Vocational Development Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the Columbus VAMC seeks a Vocational Development Specialist to coordinate homeless Veterans’ employment pathways. You will liaise with clinical teams, community employers, and the employment collaborative to connect Veterans to suitable jobs.

You will assess individual needs, develop tailored job opportunities, and guide Veterans through placement processes, ensuring sustained competitive employment in the community and at the medical center.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 for GS-09
• Education may substitute for experience as described in the qualification standards
• SF-50 showing time-in-grade eligibility or equivalent must be provided

Responsibilities

• Establish respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and clinical/admin staff
• Develop employment opportunities for homeless Veterans through community-based efforts
• Ensure access to competitive employment resources at the medical center and in the community
• Coordinate rapid access and placement strategies with homeless program managers to reduce barriers

Skills

Relationship building

Advocacy

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

Summary

This position is physically located at VA Medical Center (VAMC). The incumbent in this position serves as the VAMC's Community Employment Coordinator for Homeless Veterans. The employee is a central figure (liaison - advocate - technical advisor) responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum in order to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/21/2026. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Provides information - pre-employment assessment and workforce re-entry planning services - linkage - and coordination for VA and non-VA services - and community-based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment. Serves as an advocate on behalf of Veterans with members of the employment collaborative and community employers - when appropriate - to ensure comprehensive service delivery resulting in competitive employment. Evaluate the employment needs of individual Veterans and to provide individual and customized job development and placement. Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. - if related. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR - Combination: Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). ??????? 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/.

Duties

• Establish respectful - effective relationships with Veterans and with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies - including community employers
• Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative
• Insures that through the collaborative - competitive employment resources of varying levels of intensity are currently available for homeless and chronically homeless Veterans both at the medical center and in the community
• Coordinates with homeless - CWT and community program managers on rapid access and placement strategies for Veterans that reduce barriers to employment and identify appropriate supports to sustain outcomes Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: This position is not authorized for telework
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist/PD935970 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized