Clarification from the agency

Priority consideration will be given to current, permanent employees of the Ft. Harrison VA Medical Center, current employees of the Ft. Harrison VA Medical Center eligible under the Interchange Agreement; then current, permanent employees of the VHA, current employees of VHA eligible under the Interchange Agreement; then CTAP and ICTAP eligible applicants; then other status eligible candidates; and lastly external candidates who are eligible under non-competitive hiring authorities.

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The incumbent shares with the Executive Leadership Team a level of responsibility for the direction and management of the Medical Center and is directly responsible for all facilities operations. The incumbent has direct line authority and leadership responsibility for all administrative operation support services. The incumbent participates on a day-to-day basis in top level Executive discussions, decisions, policy making and actions of all administrative functions and indirectly of all clinical matters impacting patient care. The incumbent may serve as the Acting Medical Center Director in the absence of the Director with full responsibility and concomitant authority to carry out the duties and functions.

Personnel Management:
The Associate Director is responsible for taking an active leadership role in coordinating and developing customer and stakeholder support and resourcing to meet Medical Center objectives. Develops collaborative partnerships with stakeholders and makes program execution decisions that affect or determine long range courses of action of critical importance. The incumbent's managerial duties and responsibilities involve final decisions which have a direct and substantial effect on the health care organization and programs related to facility operations. These include, but are not limited to decisions affecting the nature, scope, quality of, and emphases on, the facility's patient care programs and activities.

(1) Determines operational services and programs goals and objectives, develop short-and long-range plans for achieving them in conjunction with the overall plans of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and consistent with the strategic planning process;
(2) Directs a comprehensive evaluation pf operational services goals and objectives and makes necessary adjustments to improve delivery of patient care services;
(3) Establishes local policy in such areas impacting facility operations as program emphasis and operating guidelines;
(4) Administers and ensures compliance with a system designed for the development and communication of program policies and procedures in accordance with new or existing rules and regulations; and
(5) Administers a management reporting system which provides appropriate data for decision making for facility operations, impacting organizational improvements.

Budget and Fiscal Management:
(1) Leads the planning and development of current and proposed program objectives in conjunction with administrative and clinical managers; develops short and long range fiscal year plans that meet the objectives of current and proposed programs;
(2) Works on the development of a balanced financial plan designed to meet realistic needs of the facility and the network; makes important decisions substantially affecting economy of facility operations by limiting operating expenses without impairing patient care activities, through management assessment, cost effective position techniques, reorganization, methods improvements, and automation;
(3) Ensures that utilization of available resources impacting facility operations is in line with plan or, modified through recurring review;
(4) Manages allocated resources to provide the best possible patient care in line with established priorities;
(5) Manages all budgetary and resource management for the entire facility by chairing the resource management committee/board. In addition, manages budgetary and resource management for assigned services.
(6) Takes timely corrective action where delegated responsibilities are not being properly applied or executed.

The Associate Director is responsible for maintaining and improving facility, VISN and VA relationships through personal, active participation in the administrative, educational, community and social events of federal, state, local and other affiliated organizations involved in health care delivery, veteran service organizations, and community affairs.

- Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Educational Affiliations
- Community Relationships
- Ambulatory Care Workload
- Medical Specialties
- Special Medical Programs
- Contract Health Care

Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm - Monday through Friday
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentive; May be authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Position Description/PD#: Health System Administrator (Associate Director of Operations)/PD99902S
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/22/2023.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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.

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

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

1. Leads the planning and development of current and proposed program objectives in conjunction with administrative and clinical managers; develops short and long range fiscal year plans that meet the objectives of current and proposed programs:
2. Manages budgetary and resource management for assigned services.
3. Works closely, daily, with patients, veterans' organizations, Congressional Offices, and the media to provide information, resolve problems, and to ensure the creditability and integrity of the Medical Center.

Individual Occupational Requirement: Education: An undergraduate or graduate level degree with a Major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.
OR Experience: You must possess 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. Applicants must also possess: - Management ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, recognize and adapt to changing priorities; and - Knowledge of the interrelationships and interdependencies among various medical and administrative services and programs.

Preferred Experience:

• Prior Associate Director Experience
• Civil Service Leadership
• Has sound management judgment, that is essential for assurance of successful navigation through and accomplishment of a multitude of professional and administrative matters.
• Must demonstrate expert health systems administration skills, mature and seasoned judgment reflective of significant management experience at a highly responsible level within a similarly complex health care environment.
• Possess and consistently demonstrates an extremely high level of analytical and cognitive abilities, which are called upon daily in the leadership role. The Associate Director is called upon to interpret and communicate a vast spectrum of complex VA regulations and policies. He/she must consistently and appropriately apply these standards within the perimeters of the medical center and assure their successful incorporation within the facility and VISN objectives and mission.

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

• Administration and Management
• Decision Making
• Financial Management
• Human Capital Management
• Organizational Awareness

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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: Performance of the incumbent's duties often require extensive sedentary placement at a computer terminal. The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration that is often interrupted. Incumbent is often faced with changing priorities and with meeting deadlines. Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the employee or others. Position requires standing for extended periods of time and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require minimal travel to meet with representatives/stakeholders in clinics, medical centers, and VISN offices who provide assistance and support to the overall mission. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be paid to a Highly Qualified Individual. Permanent Change of Station (PCS), excluding Appraised Value Offer (AVO) is authorized.

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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.