Training Specialist

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Training Specialist for VA Portland Healthcare System, Office of Community Care (OCC). The primary responsibility is developing, implementing, and maintaining the ongoing administrative training programs for employees within the VA Portland Healthcare System, OCC.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Develops, maintains, and administers training programs for staff. Coordinates orientation activities for new employees and prepares materials to acquaint new employees with the organization's mission, structure, history, objectives, and policies. Facilitates the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures. Ensures quality provisions are planned, developed, and implemented to identify, prevent, and correct unsatisfactory conditions and elements that influence the regulatory correctness and responsiveness of staff. Works with Supervisors, Medical Support Assistants, and other staff as needed to develop data capture and electronic procedures to track the progress of quality program management initiatives. Analyzes segments of the business process or transactions and identifies indicators, progress measures, objectives, and emphasizes areas for action for improvement. Develops, implements, and evaluates training courses and programs and assess quality and effectiveness for continuous improvement. Monitors newly released directives, national, VISN, and facility policies and releases patches regularly to assess any potential effects on end-users and employees. Conduct and evaluate employee training needs assessments to provide guidance to the Business Office Management on establishing and operating internal training programs, developing or obtaining training aids, and selecting appropriate training resources. Investigates and analyzes adverse quality trends or conditions and initiates corrective action. Tracks all employee education and training compliance, utilizing established computer system software and Talent Management System and will use this to prepare reports on the status of training hours and mandatory courses. Participates in process improvement teams and assists managers and technical experts develop realistic quality improvement plans. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: This is a developmental position leading to a GS-09 level, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. 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. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Training Specialist/PD219000 and PD248880 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 11/04/2026. 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 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: The 1712 Training Instruction series requires specific education or experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. All applicants must meet one of the Individual Occupational Requirements listed below in addition to the grade specific requirements. Applicants may qualify based on their experience and/or education as described below. Education: A bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in education or a subject area related to the position to be filled. (Transcripts required) OR, Specialized Experience: Have at least one (1) year of Specialized Experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Experience must demonstrate a practical knowledge of the subject area of the position and of the methods and techniques of instruction. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation, or industrial establishment in the appropriate field(s). Supervising or administering a training program. Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc., and evaluation of training results. Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis. In addition to the Individual Occupational requirement above, applicants must have education/specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. You may qualify based on your specialized experience and/or education as described below:GS-07: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist in developing and coordinating staff training education; and, assist in training and course surveys. NOTE: 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 their resume. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed one (1) full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education, directly related to the work of the position, beyond a bachelor's degree. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. OR, Superior Academic Achievement: Applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: a) Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. b) A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. c) A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those cour