Clarification from the agency

The area of consideration is current, permanent employees of the Malcom Randall Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center ,satellite offices, and VISN 8, Sunshine Healthcare Network.

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Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Providing oversight and input regarding compliance with VHA policies, directives, memos, notices, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, recommendations by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other internal or external auditors and reviewers as appropriate.
• Collecting relevant data and making informed decisions to ensure qualified health care professionals are providing appropriate care in appropriate settings.
• Considered a subject matter expert (SME) to providers and service chiefs regarding routine and complex matters related to C&P including provider competence for the ongoing provider practice evaluation (OPPE) and focused provider practice evaluation (FPPE).
• Serves as lead specialist over a group of C&P Specialists. Responsible for assigning, monitoring, and reviewing the work performed by subordinate team members.
• Trains or arranges for the training of team members in methods and techniques of technical skills and team building and working in teams to accomplish tasks or projects.
• Maintains reference materials, project files and relevant background documents and makes available policies, procedures, and written instructions from the C&P manager.
• Serves as a first level point of contact for the offices specialists by providing high-level consultation advice and guidance and serves as a first level diffuser in difficult situations.
• Participates in policy and decision-making initiatives.
• Ensures quality assurance in the VAMC's C&P program.
• Utilizes evaluation results to make suggestions and improve organization/program performance.
• Conducts and oversees internal controls and audits.
• Serves as a consultant and provides guidance to VAMC leadership and C&P Office Specialists on all matters pertaining to the facility's C&P program.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Lead Health System Specialist/PD99418-S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
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, 05/13/2025.

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-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.

Health System Administration Series, 0671, has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

• Undergraduate and Graduation Education: Major study -- Hospital Administration, Public Health Administration, or related fields such as Business or Public Administration with course work in Health Care Administration. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. ~OR~
• Specialized Experience: 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: Individualized training plan documentation required.

• 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.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one 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 includes 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:
• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) to providers and service chiefs regarding routine and complex matters related to C&P.
• Assigning, monitoring, and reviewing the work performed by subordinate team members.
• Identifies, distributes, and balances workload and tasks among employees.
• Knowledge and skill in interpreting C&P, as well as Staffing regulations/requirements for health care practitioners in compliance with a broad range of National and Local Handbooks, Directives, Memorandums, MOUs, Policies, Medical Staff Bylaws and a variety of auditing and accrediting agencies.
• Conducts and oversees internal controls and audits.

At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, working directly with healthcare professionals and organizational leadership to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care and program/operational functions; experience running and supervising an administrative component of a health care system customizing in compliance, improvement programs, and operations; experience applying strategic planning and change management principles to prepare program operations for technological advancements; and developing internal review systems and actions to assure that clinical, educational, and administrative activities comply with applicable standards.
NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

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

• Compliance
• Critical Thinking
• Leadership
• Quality Assurance

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: The work is primarily sedentary. However, there may be significant walking and standing, as well as periodic travel to attend meetings and to observe and analyze various situations. Involves everyday risks or discomforts, which require normal safety precautions typically of offices and meeting rooms. It also involves normal risks associated with a medical center, including exposure to contagious diseases and disturbed clients.

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.