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Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The incumbent serves as the VISN 20 VA Health Connect Program Applications Specialist and is the functional expert for matters relating to the core technology systems within VISN 20 VA Health Connect.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/17/2026 to 02/20/2026
Salary
$61,722 to - $97,087 per year

Salary listed is based on Rest of U.S. pay scale GS-9 Step 1 to GS-11 Step 10. Actual salary will be based on the geographic location of the selectee.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Remote job
Yes - Remote workers are not expected to report to the agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis each pay period. The selectee will work from home or other authorized alternative location.
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBSV-12886510-26-EH
Control number
857909200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

THIS POSITION IS ONLY OPEN TO CTAP ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES of the Veterans Health Administration. If you are outside of this area of consideration, your application will not meet the eligibility requirement to apply for the position.

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Duties

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This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-11, however, a selection can be made at any of the following grade levels: GS-9 OR GS-11. At the GS-9 grade level, you will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-11.

Major duties include but not limited to:
  • Integrates software applications for clinical services by:
    • Evaluating the unique needs of the core services within VA Health Connect in conjunction with the capabilities of the software and coordinating any required modifications.
    • Reviewing the effectiveness of the systems and procedures to assure optimum benefit to patient care activities.
    • Troubleshooting when functionality is compromised by determining the cause of and/or the solution to the problem.
  • Provides training and troubleshooting for clinical and administrative staff in business processes and associated supporting software.
  • Demonstrates ability to customize, configure, and maintain complex, interrelated software systems to support clinical workflows and administrative processes.
  • Ability to troubleshoot software functionality issues and implement effective solutions in a healthcare environment with front-end users as well as vendors and facilities.
  • Coordinates with other roles in the VISN 20 VA Health Connect Quality Management, Informatics, and Education service line to ensure appropriate training for end users on daily operational tasks as well as new employee training.
  • Development and presentation of both formal lectures and on-the-job sessions to those employees who require initial training or troubleshooting.
  • Creates and maintains reference materials.
  • Assure that all information technology equipment within VA Health Connect is operational.
  • Coordinates with OI&T equipment allocation, updates, and replacement for all services in the program.
  • Collects individual needs to determine technology access for staff.
  • Ensures OI&T assigns appropriate access to applications for the purpose of controlling access to the patient and medical records.
  • Participates in the establishment of administrative qualitative standards.
  • Maintains a close working relationship with all service lines within VISN 20 VA Health Connect.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm PST; Monday to Friday
Remote: This is a remote position.
Telework: Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD103990 and PD103980
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Physical Environment: The regular and recurring work of this position is sedentary in nature and involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc. However, the incumbent may be required to do a great deal of walking or standing while visiting facility work sites or to attend meetings, conferences, work groups, etc. The work does not normally require special physical demands such as lifting or carrying heavy objects.
Work Environment: The work setting may be a remote office setting or onsite at any of the medical center campuses located in VISN 20. This position requires travel to facilities within VISN 20 and may require extended work hours to facilitate travel.

Preferred Experience:
  • Experience with healthcare informatics systems such as Oracle/Cerner, CPRS/VistA, or similar electronic health record platforms
  • Familiarity with usability testing and workflow optimization principles to improve efficiency and user experience.
  • Knowledge of contingency planning for IT system outages, including manual backup processes to ensure continuity of operations.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate effectively with end users, technical teams, and leadership.
  • Performs the functions of this role independently with minimal supervision, as directed by CCC and VISN leadership.
  • Experience providing feedback to software developers or national program offices to improve application usability and functionality.
  • Ability to analyze and improve clinical and administrative processes through technology solutions.
  • Skill in managing multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
  • Expect that skills mentioned above may be required to be demonstrated during the interview process.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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.
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, 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, 02/20/2026.

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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-9: you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.
For a GS-11: you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9.

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.

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

  • GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience includes: support the clinical contact center; develop and improve quality management procedures; utilize software systems to communicate and obtain/maintain administrative information; prepare and maintain spreadsheet/database programs to track and manage data; perform data analysis across interdisciplinary teams; maintain information resources management, install and distribute hardware, software and other activities required to enhance mission objectives; collaborate with counterparts to plan program and upgrade utilization. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., if related. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. If you are qualifying on education, transcripts are required. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
  • GS-11 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. Specialized experience need: provides business oversight for a variety of healthcare software programs; develop and improve quality management procedures to support patient care and ensure clinical oversight through utilization of data bases and registries; identify problem areas, provide assessments, and analyze variances; perform data analysis across interdisciplinary teams; maintain information resources management, install and distribute hardware, software and other activities required to enhance mission objectives; collaborate with counterparts to plan program and upgrade utilization; coordinate, implement, plan, and train staff in business and functional areas for various information technology packages. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. If related. If you qualify by a combination, your experience must be detailed in your resume and transcripts are 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/.

Education

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 in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

TheCareer Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
  • Job title
  • Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
  • Salary/Rank etc.
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
  • References, current or recent supervisor
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. The experience stated in your resume must support your assessment responses.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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