Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.

Responsibilities

• Serves as first-line supervisor for professional VR&E counseling and other VR&E staff in the Nashville RO VR&E jurisdictional area.
• Acts as alternate to the division AVREO in their absence.
• Manages and assesses performance of professional employees and other staff.
• Makes decisions on inquiries or issues presented by subordinate VR&E professional and other employees; consults and advises division-level management (DVL) staff and assesses impact on the VR&E program.
• Assists the DVL in implementing and monitoring a management system for work measurement, program evaluation, accountability, and management information reporting.
• Interviews candidates for employment and internal merit promotion, maintaining meticulous records in compliance with federal and VA Human Resource policies.
• Recommends performance, special contribution, and other awards for subordinate employees with full justification.
• Takes appropriate disciplinary action when warranted, adhering to agency, local procedure, and legal requirements.
• Handles employee and Veteran, Service Member, or dependent complaints, inquiries, and grievances, resolving them or referring unresolved issues to the AVREO.
• Serves as a VR&E leave-approving official for Nashville RO VR&E professional and other staff.
• Makes recommendations to the DVL for planning and implementing staff development and training programs.
• Serves as the master subject matter expert in VR&E case management and processes for professional and administrative staff.
• Provides guidance to employees on work-related matters and assists with staffing difficult cases.
• Identifies and adjusts work problems to ensure accurate and successful rehabilitation scenarios.
• Ensures caseloads and workloads are appropriately balanced among professional and subordinate staff.
• Provides extensive training to incoming and current VRCs and staff, evaluates training needs, and conducts refresher and new technology/process training.
• Reviews VR&E program participant physical and electronic records to ensure compliance with regulations and promote high-quality performance.
• Conducts quality assurance reviews and training for assigned VR&E professional and other staff.
• Supports and conducts systematic analysis of operations, identifies deficiencies, and implements improvements.
• Conducts formal fact-finding inquiries/investigations on employee issues and questionable work scenarios, providing written reports for decision-making.
• Takes measures to mitigate negative impact on the mission within VA guidelines, with DVL concurrence.

Requirements

As a condition of employment for this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary or trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Additional conditions include:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will complete an online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification.
• Effective May 7, 2025, non-REAL ID compliant driver's licenses or state-issued IDs cannot be used for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this GS-13 position, you must meet the following requirements:

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in VA's Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Division, including:
  • Conducting assessments of veterans' employability.
  • Developing vocational goals and rehabilitation plans.
  • Providing case management services to veterans.
  • Training staff and explaining VR&E benefits and services to veterans.
• Demonstrated supervisory/managerial abilities, including:
  • Assigning and reviewing work of subordinates.
  • Training and working effectively with diverse teams.
  • Planning and executing work within cost and time limits.
  • Communicating effectively orally and in writing.
  • Understanding and furthering management goals.
  • Developing or improving work methods and procedures.
• Basic education requirement:
  • Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling (including an internship), or
  • Master's degree in counseling psychology or a related field with at least 30 semester hours in rehabilitation counseling topics and a supervised internship, or
  • Master's degree without an internship but with one year of professional experience delivering vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities.

Grandfathering Provision: VRCs employed in VBA on July 28, 2023, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for their current title, series, and grade.

Schedule

• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm.
• Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not available.
• Telework: Eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only; must report to the official duty station each scheduled workday.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.