Program Specialist (WVPP)

Summary

Workplace Violence Prevention Program Program Assistant Obtain certification as a Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior Facility Trainer certified to train all skills excepting Therapeutic Containment. Serve as PMDB Facility trainer. Obtain Talent Management System Administrator role. Assist in all elements of PMDB administration. Participate as a member of the Disruptive Behavior Prevention Program and provide administrative assistance to the Chairperson or designee of the DBC.

Duties

Knowledge in VA, JCAHO, OSHA and other guidelines associated with violence prevention, education, and training; knowledge of the proper procedures for preparing forms as requested by various services and committees. Ability to be a role model for quality customer service and conflict resolution including consistently communicating and treating customers in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner; strong organizational and planning skills; knowledge of CPRS and TMS; knowledge of MS Word and Excel or comparable word processing and data analysis software; knowledge of PowerPoint and SharePoint website management or comparable systems, strong verbal presentation and communication skills; physical ability needed to instruct and train staff in all levels of PMDB. Willingness to attain certification as a facility or master level PMDB trainer. The incumbent will be skilled in counseling adults regarding violence prevention and disruptive behavior; will apply and adapt this knowledge gained through extended professional experience to difficult and complex. work assignments where education activities incorporate facility and national goals. You apply professional knowledge and skills in evaluating the soundness of project proposals, providing technical guidance, assessing project performance and negotiating major plan changes. You report to the Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) Section Chief and communicates daily to that individual. The supervisor sets overall objectives. You and supervisor, in consultation, develop deadlines, projects and work to be done. You delegate authority for the day-to-day administrative operations of the WVPP. The expectation is that you work on your own initiative under general administrative supervision. You, having developed expertise in the areas of education, is responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment, resolving most of the conflicts which arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary; and interpreting policy on his/her own initiative in terms of broad agency objectives. Within the delegation of authority, you determine the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used while keeping the supervisor informed of progress and of potentially controversial matters with far-reaching implications. In general, recommendations made by you are accepted. Controversial issues are resolved by consultation with the WVPP Section Chief, committee chairs, VA Police, and/or other relevant staff and ultimately reviewed by the Chief of Staff's office. Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility, compatibility with other work in the agency. Efficiency is measured by timeliness of goal completions and workload management. Effectiveness is measured by specific goal achievements such as compliance with national mandates and program improvements. Guidelines consist of Department of Veterans Affairs Directives, Public Laws. Federal Regulations, States Laws which provide policies and requirements of regulatory agencies. Guidelines further consist of The Joint Commission (TJC) manuals, local and VA medical center policies (MCPs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs), medical record publications and hospital publications. Considerable judgment is necessary in determining and interpreting appropriate guidelines and discretion must be exercised in individual situations not covered by established policies. The training work involved in this position requires dexterity in maneuvering through a broad range of resources, educational concepts, reinforcement approaches and roadblocks. The scope of the work is administrative and technical in nature, with the incumbent responsible for a full range of administrative and technical activities engaged in the WVPP arena. You must utilize a high degree of interpersonal skills. The incumbent must communicate in a manner that reflects respect, understanding, diplomacy, and responsiveness. The incumbent must have the ability to complete all hours of PMDB credentialling, to have a full understanding of the techniques and methods involved, and to actively train staff in all parts of PMDB . . . This will require physical effort, standing, walking, bending, sitting, and hands-on activity with employees during demonstrations of the techniques. Credentialing as a PMDB Trainer may also require travel. Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office or building. It may be possible to complete some tasks using video technology. This position will require occasional travel to other sites. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist (WVPP)/PD160380 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/20/2026. 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: ability to be a role model for quality customer service and conflict resolution including consistently communicating and treating customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner; strong organizational and planning skills; knowledge of CPRS and TMS; knowledge of MS Word and Excel or comparable word processing and data analysis software; knowledge of PowerPoint and SharePoint website management or comparable systems, strong verbal presentation and communication skills; physical ability needed to instruct and train staff in all levels of PMDB. Willingness to attain certification as a facility or master level PMDB trainer.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education an