Summary
About the Position: Serve as a professional clinical optometrist within Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), including Warfighter Refractive Surgery Centers, vision centers, and eye clinics.
This is a Direct Hire Solicitation
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Duties
* Provide comprehensive professional optometric services to active-duty military personnel, military families, and other eligible beneficiaries.
* Detect, diagnose, and treat injuries, deficiencies, diseases, and disorders of the visual system and related systemic conditions.
* Determine patient's fitness for military duties.
* Provide combat eye protection.
* Determine eligibility for eye surgery and its subsequent pre- and post-operative care.
* Conduct comprehensive examinations and visual analyses to service members and eligible personnel, correct visual anomalies, and improve functional inefficiencies by the use of lenses, prisms, or other ophthalmic devices.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
* Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
* {{Delete if N/A}}This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
* Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
* You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
* One year trial/probationary period may be required.
* Applicants must comply with the Exceptional Family Member Program requirements as outlined in the DoD Instruction
* Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
Basic Requirements
Education:
Applicants must have a Doctor of Optometry degree from an educational program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) at the time the degree was obtained. (You MUST provide transcripts with your application.)
Licensure:
Applicants must have received a passing score on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations and possess a current, full, and unrestricted license to practice optometry in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. (You MUST provide a copy of your license with your application.)
Basic Requirements for GS-12 Grade Level:
In addition to the requirements above, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
* One year completion of a residency program in an institution accredited for such training; OR
* One year of professional experience as an optometrist that is equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience includes examining and treating patients with visual disorders and/or diseases.
Education
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:
Additional information
* Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
* U.S. citizens overseas under ordinarily resident status are not eligible for appointment under the Status of Forces Agreement.
* Locality pay does not apply in the overseas area.
* If an employee brings a child to an overseas location and that child is entitled to attend a DoD school on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation, the DoDEA and the Military Department responsible for providing related services will ensure that the child, if eligible for special education, receives a free appropriate public education, including related services pursuant to DoDI and DoDM
* If an employee brings an infant or toddler (up to 3 years of age) to an overseas location, and that infant or toddler, but for the child's age, is entitled to attend the DoDEA on a space-required basis in accordance with DoDEA Regulation, then the Military Department responsible for EIS will provide the infant or toddler with the required EIS in accordance with the eligibility criteria consistent with DoDI and DoDM
* Employees (and family members) who require medical or dental care in the overseas location will be responsible for obtaining and paying for such care. Access for civilian employees and their families to military medical and dental treatment facilities is on a space-available and reimbursable basis only.
* Pay retention may be offered to selected applicants for positions at overseas locations. Pay retention will not be offered as an incentive for employees moving between overseas positions.
* Selectees may receive certain foreign area benefits such as: Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) or government quarters, home leave, etc. Selectees will have their eligibility for foreign area benefits determined at the time of hire in accordance with Department of State Standardized Regulation (DSSR) and DoDI volume 1250.
* For positions in a foreign country, that country's laws or international agreements may have a direct impact on the ability of an employee's same sex domestic partner or spouse to accompany the employee and receive certain benefits. If you believe you may be affected by these laws and agreements, you should familiarize yourself with relevant information and direct questions concerning a specific country (Foreign Duty Location) to the appropriate Human Resources point of contact prior to the acceptance of employment and your entrance on duty.
* The initial length of this overseas tour is 36 months.
* Recruitment or relocation incentives MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
* Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
* When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit for more information.
* Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations.
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.
Benefits
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.
As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
1. Your resume:
* Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
* If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
* For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
* For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
* Cover Letter, optional
* Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
* This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.
* License/Certification: This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/22/2025to 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
* It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
* Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account ), 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:
Agency contact information
Army Applicant Help Desk
Website
Address
JT-DD83DK EUROPE DHN
DO NOT MAIL
Various Locations, AE 0
US
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
Overview
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
09/04/2025 to 09/22/2025
Salary
$75,706 to - $98,422 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Landstuhl, Germany
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
* 0662 Optometrist
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
* Suitability/Fitness
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
HSJH DHA
Control number