Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (AVREO)

Veterans Benefits Administration • Winston-Salem, NC

5d • Onsite

About The Position

As the Assistant Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer (AVREO), you will serve as the professional consultant and technical expert in administering and advising in areas of education, training, psychological testing and evaluation, counseling, rehabilitation, job development, and placement for disabled veterans receiving VA benefits. You will assist the VREO and manage broad-based and multifaceted programs through a team of supervisors and team leaders. You will have delegated authority on behalf of the VREO to make decisions including basic eligibility for programs administered by the VR&E. You will maintain essential resources for referral for special rehabilitation procedures, provide advice and recommendations to meet major goals, and assist with the assessment of priorities. You will provide administrative expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities, including counseling, case management, rehabilitation plan development, and job development and placement. You will provide internal policy direction and supervision of the RO VR&E staff through onsite visits and inspections, review and analysis of standard or specifically requested data, and individualized or telephonic and written communication. You will assume final responsibility for the proper interpretation and uniform application of laws, regulations, and instructions in conformance with mandatory policies, procedures, and practices, reconciling divergent options. You will provide oversight of Privacy Act/FOIA requests and ensure staff responds timely to Congressional, White House, and other special inquiries concerning VA benefits for Veterans and other claimants. You will be responsible for the development of subordinate supervisors regarding administrative, managerial, and leadership skills.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• You may be required to serve a probationary or trial period.
• Selectees are required to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 10/16/2026.
• TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must 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 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-14 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-14.
• 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.
• MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: To qualify for this position, you must meet both the Basic Requirements (Individual Occupational Requirements) and the specialized experience requirements described below:
• Individual Occupational Requirements (Basic Requirements): To be eligible for this position, you must meet one of the following: A). Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in behavioral or social science, or a related discipline appropriate to the position. OR; B). Combination of education and experience: A combination of education and experience that provided you with the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR; C). Experience: Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrates you have acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
• Note: You must submit transcripts if you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience.
• Specialized Experience GS-14: In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the GS-13 level in the normal line of progression for this occupation.
• Specialized experience typically includes: Leading and coordinating teams, including planning and assigning work activities with final technical responsibility for completed work.
• Training, teaching, and presenting to groups of varied sizes, including explaining complex regulations and policy.
• Managing multiple concurrent tasks, projects, and assignments with a high level of organization.
• Gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data related to service delivery and recommending appropriate actions based on findings.
• Demonstrated knowledge of all aspects of the Vocational Rehabilitation &Employment (VR&E) program, including initial evaluations, case management, and employment services.
• Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement.
• Volunteer Experience: 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.
• Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.
• Transcripts is need only if you are using education to qualify. (Unofficial and/or Official) must also show that the degree has been awarded/conferred and the date awarded.
• 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.
• If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
• Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Nice To Haves

• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Responsibilities

• Assists the VREO and manages broad-based and multifaceted programs through a team of supervisors and team leaders.
• Has delegated authority on behalf of the VREO, to make decisions including basic eligibility for programs administered by the VR&E.
• Maintains essential resources for referral for special rehabilitation procedures.
• Provides advice and recommendations to meet major goals and assists with the assessment of priorities.
• Provides administrative expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities, including counseling, case management, rehabilitation plan development, and job development and placement.
• Provides internal policy direction and supervision of the RO VR&E staff through onsite visits and inspections, review, and analysis of standard or specifically requested data and individualized or telephonic and written communication.
• Assumes final responsibility for proper interpretation and uniform application of laws, regulations, and instructions in conformance with mandatory policies, procedures and practices, reconciling divergent options.
• Provides oversight of Privacy Act/FOIA requests.
• Ensures staff responds timely to Congressional, White House and other special inquiries concerning VA benefits for Veterans and other claimants.
• Responsible for the development of subordinate supervisors regarding administrative, managerial, and leadership skills.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.
• Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager