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Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Nursing Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position, located at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Nursing Service, and is responsible for administrative management work primarily concerned with providing, securing, and negotiating the resources or services needed to manage and support both the inpatient and Outpatient Chief Nurses of the Nursing Service.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2026 to 03/13/2026
Salary
$61,722 to - $97,087 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Oklahoma City, OK
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
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
CBSU-12891930-26-WV
Control number
860400800

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Duties

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Major duties of this position include but are not limited to...

  • Validates DSS/VSSC data monthly for Inpatient and Outpatient nursing
  • Prepares regular reports through the management information system, such as Encounters Report, Consult Report, Extended Leave Reports, Sick Leave Certification Reports, and Workman's Compensation Reports, and contributes to Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Reporting requirements as needed to support quality, fiscal and human resource accountability
  • Identifies, analyzes and resolves time-keeping problems that arise frequently due to the volume of employees and the complexity of a wide variety of time schedules and special pay issues
  • Provides and assists in the overall administrative management of the organization
  • Performs administrative management requirements in nursing service and applies new policies, provides advice on requirements, maintains administrative systems, and prepares administrative paperwork
  • Performs quality assurance work that involves systematic prevention of errors, nonconformance to regulations and standards, identification of unsatisfactory trends and conditions, and correction of factors that may contribute to processing failures
  • Coordinates special projects as needed to support patient care outreach, build coalitions in the community and support nursing recruitment and retention
  • Serves as the Control Point Clerk for all Patient Care Service Control points and uses independent judgment to order most required supplies; collaborates with the Chiefs of Nursing to project budget requirements
  • Participates with managers in reviewing office needs, plans, and goals to develop budget data and justification for review and approval; prepares budget package for submission to the budget office and responds to all questions from that office
  • Responsible for managing equipment inventory; reconciles and administers the Inpatient and Outpatient Chief Nurses' CMR accounts, including annual inventory or equipment
  • Coordinates and communicates patient equipment needs in conjunction with the Ward CMR and promptly reports excess equipment to Logistics Service and initiates requirements for maintenance of equipment and facilities using the automated work order system
  • Manages procurement and contracting for the Inpatient and Outpatient needs for Patient Care Services; prepares procurement requests, evaluates proposals for work, and acts as a COR for procurements, and/or maintaining procurement and contracting records
  • Conducts periodic surveys of equipment and property utilization and recommends action as necessary to assure economical and efficient use is made of equipment, other property, and other specialized equipment necessary to the effective function of nursing service.
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: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: This position is not Telework Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD13703A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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.
  • 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, 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, 03/13/2026.

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 level.
For a GS-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.

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 GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of 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 skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or functions related to office administration; knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and precedents that affect administrative operations;
  • Knowledge of the structures of appropriation accounts, object classes, and line items of the organization's program and administrative budget to identify and cross-check the agreement, accuracy, and completeness of budget estimates submitted by organizational components of nursing service;
  • Knows analytical, evaluative, developmental, or advisory work performed in a health care delivery system as well as knowledge of general administrative support in a health care delivery system
  • Knowledge of basic health care management principles and practices and the knowledge is directed toward achieving effective and efficient administrative service operations...OR,
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education at the GS-09 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....OR,

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

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the college graduate level.

Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of GS-09 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 skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or functions related to office administration; knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and precedents that affect administrative operations;
  • Knowledge of the major issues, program goals, and objectives, work processes, and administrative operations of the organization;
  • Knowledge and skill in adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria to the measurement and improvement of program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity
  • Skilled in conducting detailed analyses of complex functions and work processes and interpersonal skills in presenting staffing recommendations and negotiating solutions to disputed recommendations
  • Knowledge of and skill in applying special budgetary principles and practices pertaining to the Department of Veterans Affairs, particularly Nursing Service
  • Knowledge of budget formulation to review budget target allowances from VISN at the local level, and to adjust the budget to conform to the overall needs of the program
  • Knowledge of and skilled in applying the principles, practices, and methods of budget execution to determine whether obligations, expenditures and requested allotment are within approved funding limitations for each control point in Patient Care Service
  • Detailed knowledge of the structures of appropriation accounts, object classes, and line items of the organization's program and administrative budget to identify and cross-check the agreement, accuracy, and completeness of budget estimates submitted by organizational components of nursing service; knows analytical, evaluative, developmental, or advisory work performed in a health care delivery system
  • Knowledge of general administrative support in a health care delivery system
  • Knowledge of work related to administration or evaluation of Federal and Federal-State public health programs in addition to private sector healthcare programs and organizations

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

Transcripts must be submitted if education is being used for combination/specialized experience.

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

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