Vision Care Instructor, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI)

This position is part of the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Department of the Interior (DOI). As a Vision Care Instructor you will be responsible providing college level instruction in the field of Vision Care to meet the education goals and objectives of SIPI.

Open 08/26/2026 to 09/09/2026

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Telework eligible: No

Remote job: No

Relocation expenses reimbursed: No

Salary: $75,489 - $98,141 per year

Pay scale & grade: GS 11

Promotion potential: None

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule

Full-time

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Appointment type: Permanent

This job is open to:

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Native Americans

Native Americans or Alaskan Natives with a tribal affiliation.

Clarification from the agency

INDIAN PREFERENCE: Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (25 USC 5116 (reclassified from 472)). Verification Form BIA 4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. Indian preference eligibles may be appointed under the Excepted Service Appointment Authority Schedule A, 213.3112(A)(7).

As an Instructor (Vision Care), GS-1701-11, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision:

• Demonstrate instructional skills that include the ability to explain difficult concepts and the ability to engage students of different abilities and backgrounds in learning course objectives.
• Demonstrate collegial and professional interpersonal skills when interacting with students in class, in the laboratory, office hours, and elsewhere on campus, and with other faculty members, and with college administration.
• Stay current with developments and trends in instructional and pedagogical fields.
• Participate in curriculum committee, student advising and student retention efforts.
• Develop, implement, and maintain records for instruction, including syllabi consistent with course objectives, student proficiency and attendance records, and other materials consistent with course objectives and College policies.
• Develop criteria for testing, assignments, and instructional materials, learning activities, and assessments to evaluate student proficiency.
• Possess technical writing skills for university-level documents such as reports prepared for the College.
  
  NOTE: Position is also being advertised under merit promotion announcement BIE-13049108-26-MT MP. "Status Applicants" who wish to be considered under both merit promotion and competitive procedures must submit a separate application for each announcement.

Conditions of Employment:

• Be sure to read the 'How to Apply' and 'Required Documents' Sections.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• As a condition of employment, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial or 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959, you are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act and the Defense Authorization Act of 1986, in order to be eligible for appointment to this agency.
• Driving Requirement (Required only at time of appointment): Incumbent may be required, as an incidental duty, to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle, in the performance of duties, therefore, a valid driver's license is required.

Qualifications:

Applicants must meet the qualification requirements contained in the OPM Standards. For this position, they are listed below.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

A. Degree: that included or was supplemented by major study in education or in a subject-matter field of optics or in pre-med or biological sciences.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in education, or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position, plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in A above.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications requirements below.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant 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 the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

GS-11: Applicant meets the basic education requirement and possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped me with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service that includes: serving as an Instructor in a college or equivalent education institution developing, researching, preparing and administering course syllabi and materials, labs and activities; delivering lectures and presentation; and evaluating students' progress on standards based courses in Education; collaborating with faculty on maintaining accreditation requirements; developing culturally relevant material; serving on or providing leadership to committees within a postsecondary context.
OR
Applicant meets the basic education requirement and possess 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, in a field related to the position.
OR
A combination of progressively higher-level graduate education and experience. When combining education with experience, first determine the total qualifying education as a percentage of education required for the grade level; then determine the experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally, add the two percentages. Total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the grade level.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS: In addition to the specialized experience applicant must possess the additional knowledge, skills, and abilities requirements.

• Applicants must possess current certification from the American Board of Opticianry (ABO Certification) or equivalent (e.g. licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist) and be licensed in the state in which the program is located or licensed in the state of residence.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

EDUCATION: Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, credit hours, major, and grade-point average or class ranking, degree and date awarded. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

Applicants are responsible for providing documentation that the educational requirements have been met. To qualify based on education you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts. Official transcripts are required upon selection if you qualified based on education. Education must have been obtained from an accredited or pre-accredited institution recognized by the U.S. DOE (click here) in order for it to be credited towards qualifications.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the U.S. (click here).

Additional information

Initial appointments to the competitive or excepted service: The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Bargaining Unit Status: Position is covered by Bargaining Unit/Union - Federation of Indian Service Employees, American Federation of Teachers Local 4521.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Documentation: The CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance (click here for more details, here for DOI's policy) to permanent Federal civilian employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming eligibility must submit a 1) copy of their most recent performance appraisal, 2) proof of eligibility, 3) most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Veterans' Preference: If you are a Veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 plus the proof required by that form.

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.

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. 

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package at: USAJOBS - Job Announcement which includes:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. For more information see How do I write a resume for a federal job?

• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

2. Complete all required assessments.

3. All other supporting documents (if applicable) such as:

• If claiming Indian Preference, Form BIA 4432. The form must be completed by the appropriate official with the Federally recognized tribe where the applicant is enrolled as a member. No other form will be accepted.
• If claiming Veterans' Preference, you must submit your preference eligibility documents or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
  • If you are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other proof of eligibility.
  • If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 plus the proof required by that form including your DD-214 (member 4 copy), SF-15 and VA letter, or other proof of eligibility.
• CTAP/ICTAP Documentation, if applicable. 1) Proof of eligibility (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force (RIF) Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal); 2) SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and 3) most recent performance appraisal.
• College transcript(s), if applicable. Copy of education transcripts. Unofficial college transcripts are acceptable but official college transcripts will be required before entrance on duty.
• Selective Placement Factor. Copy of American Board of Opticianry Certification and licensure.

FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government and are required to submit a copy of the applicable SF-50 regarding the VSIP. The majority of individuals, who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment. Learn more about buyouts.

NOTE: Persons submitting incomplete applications will be given credit only for the information they provide. The applicant is responsible for submitting all required documentation in support of their application in order to receive full credit for their Indian preference, veteran preference, experience, training, and/or education as applicable. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FROM THIS OFFICE.