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Health System Specialist (Strategic Planner)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS)

Summary

The Health System Specialist serves as the Strategic Planner and is responsible for the coordination, implementation, oversight, and ongoing development of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) organizational strategic plan. The STVHCS Strategic Plan facilitates the continuous development of integrated health care delivery system. Engagement with senior leadership in aspects of strategic planning, including the development of strategic goals, objectives, and performance measures.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/02/2026 to 04/06/2026
Salary
$90,823 - $118,072 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Antonio, TX
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
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-12927573-26-RBW
Control number
863622400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This is an internal job announcement. This announcement is open to current permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and CTAP eligible candidates.

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Duties

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  • Initiates health care system wide planning activities to develop, communicate and continuously update a comprehensive strategic planning process.
  • Identifies and coordinates a health care system planning process which is customer driven and integrates aspects of performance improvement activities.
  • Utilizes VAMC, VISN and VHA planning/data resources (databases, staff, and publications) to ensure planning activities and decisions are based on relevant and current information.
  • Provides advice and support (ex-officio) to health care system committees directly related to planning efforts (ex. Executive Leadership Board).
  • Coordinates activities with Executive Leadership, the Chief Engineer, Capital Project Planning, and the Facility Planner to ensure programmatic planning is incorporated with space planning priorities (Master Space Plan, Capital Plan) and the five-year plan.
  • Coordinates activities with the health care system Quality Manager to ensure that planning processes are directly related to performance outcome measures.
  • Involves appropriate stakeholders in developing proposals and/or reviewing planning initiatives for further consideration and development. Develops, tracks, and shares strategic plans for programs, services and/or the facility.
  • Reviews proposed organizational changes requiring establishment, consolidation, transfer or regrouping of functions for one or more services, or sub-organizational units. Analyzes and evaluates organizational staffing and functional structures or organizational components in terms of meeting objectives.
  • Prepares Restructuring and Realignment evaluations and justifications. These complex analyses are reviewed by the VISN Network Director and VACO leaders.
  • Work directly with relevant clinical and administrative chiefs and staff members to quantify Veterans' needs and service gaps.
  • Oversight of tenant sharing agreements. Communicates and coordinates regularly with Property owners, business owners, City, State, and other federal agencies. The precise nature of this collaboration must ensure risk mitigation pertaining to budget, contracting, negotiations, and program/project execution.
  • Collaboration with appropriate stakeholders on lease projects, revocable license agreements, and joint incentive funding (JIF) between DOD and VA.
  • Primary VAST Station Identifier POC for STVHCS.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8-4:30p.m.
Telework: Ad-hoc and as determined by the Agency
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Strategic Planner)/PDHA671-00431-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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
  • 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, 04/06/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

Individual Occupational Requirement: 0671 series has Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met.

  • Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR
  • 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 and oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

In addition to the basic requirements, you must meet the specialized experience below. 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1) Identifies short and long-term planning parameters required to adequately accommodate existing and future healthcare demand including budget/resource analyses; set resource priorities; 2) Lead the annual STVHCS Strategic Plan and coordinate retreats/ad-hoc planning; 3) Develops and manages initiatives/programs; track milestones; brief ELT; 4) Customer service/Veteran focus embedded in planning and space/capital coordination with Engineering/Planner/CFO; and 5) Monitor plan versus actual; adjust using operational data.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Capital Planning and Investment Assessment
  • Financial Analysis
  • Information Management
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Stakeholder Management
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 typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. May require occasional travel up to 25% of the time.

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

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 South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) is comprised of two inpatient campuses: the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio and the Kerrville VA Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. The STVHCS serves one of the largest primary service areas in the nation, with 35 counties, and is part of the VA Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17), with offices located in Arlington, Texas. Providing a service to Veterans with a working staff of more than 5900 employees, South Texas provides health care services for 114,000 Veterans. The STVHCS is a facility providing primary, secondary and tertiary health care in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and rehabilitation medicine. It also supports a 90 bed Extended Care Therapy Center, a 30-bed Spinal Cord Injury Center, and a Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. Affiliated with UT Health San Antonio, the system has an active ambulatory care program with numerous satellite outpatient clinics.

Agency contact information

VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
Email
VISN17SSUUSAS@va.gov
Address
Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital
7400 Merton Minter Boulevard
San Antonio, TX 78229
US

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