Major Duties:

• Developing project schedule to ensure the date of build-out will project expectations.
• Responsible for complex signage and wayfinding systems, building and room numbering systems, exterior signage and monument design, temporary signage systems and Braille requirements.
• Reviews best design considerations with maintenance and operations to ensure long range efficient, cost-effective equipment, finishes, lighting and mechanical systems are selected.
• Provides technical guidance and monitoring of the contractor's performance and authorizations to interior design issues.
• Conducts evaluations of interior design program for compliance with the Department of Veterans Affairs requirements, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, Joint Commission standards and regulations regarding provisions for handicapped persons and signage packages in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the VA Guidelines.
• Conducts or ensures required market research to initiate the procurement action utilizing the business targeted by the socioeconomic goal categories with special emphasis on service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), but also includes other small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) businesses, woman-owned small businesses, and HUBZone businesses.
• Act as a technical representative for design and finish specifications matters.
• Review Architect/Engineer submittals for compliance with VA regulations and facility design criteria and provides plans, consultation, advice, specifications, and designs for virtually all spaces involved in new construction and/or renovation.
• Influence design of new construction from conception through activation by an in-depth knowledge of use requirements and availability of furnishings to fulfill these requirements.
• Ensure appropriately designed color schemes are formulated for all renovation and new construction projects.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm EST
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Interior Designer/PD06679A

Conditions of employment

• 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, 11/02/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR)-Interior Design Series 1008
Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) - Interior Design Series 1008

• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - interior design or other field that included or was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours in interior design, interior architecture, or interior environmental design; or passage of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination.
• Specialized Experience Requirement: Experience that required the performance of work concerned with the design and alteration of interior spaces to meet functional and aesthetic needs such as:
  • Identifying, researching, and creatively solving problems pertaining to the function and quality of the interior environment.
  • Performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building systems and components, building codes, equipment, materials, and furnishings.
  • Preparing drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
  • Coordinating and integrating the mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering disciplines within the interior context.
  • Managing projects, developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, participating in on-site construction visits, conducting pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, developing standards for efficient space management, etc.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must meet both the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) and have (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Providing complete interior design services, from concept to installation, for an organization and its satellite facilities
  • Providing plans, consultation, advice, specifications, and designs for spaces involved in new construction and/or renovation, and reviewing Architect/Engineer submittals for compliance with applicable regulations and facility design criteria.
  • Preparing scaled architectural floor plans, space layouts, reflected ceiling plans, finish plans, working drawings, finish schedules, renderings, graphics, signage, and specifications, utilizing CAD software (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, AutoCAD MEP, 3DS Max, or SketchUp).
  • Monitoring contractor performance for quality and adequacy of service; and serving as a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR/COR);
  • Independently supervising or coordinating contract painters and construction crews in the performance of their work, to include selection of paint colors, scheduling of work projects, and inspection of the final service provided.
  • Coordinating color and finish selections and architectural detailing.
  • Developing cost estimates, evaluating bid proposals, reviewing construction documents, and managing an interior design budget involving recurring and non-recurring funds.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond.

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/.