[Hiring] Supervisory Social Science Program Specialist @Office of Suicide Prevention, Veterans Crisis Line

Role Description

The employee will serve as the Supervisory Social Science Program Specialist, located in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Crisis Line, Veterans Affair (VA). The VCL is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year service aimed at connecting callers worldwide to a caring, qualified Veterans Administration employee. The VCL's mission is to provide 24/7, world-class suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to Veterans, Service Members, and their family members.

• Supervises Training staff by providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit.
• Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, clearly communicated through both formal and informal performance management evaluations.
• Observes staff's performance, providing performance and productivity input and taking appropriate steps to recommend and/or effect changes when needed.
• Assures that employees are trained or otherwise familiar with duties/responsibilities and Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) policies and procedures.
• Assures subordinates are adequately trained to perform their assigned duties, recommending additional training when needed.
• Performs supervisory duties within the scope of existing OMHSP policies and within the scope of the negotiated labor contract.
• Resolves informal complaints and grievances.
• Recommends personnel actions, including disciplinary and performance-based actions.
• Makes recommendations for recognition of special contributions and/or superior performance by employees.
• Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative and qualitative basis, the effectiveness of training programs and initiatives in meeting established goals and objectives.
• Continuous oversight of assigned program areas for effectiveness is essential and directly impacts OMHSP organizations in meeting its mission and goals.
• Evaluates and analyzes training needs, assigns workload, reviews processes, and assesses functional requirements of all training activities.
• Provides guidance and technical direction to staff for accomplishing the work of the unit.
• Plans and distributes work, assigns projects/tasks, balances workload, keeps track of the status and progress of work, estimates and reports completion of work, provides instruction and guidance to employees, responds to questions and inquiries, resolves recurring problems and discrepancies, develops basic procedural guidelines, provides on-the-job training, and reviews/evaluates work of subordinate employees.
• Performs work related to coordinating and assigning projects for the development and implementation of training courses or course materials.
• Coordinates activities associated with significant matters such as tuition assistance, policies, course prerequisites, learning objectives, and training contents.
• Provides training advice and guidance in the areas of training course development/design, delivery, evaluation, and modification.
• Oversees development work of courses for training programs.
• Conducts fact-finding and analyses which contribute to research in a specific field of competence.
• Represents the organization at professional and public gatherings, lectures, and panel discussions.
• Arranges and moderates seminars and conferences, provides guidance to trainers and learners, and participates in panel discussions.
• Participates with a training committee, academic department head, or higher-level instructor in determining specific topics covered by the course.
• Performs work associated with the evaluation of courses for training programs.
• Plans and conducts studies which evaluate and predict program achievements and student performance, and prepares interpretations of results and recommendations.
• Performs work involving review and modification of training courses.
• Conducts studies and analyses in functional specialty or subject matter areas.
• Analyzes educational or instructional problems or questions involving a functional specialty area of education and training.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule

Tour of duty is typically administrative hours. Flexible schedule may be available after training. VCL has multiple tours that cover our 24/7/365 operations (this does include Holidays). Tour is subject to change based on program needs.

Remote

This is a remote position.

Position Description/PD#

Supervisory Social Science Program Specialist/PD06809A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI)

Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Not required

Financial Disclosure Report

Not required

Education Requirements

• Transcript Reminder: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
• Transcripts must depict the name of the college to determine accreditation, and your name must also be displayed on the transcripts.
• If qualifying based on a degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show the date the degree was conferred.
• If selected, you must provide official transcripts.
• Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.

Qualifications

• To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/04/2026.
• 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.
• INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): Applicants MUST possess one of the following:
  • Degree in behavioral or social science; or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
  • Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
  • Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

Specialized Experience

• Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.
• For GS-12, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11.
• In order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet 3/5 of the following examples of specialized experience:
  • Designing, evaluating, and developing employee development programs, training plans, course methods, materials, and aids.
  • Coordinating and assigning projects for the development and implementation of training courses or course materials.
  • Leading or supervising a fast-paced, diverse team by providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit.
  • Experience providing administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit.
  • Assuring subordinates are adequately trained to perform their assigned duties, recommending additional training when needed.

Preferred Experience

• Must possess advanced skills in providing feedback and constructive criticism that promotes successful learning and behavioral change.
• Developed expertise in the broad functional or specialized area of education and psychological services.

Competencies

• Managing Human Resources
• Project Management
• Requirements Analysis