Program Specialist (QRT).

Veterans Benefits Administration; Salt Lake City (UT); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration in Utah seeks a Program Specialist (QRT) to lead quality assurance for fiduciary examinations and annual accountings, and to oversee training initiatives for the Fiduciary Hub. This role emphasizes adherence to regulations and coordination with field staff to enhance program integrity.

You will conduct data-driven reviews, develop procedures, and provide advisory support to management on ISD-based training and performance improvements.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience or education required to qualify at GS-11/GS-12 as described in the Minimum Qualification Requirement.
• Knowledge of complex laws, regulations and federal legislation relating to Veterans benefits.

Responsibilities

• Ensure propriety and technical sufficiency of Field Examination reports and fiduciary correspondence.
• Perform quality reviews and monitor performance data for Fid Hub employees.
• Analyze data reflecting quality levels to determine training needs across staff levels.
• Develop quality assurance processes addressing unique work conditions and practices.
• Advise Fiduciary Hub Manager on training policies and ISD methodologies.

Job description

Duties

• Responsible for the propriety and technical sufficiency of Field Examination reports, final annual accountings, and correspondence to fiduciaries, and all other fiduciary related issues.
• Performs quality reviews of completed actions to monitor individual performance data for Fid Hub employees.
• Analyzes data that reflects quality levels to determine training needs of Fid Hub employees, from Field Examiners through clerical staff.
• Develops various quality assurance processes with emphasis on work procedures and techniques that address unique work conditions and practices.
• Ensures all program requirements imposed by VA Central Office Fiduciary Service are met or implemented.
• Performs quality reviews and develops local operating procedures for the team to supplement regulations and directives as needed.
• Functions as an authoritative consultant on the technical aspects of fiduciary activities.
• Provides management advisory services, including making planned, systematic studies of immediate and long-range training needs.
• Uses surveys, focus groups and similar tools to obtain feedback from employees, managers and supervisors, on training effectiveness.
• Prepare the annual training plan and may prepare training outlines and lesson plans.
• Utilizes technology in carrying out training programs. Videotapes satellite training. Computer assisted programs and computer enhanced presentations are developed for use throughout the Hub.
• Develops methods for mentoring members of the team on the technical aspects of the job in a manner that addresses individual learning needs and effectively offers feedback to identify and correct deficient areas.
• Advises the Fiduciary Hub Manager/Supervisor on all aspects of technical training policies, planning, review and research as related to the Instructional System Design (ISD) methodology and VBA developed training packages.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

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. The grade progression for this position is GS-12.

Work Schedule

Full time, Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible

Available

Telework

This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.

Virtual

This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#

Program Specialist (QRT); PD37120A and PD41105A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

Not Required

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Required

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 2-year trail period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the Agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the Agency or the Government;
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:08/27/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT

As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 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 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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education ss described below:

GS-11 Grade Level

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as knowledge of a complex field of laws, regulations and federal legislation pertaining to the full range of Veterans benefits, which should include the Fiduciary program. Examples of specialized experience would typically include:
• Experience that demonstrates competence in adjudicating and authorizing veterans' claims.
• Experience in the development, examination, investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for disability compensation, disability pension, death compensation, death pension benefits, life insurance benefits, etc. 1
• Experience in explaining VA benefits and eligibility requirements to a variety of customers.
• Training/Mentoring in investigation, adjudication, and authorization of claims for benefits or compensation.

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 or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related to the competencies.

Combination.

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. Equivalent combinations of (1) specialized experience and (2) PH.D. graduate education. To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify. (The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.)

Specialized Experience:

GS-12 Level:

Applicant must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. In addition to the specialized experience needed at the GS-11 level, specialized experience is defined as work that involves functioning in either capacity performing training, analyst or information systems duties of a benefits claims process. The experience should be substantive and relevant and may have been gained in the federal, military, or private sector. Examples of specialized experience may include but are not limited to the following:

• Conducting focused evaluations and reviews to determine quality and accuracy;
• Providing advisory services to management via preparation and presentation of quality trend information;
• Developing training strategies and materials to address deficiencies and/or conducting training activities;
• Analyzing performance deficiencies and quality trends to identify knowledge/skill gaps;
• Providing quality-review services, feedback, and guidance to staff in order to correct unsatisfactory performance.

Education is not applicable at the GS-12 level.

Volunteer Experience