The incumbent functions as the Supervisory Government Information Specialist and performs the delegated duties of the VHA Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Public Liaison within the Veterans Health Administration, Office of Office of Health Informatics (OHI), Health Informatics Governance (HIG), Information Access and Privacy Office. This position is responsible for the management and oversight of the VHA FOIA Intake Team.

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Job Grade: 14
Total Openings:

Duties:

The incumbent serves as the FOIA Public Liaison and is the central point of contact for FOIA Requesters who seek dispute resolution. The FOIA Public Liaison assists in the resolution of any disputes between the requester and the agency. The FOIA Public Liaison is responsible for assisting in reducing delays, increasing transparency and understanding of the status of the requests as well as assisting in resolution of disputes. This position also provides supervision and management of the FOIA Intake Team. Interacts with and provides guidance to VHA customers using available communication resources to assist them in managing local privacy and FOIA programs. Conducts training sessions and presentations. Employs the highest level of tact and diplomacy in working with stakeholders to ensure their understanding of VHA FOIA requirements and how they can achieve them. Serves as expert consultant on all VHA FOIA Program related issues Interacts closely with all VA/VHA operations to ensure the FOIA Liaison and Intake program is consistent with the overall VA/VHA mission. FOIA point of contact for the requester population/public for any disputes/problem solving regarding FOIA requests and processing. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with customers. Adheres to nondiscriminatory employment practices in regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Keeps informed of, supports, and communicates to employees EEO policies, plans, and programs. Ensures fair treatment of all employees. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8am – 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Government Information Specialist/PD20009-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/19/2022. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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. Selective Placement Factors: Applicants must meet all Selective Placement Factors to be eligible for this position, in addition to any other requirements. The Selective Placement Factors for this position are: Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise. Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors. Identifies issues and analyzes information to draw accurate conclusions, ensuring careful attention to detail. Dissects problems and information into their meaningful parts, and uses logic and judgment to evaluate alternatives and develop solutions. 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-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Processing of FOIA requests. Managing Substantial Interest Requests to ensure that senior leadership is aware of high-profile FOIA requests. Interfacing with agency Department-level personnel for FOIA intake processes to ensure agency is compliant with Department policies on FOIA processing. Managing and grooming junior level personnel for achieving high-level expertise in FOIA. Reviewing and recommending agency comment/amendment concerning proposed legislation and guidance affecting the FOIA and the Privacy Act, computer matching and agency confidentiality statutes, as proposed by other agencies, primarily OMB, DoJ and Department of Health and Human Services. Utilizing and maintaining an expert and comprehensive knowledge of the FOIA, Privacy Act, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, agency and Department of Justice (DoJ) release of information regulations; Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance and other areas of administrative, information and optical storage law and is responsible for agency compliance with these laws, regulations and guidance. The incumbent is the a key subject matter expert on FOIA for VHA and will serve as the VHA FOIA Public Liaison. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Interpersonal Skills Customer Service Honesty/Integrity Conflict Management Managing Human Resources 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 mostly sedentary, but will require some walking, bending and lilting of lightweight objects. The incumbent is expected to be on occasional travel status and to accommodate the associated discomforts. 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/.

Job Requirements:

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.