Education Technician

Veterans Health Administration•Baltimore, MD

About The Position

The Education Technician performs detailed, difficult, and responsible work for Employee Education & Organizational Development (EEOD), supporting the development, delivery, and analysis of education and training programs for employees of the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS). The position requires extensive coordination, in-depth problem solving, and strong project management skills. It supports leadership training and professional development, training needs analysis and scheduling, administrative operations, Talent Management System (TMS) functions, and recruitment and retention programs. The technician coordinates with the Supervisory Training Specialist, Director of EEOD, Executive Leadership Team, VISN, and VHA’s Institute of Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD) to identify training needs and available programs. The position conducts employee education needs assessments, develops surveys and focus groups, analyzes results, briefs senior leadership, and recommends courses and interventions. It coordinates instructors, training materials, equipment, marketing, enrollment tracking, and evaluation reporting; develops and maintains training schedules, curricula, policies, procedures, and guidelines; and provides TMS support, including managing learning assignments, items, curricula, compliance, reporting, and customer service when needed. The role also supports facility-wide recruitment and retention activities, including orientation, onboarding, hiring events, EISP, and VA STEP. Work schedule is 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Compressed or flexible scheduling is not authorized. Ad-hoc telework may be authorized and eligibility will be discussed during the interview. This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Meet the applicable GS-09 or GS-11 qualification requirements through specialized experience, education, or an allowable combination of both.
For GS-09 specialized experience: one year equivalent to at least GS-07, including programmatic support and administrative efficiency; analyzing training needs and recommending courses or interventions; training logistics, market research, information gathering, instructor coordination, and review and analysis of policies and guidance; and intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft applications and systems.
For GS-09 education substitution: a master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.B. or J.D.; qualifying combinations of education and experience may also be used.
For GS-11 specialized experience: one year equivalent to at least GS-09, including programmatic and administrative support; supporting the Supervisory Training Specialist in planning, developing, recruiting for, and marketing programs; delivering content and teaching classes when needed; analyzing training needs and recommending courses or interventions; expert-level training logistics and management of training resources; and expert proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft applications and systems.
For GS-11 education substitution: three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D., or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; qualifying combinations of education and experience may also be used.
Current or former federal employees subject to time-in-grade rules must meet the applicable requirement; for GS-11, this includes 52 weeks at GS-09.
Submit transcripts if using education to qualify. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
Complete all required application steps, including the online assessment.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
Selected applicants must complete a background/security investigation and online onboarding, and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Responsibilities

Plan, develop, oversee, and support leadership training and professional development programs for VAMHCS employees.
Coordinate with the Supervisory Training Specialist, Director of EEOD, Executive Leadership Team, VISN, and ILEAD to identify facility training needs and available programs.
Coordinate, deliver, analyze, and present findings from Employee Education Needs Assessments.
Develop focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires; consult with management and key personnel regarding training needs, problems, and objectives.
Brief senior leadership, including the VAMHCS Executive Leadership Team, and recommend training courses and interventions based on assessment analysis.
Coordinate training support with VISN, ILEAD, and contracted instructors, ensuring required materials and equipment are available.
Develop marketing tools to encourage enrollment and participation, and manage tracking systems for attendance and marketing results.
Review instructor and program evaluations, analyze findings, prepare reports, and provide recommendations to the Supervisory Training Specialist and Director of EEOD.
Coordinate and develop an integrated schedule of leadership and professional training and education events presented or sponsored by EEOD.
Assist the Supervisory Training Specialist with developing leadership and professional development curricula.
Analyze resource availability, course requirements, site capabilities, and instructor needs to create formal scheduling plans.
Communicate with classroom points of contact at VAMHCS sites about updates and schedule changes.
Oversee administrative activities related to leadership training, professional development, and education; draft and publish policies, standard operating procedures, and local training guidelines.
Develop course marketing materials in a variety of formats.
Provide cross-coverage for TMS duties, including serving as an Item Manager and covering Learning Manager duties as needed.
Assign and track learning, create and manage items and curricula, oversee compliance and reporting, and provide customer service in TMS.
Independently manage projects to develop training rapidly in TMS.
Support EEOD recruitment and retention programs, including New Employee Orientation, onboarding events, hiring events, the Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP), and VA Student Trainee Experience Program (VA STEP).