Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results
 

Health System Specialist - Chief of Staff (COS)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations. The position renders advice on operational policies and assures these policies are coordinated with, and in support of, field operations.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/27/2026 to 03/31/2026
Salary
$108,173 to - $140,627 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Leavenworth, KS
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - This is a temporary position not to exceed 1 year. The position could potentially end earlier than 1 year.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
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
CBSS-12910453-26-SN
Control number
862804600

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current permanent employees of VISN 15 only and current permanent employees of the Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Veteran Administration only.

Videos

Duties

Help

NOTE: This is a TEMPORARY (not-to-exceed 1 year position). The position could potentially end earlier than 1 year. This appointment may be renewed for additional service in accordance with Agency needs for 1 additional year. Temporary positions offer health insurance (if the employee is expected to work at least 130 hours per month for at least 90 days) but do not offer life insurance or retirement benefits and may be terminated at any time before the expiration date. The appointment to a Temporary position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment.

Include but not limited to:

  • The incumbent functions as the primary liaison/administrative support to the Chief of Staff office and serves as the conduit for information flow and management of assignments between such offices.
  • Monitors and manages incoming actions and requests from initial receipt to completion and closeout.
  • Analyzes the subject matter of incoming information for appropriate distribution to offices internal or external to the office.
  • Conducts or participates in special information flow studies, analyses, presentations and briefings, as assigned.
  • Conducts analytical studies on particular operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects.
  • Studies and projects addressed are commonly so diverse and intense that they often require input and assistance from departmental or program offices. These studies require study planning, statistical measurement, data analysis, and report preparation and development. When tasked with this type of project, serves as the responsible contact for leading these projects from initiation to completion and may be required to present the results to senior leadership.
  • Develops position papers and decision documents representing the position of the organization on a variety of complex and sensitive issues such as the quality or timeliness of veteran care issues within the system or at times, issues of Congressional or media interest that have significant national impact e.g. quality and safety concerns or involve several functional areas. An expert level knowledge of health system services is required for the breadth and depth of studies encountered.
  • Works in coordination with other internal reviewing services regarding complex audits and internal/external reviews of a national concern; i. e, fiscal efficiencies and organizational structure that are reviewed by prominent parties such as the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) or the Government Accountability Office (GAO).Tracks both routine and uncommon deadlines initiated by OIG/GAO and internal reviewing officials to ensure timely submission of responses and actions.
  • Communicates with responsible staff agency members to ensure completion of all requested actions and appropriately closes out all requests.
  • Works closely with senior management and others in implementing and evaluating policies, plans, and internal operational systems such as correspondence management, information tracking among pertinent offices and stakeholders, and internal/external communication flows.
  • Contacts and engages frequently with staff at all levels to facilitate the work of the office related to a variety of operations-focused assignments and projects initiated by senior leadership or program offices, or departmental offices. This interaction is essential in order to identify substantive issues, establish relative priorities, and determine those issues requiring tracking.
  • Functions in myriad roles by contacting and engaging with various administrative program officials within Headquarters and in the field to manage, coordinate, and complete various assignments or projects that involve or are initiated by these officials.
  • Manages and coordinates of all online communication tools such as assigned intranet websites, internal SharePoint website collection, and other related informational tools in consultation with communication specialists. Assures compliance with all policies, and development and maintenance of internal management processes related to these online tools.
  • Coordinates events hosted by officials, including town hall meetings with internal staff, with assistance from continuing educational staff and initiatives when warranted.
  • Completes all steps required within an event management process, including facilitating selection of the event time, developing a formal agenda, managing any required contracts and all logistical items, disseminating information to attendees.
  • Works with various boards to coordinate regular committee meetings, ensuring all event management steps are completed.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30AM - 4:00PM
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - Chief of Staff (COS)/PD096280
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

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, 03/31/2026.

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.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and requires education/experience that must have been related to the work of the position for which application is made.

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.

OR,

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: 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.

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. Specialized experience is defined as: Knowledge of strategic planning theory, tools and implementation as it relates to leading a healthcare institution in strategic planning. Expert knowledge of the management and organizational structure of hospitals and health care institutions. This knowledge includes functional alignment of clinical and administrative services and a strong working knowledge of general clinical systems, programs, and practices. Knowledge is necessary to reconcile conflicting requirements in preparing staff recommendations and developing new approaches to resolving management problems. Knowledge of and ability to apply use of national and local benchmark performance data, statistics, actuarial projections and other financial data to complete comparative analyses, formulate recommendations and develop initiatives. Ability to evaluate and interpret study findings, to make oral/written reports and presentations, to prepare reports and other documents, to exercise foresight, to visualize effect of recommended changes, and to exercise ingenuity and inventiveness in devising solutions to problems that are of a difficult and precedent setting nature.
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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Administration and Management
  • Communication
  • Information Assurance
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Organizational Performance Analysis


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: Work is primarily performed in an office setting with significant time involved on the computer.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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.

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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System (VAEKHCS) serves the health care needs of Veterans across 20,000 square miles and 39 counties in eastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. By employing nearly 2,000 full-time employees, VAEKHCS cares for over 40,000 Veterans each year. VAEKHCS is committed to building an environment that values and supports the communities we serve, and provides access to care for all. At VAEKHCS, Veteran and Employee Whole Health is our goal, and High Reliability is how we get there together.

Whole Health Approach To Clinical Care -YouTube

Introducing Whole Health - YouTube

Agency contact information

Sonja Nixon
Phone
310-346-4082
Email
Sonja.Nixon@va.gov
Address
VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System
2200 SW Gage Blvd
Topeka, KS 66622
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Veterans Health Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.va.gov/jobs

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.