the public in general to represent the best interest of the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). Incumbent represents the Cemetery Administrator (Director) at committal services at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery and at outreach events, providing information at information booths and veterans gathering regarding burials benefits to veterans and their spouses in support of the Minority Veterans Program (MVPC). Incumbent will monitor committal services for compliance with the National Cemetery Administration standards pertaining to the mission to "honor Veterans and their families with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation." Represents the cemetery in making committal arrangements; receiving data concerning arrangements in various forms including via electronic transfer from National Scheduling Office (NSO), telephone, and in person; records pertinent to interment and military data in electronic burial records Burial Operations Support System (BOSS). Performs lead duties for five (5) Cemetery Administration Specialists, GS-1630-07. The incumbent distributes and balances the workload among the employees and is responsible for overseeing the scheduling of over 4,200 interments at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. The incumbent also performs a variety of clerical and technical support functions to support the administrative, logistical, and analytical activities related to the interment of qualified veterans, their spouse, and dependent children at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. The incumbent also serves as the quality control expert responsible for determining if the application for burial and eligibility is correct prior to scheduling. The incumbent is responsible for scheduling interments for all casket and cremation burials, memorials and In Memory of (IMO) request based on information received from the Department of Defense, NCA Scheduling Center, funeral directors, and/or families of the deceased. The incumbent performs extensive public contact by telephone, which requires tact and patience, often requiring the ability to deal with the decedent's immediate family in times of emotional crisis. The Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist obtains the essential information required and schedules interment services in compliance with local policies and directives. All personal and veteran information must be carefully reviewed prior to establishing eligibility. The incumbent is expected to be knowledgeable of the operational characteristics at the National Cemetery to ensure that interments are scheduled according to the requirements at the cemetery. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing the investigation and determination of eligibility for cases established during the normal business week. The incumbent is responsible for providing onthe-job training for other Cemetery Administration Specialists (CAS) and volunteers. Incumbent will ensure CAS employees are fully trained in both BOSS/Admin duties and leading committal services.

Salary Ranges

GS-7 $63,081- $82,007

GS-9 $77,161- $100,315

Work schedule

Required towork Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day and Veteran's Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends, and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work.

Compressed/Flexible Schedule

Not Available

Telework

Not Available

Remote/Virtual

This is not a virtual or remote position.

Position Description Title/PD#

Lead Cemetery Administration Specialist / PD1591621

Promotion Potential

The selectee maybe 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.

Relocation Expenses

Not authorized

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

Not required

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Subject to a background/security investigation.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must possess and maintain a valid REAL ID compliant driver's license.
• Must be able to type at least 40 words per minute.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all specialized experience and time in grade requirements within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2026.

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 within 45 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 grade level. 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 your most recent non-award SF-50 has an effective 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 tine-in-grade. 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.

• Must have the ability to type at least 40 words per minute.
• Must possess and maintain a valid REAL ID compliant state driver's license.

To Qualify for the GS-07 Grade Level

• Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-05) or equivalent. Specialized experience includes experience such as, but not limited to: gathering data, coordinating meetings, establishing and maintaining an efficient filing system, using computer software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.) to generate a variety of reports, meeting internal and external customer needs and establishing priorities and meeting deadlines, serving as the clearing point for issues or problems that arise, skill in communicating with the public under stressful situations, and handling conflicts and problems with customers constructively and appropriately.

OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for specialized experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 1 full year of graduate level education from an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work; OR a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA is defined as (1) cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher our of a possible 4.0 for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 years of undergraduate study; (2) GPA of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years; (3) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision or (4) Membership in a national honor society (other than freshmen honor societies).

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 4 years of undergraduate level education earned).

To Qualify for the GS-09 Grade Level

• Experience: You must have at least one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-7) or equivalent. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to experience such as: leading activities such as gathering data, coordinating meetings, establishing and maintaining an efficient filing system, using computer software (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc.) to generate a variety of reports, meeting internal and external customer needs and establishing priorities and meeting deadlines, serving as the clearing point for issues or problems that arise, skill in communicating with the public under stressful situations, and handling conflicts and problems with customers constructively and appropriately.

OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

OR

• Combination: Applicants may also combine experience and education to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 18 semester hours of graduate-level education earned.

Competencies

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility