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Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
El Paso VA Health Care System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Primary Purpose of the Position is to be assigned the work and responsibility for providing effective, efficient, direction, control, and operation of the Employee Experience Section. Assigned work is inclusive of providing service management with objectively based information for making decisions on program operations. The incumbent performs a variety of analytical, planning, educational, presentation, evaluative and advisory work.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2026 to 03/12/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$61,722 to - $80,243 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
El Paso, TX
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CAZM-12905402-26-AM
Control number
860353700

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Duties

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Reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies and ensures data entry is 2 complete and accurate. Develops, maintains, and enters pertinent information into a tracking system. Maintains tracking system of program-specific data to track items such as project milestones and progress reports. Reviews, analyzes, and evaluates reports and statistics to advise on trends, out-of-line situations, and anticipated needs. When a problem area or out-of-line situation is identified during a review, will inform the supervisor, and make recommendations for corrective action.

Prepares graphs, charts, and other audio-visual displays depicting program information and statistics for use in training, management briefings, and information dissemination activities both within and outside of AVAHCS. Uses personal computer and other high technology equipment to prepare and produce this data.

Assists workgroups with the analysis and action planning development and execution. Facilitates focus groups on identified work groups to provide more in-depth feedback to leadership. Responsible for the coordination, organization, and promotion of a system-wide calendar for local, regional, and national educational and growth-related opportunities for employees to participate in. Develops system-wide recognition program using multiple strategies for leadership and staff.

Provides marketing strategy input and assists in the execution of strategy to promote All Employee Survey participation, evaluation, analysis, and action planning lifecycle.

Provides written reports of all findings including recommendations, as required by AVAHCS Leadership, or as otherwise directed. Data and information presented in the reports provide an in-depth analysis of operations and are used by Leadership in making decisions concerning workload planning, leadership training, resource allocation, and Veteran and Employee Experience.

Independently performs tasks relating to budget execution for the AMA Experience Office by compiling resource data from various financial management reports. Tracks funds distribution, reconciling commitments and obligations, and reallocating organizational funds as directed.

Assignments include new and unusual work situations which require the adaptation of guidelines such as tracking costs separately during contagious disease outbreaks or for special projects. Monitors costs and prepares reports projecting use of available resources. Advises supervisor of conditions which would result in over-obligation of funds. Gathers, extracts, and compiles data for use in recurring and nonrecurring report formats and provides status updates on a regular basis. Ensures all budgetary transactions are in compliance with authorized policies and procedures. Ensures that funds are available. Prepares annual phased plan to show projected monthly expenditures and reimbursables. Compares current estimates with ongoing expenditures on a continuing basis. Performs duties as a timekeeper or backup timekeeper.

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Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc. This position may be authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD012240
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
  • 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.
  • 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, 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, 03/12/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge and understanding of the concepts, principles, practices, and techniques of program analysis to analyze and evaluate previous, current, and projected operating programs and budgetary requirement for potential effectiveness in meeting their objectives. Knowledge and understanding of mission, functions, resource requirements, program plans, and objectives to develop, review, analyze, adjust, and program requirements. Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods accompanied by an understanding on how regulatory programs are administered to select and apply appropriate program evaluation and measurement techniques to ensure compliance with pertinent rules and regulations. Skilled in oral and written communications to enable presentation of sensitive and sometimes controversial material and recommendations to higher authority. Ability to take vague guidance and mold the information into a meaningful end product, frequently having to brief results to management and higher-level officials. Requires skill in preparing project papers and staff reports and skill in organizing and delivering briefings to managers to encourage understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations. Work requires considerable interpersonal skills in presenting recommendations and negotiating solutions to disputed recommendations. OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. (Transcripts Required). 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 bachelor's degree. (Transcripts 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/.

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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.

Career 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 ICTAP and 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.

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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