Occupation Summary
VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) is responsible for the management and coordination of volunteers at VA facilities. The VAVS Program was established in 1946 and is the largest volunteer program in the Federal Government.
Through professional management, VAVS provides programs and services to supplement veteran health care. The VAVS staff is responsible for coordinating volunteers and community organizations, managing the gifts and donations program, and identifying community resources to support veterans and their families through supplemental services. In other words, we manage human and fiscal resources (volunteers, as well as gifts and donations).
Program Summary
A career in VAVS is a very exciting and rewarding career. If you are interested in doing work that is diverse and challenging every day, and if you like working with a wide variety people and feel you have leadership potential, then applying for the TCF Program/VAVS internship may be the career opportunity for you. Candidates must have a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to be successful in this career field.
The VAVS Specialist internship is an upward mobility training program established to develop professional, competent leaders to fill future vacancies in the VAVS career field. Upon completion of the internship, candidates will be fully qualified to be placed in senior positions as Voluntary Service Specialists or Program Managers.
If you work in VAVS, you will use and develop a wide range of skills, which include:
- Coordinating volunteers
- Recruiting, interviewing, screening, and placing volunteers
- Planning programs
- Public speaking
- Organizing special events and ceremonies
- Managing gifts and donations
- Working closely with diverse groups of people at all levels of the organization and in the community
Qualifications
All candidates must meet the appropriate minimum qualification standards for Voluntary Service Specialist, GS-301-7 or 9, target GS-11. Selection for interns must comply with Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and VA selection and promotion policies. (NOTE: Candidates from all sources inside and outside the Federal Government will be considered, including but not limited to VA employees, other Federal employees, reinstatement-eligible, and appointment-eligible).
A Statement of Commitment must be agreed to by the intern selected at the time of selection. The ability and willingness to relocate is a requirement for selection as a TCF Program VAVS intern. If relocation is necessary for permanent placement, VA pays for moving expenses.
Interns should understand that a career in VAVS involves program responsibilities that sometimes may require working outside of a normal tour of duty, including evenings, weekends, or holidays.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
