MILITARY & FAMILY READINESS SPECIALIST (Title 5)

Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION This National Guard position is for a MILITARY & FAMILY READINESS SPECIALIST (Title 5), Position Description Number T57014P1 and is part of the AR ARNG DCSG1 PLANS AND ACTIONS BR, National Guard.

Duties

1. Serve as fully independent advisor within geographical area of responsibility in accomplishing all objectives of the Soldier & Family Readiness Program (SFRP) for the Army National Guard to maximize retention and readiness. Provide input to develop, articulate, and implement the Family Readiness Program at the State level, inclusive of family readiness, family assistance, employment outreach, volunteer training and management and improvement of quality of life and well-being of Service members and families. Conduct needs assessments to determine requirements. Collect and organizes volunteer, family, and other related data, submit data and information through the State Family Program Director or Supervisory Family Support Services Specialist. Implement and maintain computer entry system to support reporting, for retrieval, and dissemination. Ensure accurate and timely input into the NGB-approved system of record for all applicable Service Members and Family case information, unit support, community outreach, training provision, volunteer management and other Family Program data. Coach, mentor, train junior staff. Conduct briefings at the local, unit and state levels to provide necessary information to leadership, commanders, Soldiers, Families, Soldier and Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs) and community partners and stimulate interest and support to build program and community capacity. 2. Manages and operates family assistance center and provide assistance to commands within geographical area of responsibility in support of the SFRP. Provides information resource referral and non-medical administrative case management across all essential services; including but not limited to, Crisis, Legal, Financial, TRICARE, ID Cards/DEERS, Community Information and Outreach Services, Employment/Financial Literacy, Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC) and Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). Develop and maintain a directory of resources, agencies and organizations that are available to assist Service-members, Families and survivors. Shall coordinate assistance from military, government, and civilian organizations as needed to assist Service Members, Family Members, Retirees, and Civilian Government Employees needing military quality of life support, and ensure accurate and timely input into the NGB-approved system of record for all applicable Service Members and Family case information. Establish recurring outreach contact with each Service member's Designated Individual as directed by law, regulation or instruction from the Supervisory Family Support Services Specialist. Provides support during 24/7 EFAC operations, Yellow Ribbon Reintegration activities, Recruit Sustainment Program activities, drill and annual training periods as required. 3. Provide training and technical support to Commanders and Family Readiness Liaisons to support their Unit Family Readiness program and Soldier & Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs). Responsible to conduct informal and formal training and recruiting of volunteers. Support volunteers to work with the Family Readiness Groups (SFRGs), and to instruct and train units, soldiers, and their families. Provide training and technical assistance to unit commanders and Family Readiness liaisons to develop local unit SFRGs. Recruit and complete administrative actions for the appointment of statutory volunteers. Develop and conduct orientation and training programs for volunteers, including Army Family Team Building, Army Family Action Plan and Operation Ready/Readiness Essentials for Army Leaders. Maintain a system of documenting volunteer services and hours, and a library of resource materials concerning volunteerism, and provide materials to volunteers as needed. Plans volunteer recognition activities at the unit and State levels and makes recommendations to the State Family Program Director or Supervisory Family Support Services Specialist higher headquarters for state and national level volunteer awards. Initiate Invitational Travel Orders (ITOs) for volunteers. Plans and conducts workshops and seminars, coordinating volunteer assistance as needed. Identifies statutory volunteers to serve as State Family Program volunteer council members, coordinates activities, and council communications. Assist higher headquarters in planning and coordinating resources for family assistance at deployment cycle support and steady-state readiness activities. Implement and maintains a system of providing publications and information to units and SFRGs. Provide technical support and training to Family Readiness liaison and Rear Detachment Commanders in support of unit family readiness. 4. Submit information to support development and budget forecasting to support the Soldier and Family Readiness Support Program to higher headquarters. Conducts staff assistance visits to units in the geographical area of responsibility to accomplish the objectives of the program. 5. Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx). Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Participation in direct deposit is mandatory. Information Assurance Certification is a condition of employment. Per DoD 8570.01-M, the incumbent must achieve the appropriate IA certification within six months of assignment of these duties. Must be able to obtain/maintain appropriate security clearance Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission. May be required to travel by car, in military and/or commercial aircraft, and by other means of transportation as appropriate to perform temporary duty assignments. Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day. The work may require the incumbent to drive a motor vehicle; if so, and an appropriate valid driver's license is mandatory. This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. Head of Agency requests to exceed 14 days in a calendar year must be approved in advance by the National Guard, Director of Manpower and Personnel (NGB-J1). Resume must have complete dates, work schedule, and/or hours worked per week for both civilian and military employment. Use of year only and unspecified work schedule will result in disqualification. Each applicant must fully substantiate, in their own words, that they meet 100% of the minimum requirements and specialized experience listed above in detail; otherwise, the applicant will be considered unqualified for the position. Do NOT copy and paste from the vacancy announcement, position description or others' resumes. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINUED UNDER EDUCATION SECTION.

Qualifications and evaluation

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the above general and specialized experience and the following competencies knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs): Knowledge required in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to identify, consider, and resolve issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature. These issues deal with written guidelines covering work methods and procedures such as performance and production standards. This position requires knowledge of the principles, policies, program goals and methodology of the National Guard quality of life programs, including factors that affect work and leisure environments, to administer a program that provides information about individual and family social problems and referral to social service programs and agencies, information about National Guard assistance programs, to gather and analyze information on problems and difficulties of obtaining assistance using the current system, to provide programs that address such problems, and to recommend action to improve the system.

Education

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINUED. Knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents, which affect the use of program and related support resources in the area studied. Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations carried out by administrative personnel Weekend work will be required - Will be required to work weekends during drill, annual training and deployment assemblies. Some overnight travel during the week or on weekends will be required. Incumbent will be required to respond to military personnel and families on a 24/7 basis thru cell phone or e-mail.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed. 2. The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application. a. A copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify) b. SF-50's (current/former Federal employees) c. DD-214 d. Other Veterans Document e. SF-15 (VA Disability Form) f. SF-50 (Mandatory for Internal Announcements) RESUME REMINDER- Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions in the assessment by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. DO NOT COPY THE GENERAL, SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE QUALIFICATIONS AND KSAs WORD FOR WORD AND PLACE INTO YOUR RESUME; YOU MUST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS IT PERTAINS TO EACH STATEMENT.

Additional information

Veteran Preference may apply if the first area of consideration are not met. Veterans Information: Veterans' information must be validated by formal submissions including all necessary supporting documentation. You must provide acceptable documents for eligibility. Acceptable documentation may be: 1. A copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. 2. A "certification" that is a written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed. 3. You may obtain a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs reflecting your level of disability for preference eligibility by visiting a VA Regional Office, contacting a VA call center or online. If claiming over 30% disability a SF-15 is required to be submitted with your letter.