Clarification from the agency

Open only to current employees of the Albany VAMC facility.

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The VSC Program Manager ensures a high-quality Veteran experience by acting on continued feedback from Veteran customers, family/significant others, engaged employees and expert clinical teams. This individual has an in-depth understanding of ChooseVA and Health Eligibility Center (HEC) concepts and the ability to facilitate integration of services to achieve seamless transitions across the continuum of care. The VSC Program Manager must possess a clear vision of VHA's and the facility's organizational priorities and direction as well as individual program contributions. They must be continuously aware of opportunities for increased efficiencies to support a lean organization and facilitate and implement opportunities for promising change and continuous improvement.

• Directs, supervises and coordinates administrative functions to support clinical services to provide an exceptional Veteran experience and the highest quality care in a cost effective, efficient manner.
• Possesses full authority and responsibility for the Beneficiary Travel Program, Compensation Pension Program, Decedent Affairs and Outreach program for the over 22,000 squares miles of Albany mixed urban and rural catchment area, the largest in VISN 2.
• Works independently with the Clinical and Administrative Service Chiefs, Primary Care and Specialty Care Physician Champions, Associate Chief Nurses, Ambulatory Care Clinical Operations/Nurse Managers, and Clinic Directors/Nurse Managers to address administrative process/system issues and problems.
• Routinely makes independent administrative operational decisions. S/he develops, evaluates, adjusts and prioritizes functions, programs, procedures and clinical support systems in order to accomplish the medical center's mission.
• Provides administrative lean program direction to Veterans Service program, Beneficiary Travel and the AOD program. Responsibilities include continuing review, evaluation and data-based recommendations for improvement of operations, policies, and procedures to achieve efficiency, balance and coordination of ambulatory care programs, clinics and CBOCs.
• Provides overall administrative management for patient billing, Beneficiary Travel program, Eligibility & Enrollment program, Compensation and Pension program and The Administrative Officer of the Day, and Decedent affairs. This includes interpreting policies, developing and implementing local policies, defining administrative requirements, and/or providing advice to senior management on related issues.
• Coordinates the establishment of goals, objectives, and long-range plans for the facility.
• Applies a sound and in-depth understanding of both clinical and administrative programs, laws, accreditation standards, regulations, and medical and technological advances at the Albany VA Medical Center when providing leadership and guidance over these services and collaborates closely with the COS/DCOS and ADPCS in the formulation and supervision of administrative and allied health activities and the coordination of those activities in support of clinical care, education, and research programs.
• Develops and is responsible for expense budget, reviews financial reports, contracts, and major expenditures.
• Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management systems.
• Serves as an Outreach Program Manager and resource for the veteran community in the various catchment areas of the Albany VA supervise the 3 Outreach Program specialists in the regions (Catskill region/Capital Region/North Country region) of the medical center through planning, participating, assisting, or advising on community events and programs (Yellow Ribbon events, Veteran Stand Down events, community health events, Veteran focus groups, Town Halls, Military Transition Assistance Program, Armed Forces Day booths, Veterans Organization seminars, Native American Pow-Wows, etc.) that lead to significant enrollment opportunities.
• Develops a local budget plan based on requirements for the beneficiary travel and compensation and pension program to ensure program needs for its execution and deployment are met at the facility level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist - VSC Program Manager/PD050520
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
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/23/2026.

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 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.

Selective Placement Factor: Proven track record of navigating and managing complex, large-scale organizational systems with a minimum of five years of comprehensive experience in federal healthcare administration and military-related operational environments.

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-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 ability to provide comprehensive administrative management for diverse programs, including patient billing, Beneficiary Travel, Eligibility & Enrollment, Compensation and Pension, and Decedent Affairs.
  • Experience interpreting and implementing policies, developing local administrative requirements, and advising senior leadership on operational strategies to align with organizational goals.
  • Skilled in supervising administrative and clinical operations, providing performance evaluations, resolving grievances, and fostering an environment of employee engagement, morale, and ICARE values to enhance productivity and retention.
  • Ability to develop and implement program improvements based on customer feedback and workload analysis. This includes expert data analysis.
  • Experience serving in outreach, coordinating with military, governmental, and community organizations to increase enrollment and community awareness.
  • Skill in the preparation of expense budget, reviewing financial reports, contracts, and major expenditures.

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

• Administration and Management
• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Control of Funds
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Oral Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Performance Management

***Specialized Experience must be demonstrated fully and clearly in resume for consideration***

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, although some slight physical effort may be required.

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.