Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Health Administration employees and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP).

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Major Duties include but not limited to: Administrative Operations and Program Manager Functions: 50%

• Consults and advises on policy, planning, organization, management, administration, and technical matters of exceptional difficulty
• Consults to cardiology leaders across the VHA in areas of organization, development, administration, and quality improvement
• Manages scheduling, appointments, budgets, travel, meetings, communications, concurrence, and all other administrative actions
• Ensures appropriate content, language, coordination, and formatting of all EWI documents, policies, data metrics, standard operating procedures, organizational charts, HR actions, strategic plans, and performance plans for the Enterprise-Wide Initiative (EWI)
• Serves as the Cardiology Organizing Center Cardiologist Lead proxy
• Works independently with VISN leadership, facility leadership, managers, administrative staff to draft/edit documents, prepare presentations, completed assignments, and meet deadlines as necessary to achieve the overall mission of EWI
• Develops policy and procedures that are in conformance with the overall philosophy of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Under Secretary for Health and relate to all aspect of the EWI

Program Implementation: (25%)

• Serves as a National Program Manager, Cardiology Hub and Spoke Network
• Leads key working groups tasked with critical national projects, documents, and initiatives related to the EWI and collaborators
• Develop and completes special projects as assigned
• Participates as an active member of advisory committees or work
• Oversees annual budget requirements in coordination with the VISNs and facilities, program requirements and monitors progress of these in VACO, VISNs, and VAMCs.
• Coordinates design, develops, implements, and managers inquiries or survey needed to forecast, plan, and analyze EWI needs and programs considering quantitative, qualitative, and geographic factors
• Prepares budget initiatives subsequent justifications as needed
• Make day-to-day decisions regarding administrative matters and serves as the senior administrative representative
• Resolves policy implementation questions with appropriate personnel including VAMC Directors, ensuring proper coordination with VISN Directors and other VACO staff members

Oversight Responsibilities: (25%)

• Reviews and identifies trends in productivity improvement or losses, efficiency reviews, cost increases, and decreases, areas over and underutilization of EWI services, procedures, and costs
• Uses practical and scientific computer data bases and management reporting systems, position develops, combines, and analyzed data from both clinical and management information systems
• Develops recommendations and options, performing as program spokesperson for EWI in resource management, personnel management, correspondence routing, and information management areas
• Reviews all plans submitted by the EW and ensures plans reflect current NCP policy and philosophy
• Conducts and analyzes studies and projects fundamental to planning, programming, and budgeting of resources such as long-and-short-term forecasts of technological changes, workload, staffing projections, and cost comparisons
• Prepares and/or coordinates EWI replies to inquires from members of Congress, of Veterans Service Organizations, of citizens directed to the President, the Secretary, the USH and the AUSH for CS with approval of the NPED

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, tour of duty hours 7:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Remote: This is not a remote position
Compressed/Flexible: Based on program needs
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD932110
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• 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 dentification 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/21/2025.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 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.

To qualify you must meet both the individual occupational requirements and specialized experience:
Individual Occupational Requirements for the Health System Specialist
1. Undergraduate and Graduate Education. Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.
OR,
2. Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

• Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
• Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
• Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

Special Provision for In-service Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.
AND,
Specialized experience requirements for Health System Specialist GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrated knowledge of healthcare administration principles, particularly related to the planning, implementation, and management of healthcare delivery systems
• Proven ability to manage large-scale projects, including planning, budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation, in a healthcare environment
• Demonstrated experience in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals, stakeholders, and leadership teams to optimize patient care and operational efficiency
• High-level proficiency in verbal and written communication; experience drafting reports, presentations, and correspondence for diverse audiences, including senior management and external stakeholders
• Skilled in budget preparation and management, with a strong background in fiscal analysis and resource allocation within healthcare programs
• Familiarity with quality assurance processes and improvement methodologies in healthcare, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and service delivery
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop a diverse team of professionals, fostering a collaborative and accountable work environment
• Experience in developing and maintaining relationships with external agencies, organizations, and stakeholders to promote program initiatives and seek collaborative opportunities

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with Healthcare Program Management
• Familiarity with the operations and policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Experience in analyzing healthcare data to assess program effectiveness
• Experience in managing federally funded programs
• Knowledge of telehealth practices

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Organizational Awareness
• Self Management
• Problem Solving
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work requires long periods of sitting and working on a computer terminal. There is some travel involved in this position.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.