Education Program Specialist Jobs

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Office of Job Corps (OJC), Division of Educational Services, Educational Programs Branch. This Division is response for implementing a national workforce system that provides blended education and training targeted to high growth, high demand industries.

This position is outside the bargaining unit.

Learn more about this agency

Help Duties

Duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provides authoritative advice and consultation to ETA officials and customers relater to academic programming, policies, and services. Evaluates, recommends, and facilitates implementation of new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated problems.
• Clearly and effectively identifies, integrates, supports, and provides training on the use of academic and applied academic standards, methods, and approaches as related to students' attainment of high school diplomas or high school equivalency attainment and career technical program success.
• Initiates, plans, conducts, and/or participates in national and regional meetings, trainings, and conferences for purposes of gaining support for and advancing national objectives in the assigned academic program areas.
• Represents the Job Corps program in communicating with other agencies, Congressional staff, contractors, special interest groups, unions, employers, and community organizations to promote objectives of the Job Corps program.
• Monitors contract and grant projects in assigned program areas to assure that federally funded programs address the educational needs of Job Corps students at all educational levels. Writes scope of work (SOW) statements for requests for proposals (RFP). Serves as a member or lead on selection panels.
• Oversees the development and update of resources and services for implementation of academic standards and competencies.
• Interprets legislation and broad DOL, ETA, and OJC guidance to develop, review, and coordinate Department of Labor policies and procedures. Stays abreast of legislative updates and other legislation regarding educational programs to determine necessary policy changes.
• Measures compliance with statutory and policy requirements through scheduled monitoring activities to review all required components of the program; prepares and supports the system in these areas through effective communications, comprehensive development, timely evaluations, delivery of multi-disciplinary services, and seamless transitions to follow-on services.
• Provides professional leadership and guidance to ensure such programming effectively supports students seeking employment in targeted industries and careers, involving adoption/integration of standards, competencies, and staff development, as well as regular interface/ partnership with secondary and post-secondary entities (i.e., community colleges).
• Monitors contract and grant projects in assigned program areas to assure federally funded program address the educational needs of Job Corps students at all educational levels.
• Oversees the development of requirements for, and provides technical assistance to, education personnel and other training staff.
• Evaluates effectiveness of academic education planning and programs through a variety of means, including review of instruments, curricula, instructional materials, technical reports, and surveys.
• Oversees program improvements, specifically within the areas of academic programs, and provides advice to senior program leadership with regard to education and training.
• Provides recommendations and guidance to higher-level leadership and regional staff on new developments and national trends in the areas of academic learning and skill-building within a workforce development context.
• Evaluates effectiveness and efficacy of programs and methods used for academic student learning, teaching, and testing; analyzes resource needs, and recommends changes as needed.
• Serves as the principal Education Program Specialist for the program, anticipating changes and proactively addressing issues. Coordinates with National leaders in early intervention services and major universities on the implementation of evidence-based best practices.

Help Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a supervisory probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Requirements/IOR (Individual Occupational Requirement) and the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for Education Program Specialist, as described below.

Basic Requirements/Individual Occupational Requirements:

Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses.

OR

Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience must reflect the level and kind described in C below.

OR

Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university.

OR

At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion.

In Addition to meeting the Basic Requirements/IOR you must also meet the specialized experience for this position.

For GS-14 : Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled, and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience is defined as the following, you must meet all:

• Conducting education research and analysis for program effectiveness, policy review, development, and guidance, and communication with internal/external stakeholders.
• Implementing training, academic, and assessment programs within an education system with oversight of schools located in a wide geographic area (National or global).
• Experience within the field of academic education in extending concepts and methods to improve national program quality.

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of the announcement closing date.

Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflect your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure, and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases, you may need to submit more than one SF-50.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

You may not be aware, but in the regulations for agency ethics programs, there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states: Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interests and enforce government ethics laws and regulations, including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure reports. In addition, supervisors are responsible, when requested, for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.

Telework (if applicable): Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor's Telework Program.

Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. As such, the Department is committed to fostering a workplace and workforce that promote equal employment opportunity, reflects the diversity of the people we seek to serve, and models a culture of respect, equity, inclusion, and accessibility where every employee feels heard, supported, and empowered.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

We expect to fill 1 vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Employment and Training Administration

200 Constitution Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20210

US