Program Specialist- Employee Experience Officer

The Employee Experience Officer designs and leads strategies across the entire employee journey from hiring to exit to create a positive, engaging, and high-performing workplace that boosts satisfaction, well-being, and retention. The position is responsible for developing and executing programs and strategy, conducting data analysis, leading communication activities, and using research and data to improve the employee experience and develop the Lexington VA Health Care System workforce.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/29/2026.

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-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. Applicants must submit documentation verifying that they meet time-in-grade requirements in accordance with federal regulations. Human Resources will not review or access official personnel records to determine eligibility if supporting documentation is not provided. Failure to submit required documentation will result in an ineligible rating.

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: GS-9 (Developmental): Specialized Experience You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist.

Qualifying specialized experience includes:

knowledge of basic principles and practices of program development, project oversight, budgetary monitoring, and data analysis sufficient to: perform highly structured, entry-level work designed to develop broader and more in-depth knowledge, and skill to perform higher-level assignments; communicate factual and procedural information related to employee experience topics clearly, orally and in writing; gather and analyze basic facts related to employee experience and engagement and draw conclusions. ~OR~

Education :

successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or masters or equivalent graduate degree, or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position, as the education must be directly related to the position of the Program Specialist. ~OR~

Combination :

equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level. GS-11:

Specialized Experience :

You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist.

Qualifying specialized experience includes:

skills and abilities to identify problems and recommend solutions and evaluate the impact of program changes in accordance with established goals and objectives. Skilled in oral and written communications to enable presentation of sensitive and sometimes controversial material and recommendations to higher authority and other government agencies. Ability to take vague guidance and mold the information into a meaningful product, frequently having to brief results to management and higher-level officials. Skill at interpreting various forms of information to others in order to ensure studies provide a usable product. Skill in preparing project papers and staff reports Skill in organizing and delivering briefings to managers to encourage understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations. ~OR~

Education:

Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education, leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position, as the education must be directly related to the position of Administrative Officer. ~OR~

Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements.

NOTE:

If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.

Preferred Experience :

Preferred Experience in employee engagement and recognition activities, committees, or projects preferred.

Permanent Employee Status :

If you are unsure if you have permanent employee status to be considered for this position, you can verify your status by referring to Box 24 on your most recent SF-50. The box must have a 1 or 2 in order to be considered for this position. Basis for

Selection :

Selections for positions will be based on the objective evaluation of the candidates' total qualifications for the position. "Qualifications" means the combination of experience, training, education, skills, knowledge, abilities, personal characteristics, and merit factors deemed to be pertinent to successful performance. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Analysis and Problem Solving Attention to Detail Communication Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Effectiveness Interpersonal Skills Learning Project Management Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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:

Typical office work not requiring special physical demands. Work environment should be ergonomically appropriate. 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/ .