Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open only to current, permanent VHA employees nationwide

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**This position is for a Temporary Not to Exceed 1 Year detail/promotion, and may be extended**

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Is the Medical Center's principal extension of the Director's authority, with responsibility for assisting the Director and staying abreast of those tasks and issues the Director is working on, while focusing on guiding and coordinating operational elements of the Medical Center.
• Responsible for taking the lead in coordinating and developing stakeholder support and resourcing to meet Medical Center programs and objectives.
• In coordination with the Director, the Deputy Director has full delegated line authority and responsibility for executive level management and overall responsibility for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling, reviewing, evaluating, and improving medical, administrative, and supporting operations.
• Determines program goals and objectives, develops short- and long- range plans for achieving them in conjunction with the overall plans of the VISN and consistent with the strategic planning process.
• Administers and ensures compliance with a system designed for the development and communication of program policies and procedures in accordance with new or existing rules and regulations
• Evaluates the needs of a variety of worksites and assesses the treatment of a wide variety of problems including plans which provide the effective distribution of resources needed to accomplish the mission of the medical center within the given allocations.
• Develops and maintains cooperative and harmonious relationships with groups, organizations and other health care providers in the local community, and at the state, VISN and national level.
• Ensures that is sues raised by veterans, their families and/or representatives are adequately addressed.
• Participates in planning and development of current and proposed program objectives in conjunction with administrative and clinical managers, develops short and long range fiscal year plans that meet the objectives of current and proposed programs.
• Works with Service Chiefs in the formulation of budgets for their respective service. Works with Fiscal Service in gathering data from past expenditures, changing priorities in operation of programs, advising management of shortages, or ensuring the use of cost-conscious ideas.
• Plan the work to be accomplished by subordinates and adjust short/long-term priorities accordingly.
• Identify potential for improvement in production or increase the quality of the work directed and develop performance standards.

Work Schedule: Full time
Telework: This position is authorized for ad hoc telework at the supervisor's discretion
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Remote: This is not a remote position
Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Administrator - Deputy Director (Not to Exceed 1 Year)/PD13537-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/25/2026.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) must be met in order to be found qualified:
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.

Applicants must also possess:

• Management ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, recognize and adapt to changing priorities; and
• Knowledge of the interrelationships and interdependencies among various medical and administrative services and programs.

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.

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must also meet the below specialized experience requirements:

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience GS-15: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience: Planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling, reviewing, evaluating, and improving medical, administrative, and supporting operations of a health care facility/system which administers a variety of medical care and treatment. Determines program goals and objectives, develops short-and long-range plans for achieving them in conjunction with the overall plans of network leadership and consistent with the strategic planning process. Establishes local policy in such areas as program emphasis and operating guidelines; administers and ensures compliance with a system designed for the development and communication of program policies and procedures in accordance with new or existing rules and regulations. Delegates authority as appropriate and holds managers responsible and accountable for the performance of the product lines, programs, and services under their supervision and management. Maintain high workload requirements in the face of ever-increasing demand, rising inflation and budgetary constraints, challenge the incumbent's ability to provide adequate staff support to numerous treatment programs offered and needed by the customer population; make decisions and determinations for which there are no written precedent, resulting in sound management judgment is essential for assurance of successful navigation through and accomplishment of a multitude of professional and administrative matters. Work with Service Chiefs and Finance in the formulation of budgets for their respective services; gathers data from past expenditures, changing priorities in operation of programs, advising management of shortages, or ensuring the use of cost-conscious ideas; works closely with chiefs of services in establishing priorities for personnel, services, equipment, supplies and allocating resources as needed.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Communication, Leadership, Program Management, and Strategic Thinking

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: Performance of the incumbent's duties often require extensive sedentary placement at a computer terminal. The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration that is often interrupted. Incumbent is often faced with changing priorities and with meeting deadlines. Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the employee or others. Position requires standing for extended periods of time and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require minimal travel to meet with representatives/stakeholders in clinics, medical centers, and VISN offices who provide assistance and support to the overall mission. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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.