Summary The position serves as an expert advisor on diversity, equity, and inclusion to executive leadership. The position will lead the development of a vision and effective strategy that champions the importance and value of a diverse and inclusive work environment. Additionally, the DEI Manager will engage managers and staff to build a welcoming and inclusive culture at the Medical Centers. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: This position will lead the development and implementation of proactive diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives that will support the VA ECHCS's efforts to define, understand, assess, foster, and cultivate diversity. This position will engage managers and staff to build a welcoming and inclusive culture throughout the health care system. Work to improve population experience both from an employee and Veteran perspective. The position serves as a link between VHA executive staff and key officials within VA, VHA, VA Medical Centers and VISNs, and a wide variety of external groups and organizations, including the media. The position will design training initiatives on cultural competencies, gender differences, disabilities, and other topics designed to increase awareness and support equity and inclusion values and maintain applicable laws. The position develops long-range program plans, goals, objectives, and milestones. The position represents the group consensus and conveys findings and recommendations in meetings and communication with other leaders, program officials, and the public and other customers on issues related to or that have an impact on the facility's 3 objectives, work products and/or tasks. The position will be proactive and demonstrate initiative and will need to have a strong situational and political awareness as the projects managed may be of a controversial nature. The position investigates and analyzes adverse operations, trends or conditions and initiates corrective action, and follows-through. Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours/week) Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm or 7:30-4:00 pm or at the discretion of the Supervisor. Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD13428-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/10/2025. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Engage managers and staff to build a welcoming and inclusive culture throughout VA ECHCS by providing recommendations on enhancing representation and full participation in VHA workforce; Collect, analyze, monitor, and disseminate organizational data to benchmark and promote accountability for diversity, equity, and inclusion and to inform the development of long-range program plans, goals, objectives, and milestones; Create and implement communications strategies to support diversity, equity, and inclusion and related initiatives; Design training initiatives on cultural competencies, gender differences, disabilities, and other topics designed to increase awareness and support of equity and inclusion values and maintain compliance with applicable laws; Develop innovative strategies and recommendations for initiating and establishing goals, timetables, and procedures for expediting DE&I or related projects. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Change Management Communications Knowledge Management Leveraging Diversity Planning and Evaluating Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary and does not require any special physical effort. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. The position might have to carry light items such as papers, books, and portable computer requirement or driving a motor vehicle relative to attendance at meetings. The work often requires long hours to meet project deadlines and to devise corrective action and solutions to unexpected technical and/or management crises resulting in sometimes highly stressful work situations For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.