Training Specialist

Summary

This position is in the Workplace Violence Prevention Program of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. The Workplace Violence Prevention Program implements employee education on disruptive behavior prevention, maintains behavioral safety reporting processes, and provides tools that support safe care and a safe workplace. The incumbent administers the facility Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) training program.

Duties

Major duties include: Plans and implements the annual PMDB training schedule for the facility based on required audiences and renewal cycles. Coordinates tools and spaces needed for classes by requesting rooms, verifying availability of training equipment, and ensuring job aids and handouts are current and accessible. Serves as PMDB trainer and subject matter expert for fidelity of curriculum to ensure training to the standards. Collaborates with facility leadership to ensure facility policies are compliant with The Joint Commission (TJC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements regarding workplace violence prevention training. Prepares and delivers PMDB orientation content for new employees during facility onboarding sessions. Collects participation data from awareness activities using Microsoft Forms or other approved survey tools. Recruits, trains, and schedules PMDB Facility Trainers and ensures ongoing certification. Ensures PMDB Facility Trainers are initially certified by competing a Train-The-Trainer course and then recertified via the annual PMDB Trainer Recalibration Conference or a Facility Trainer Recertificate Assessment every 4 years. Creates courses and assignments in the Talent Management System (TMS 2.0) and leads class sessions. Coordinates scheduling of training events. Troubleshoots enrollment issues by resolving course assignment errors, fixing duplicate profiles, and reassigning curricula. Runs monthly compliance reports using TMS and Excel exports. Collects and merges PMDB training completion data with disruptive behavior metrics to evaluate course effectiveness. Serves as a member of the Disruptive Behavior Committee and attends all regularly scheduled meetings of the Disruptive Behavior Committee. Develops training handbooks, computer tutorials, and reference materials. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. ADHOC-May be authorized (Employees who Telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement). Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Training Specialist/PD618-606820 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/09/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study--education or a subject area related to the position to be filled. or Specialized Experience: Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge of the subject area of the position and of the methods and techniques of instruction. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation, or industrial establishment in the appropriate field(s). Supervising or administering a training program. Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc., and evaluation of training results. Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis. Specialized Experience GS-9: You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of a Training Instructor. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation, or industrial establishment in the appropriate field; Supervising or administering a training program; Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc., and evaluation of training results; Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis. Familiarity with adult learning and training principles; Experience building and evaluating new curriculum and evaluation of material; Understanding of training programs and experience training in education; Familiarity with using policies and procedures to improve work efficiency, establish new procedures and manage multiple tasks; Expertise with Microsoft Office, Outlook etc., to perform clerical functions such as preparing correspondence, reports and other clerical duties (experience must be well documented in resume). OR, Education: Applicants possess a masters or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a LL.B. or J.D., in education or a field related to this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. 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/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The work is primarily sedentary. Light physical effort may be required when transporting training materials, setting up training rooms, or attending meetings. No special physical demands are required. Work Environment: Work is performed in office, classroom, and meeting room settings. Normal safety precautions apply. The environment includes routine use of computer systems, printers, and audiovisual equipment.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: 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. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Teamwork Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Other Information

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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.