Clarification from the agency

This is an INTERNAL job announcement, open to current, permanent LTC Charles S Kettles VA Medical Center and supporting CBOC employees ONLY.

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As a Supervisory Health System Specialist to the Medical Center Director, the incumbent must possess a high degree of flexibility and adaptability in mastering a highly demanding work environment with the end product of each project being completed in a thorough and efficient manner. Duties are broad in nature and encompass both clinical and operational aspects of the VAAAHS. The incumbent must demonstrate an ability to clearly articulate medical center goals and objectives and is key in representing the Medical Center Director in every aspect of the medical center, both clinically and operationally.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews the facility's overall organizational performance and makes recommendations based on the medical center's relative needs.
• Addresses high level issues related to quality-of-care customer complaints from individual patients, Veterans' groups, congressional offices.
• Maintains oversite of both internal and external Public Affairs efforts for the facility's marketing campaigns and communication strategies. Works with the facilities (6) Public Affairs Specialists, Visual Information Specialist, Program Applications Specialist, and A/V Production Specialist in implementing the Directors overall communication policies.
• Implements facility programs based on the Medical Center's overall objectives and implements these objectives through the facility's strategic planning process. Coordinates outcomes trough the Strategic Planning process with the Executive Leadership Team and Services within the VAAAHS.

Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsibilities and span of control of this position are extensive and varied. This position Serves as a resource and provides guidance and assistance when needed on various issues. Plans, develops, and coordinates all administrative functions essential to program implementation and delivery of services. Demonstrates the ability to motivate, train and work with all levels of personnel and the ability to assess matters which may require development and initiation of new policies or procedures that are designed to improve workload and output.
• Position provides oversite and Supervisory Controls over this major program for the facility: Public Affairs Office - By overseeing Internal and external Public Affairs efforts for the facility's marketing campaigns and communication strategies. Works with the facilities (6) Public Affairs Specialists, Visual Information Specialist, Program Applications Specialist, and A/V Production Specialist in implementing the Directors overall communication policies.

Non-supervisory Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides expert level knowledge of health care service administration, continuous quality improvement; data analysis; healthcare principles, theories and practices; budgeting, planning, administration, and labor/union relationships, or other key administrative support functions; sufficient to analyze and evaluate broad and difficult problems, apply extensive qualitative and/or quantitative methods for program improvement, make recommendations for complicated solutions; and the related ability to apply health care management principles to complex problem-solving situations.
• Creates flexibilities in operations and constructive, cost-effective approaches to resolve problems. The incumbent serves on various facility strategic management and planning committees internally and with other agencies and program goals. Incumbent participates in the analysis and interpretation of varying patient, workforce, and other data used in strategic planning.
• Serves as comprehensive liaison with Veteran Service Organizations, Congressional leadership, VISN, and Central Office. Keeps abreast of current developments and trends in health care delivery and administration, legislation and community affairs and shares concepts with the Executive Leadership.
• Maintains a broad knowledge of Executive Career Field Performance Initiatives, VHA Directives and implementation of new programs within the medical center, and shares knowledge that may be helpful to the Executive Leadership.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0700-1530
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health System Specialist/PD931280
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

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 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, 04/24/2026.

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.

Interchange Agreement: Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/.

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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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.
• Special Provision for Inservice 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 will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communications and Media
• Customer Service
• Manages and Organizes Information

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 mostly sedentary with some walking and standing. There is no strenuous lifting involved.

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/.

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.