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Duties include but not limited to:

• Initiates health care system wide planning activities to develop, communicate, and continuously update a comprehensive strategic planning process.
• Identification and coordination of the healthcare system planning processes which are customer driven and integrates performance improvement, lean six sigma activities.
• Utilization of local, VISN, and VHA planning/data resources to ensure planning activities and decisions are based on relevant and current information.
• Collect and interpret information about market conditions and consumer behavior to assist the executive leadership make informed decisions.
• Write detailed reports on findings, identify potential market opportunities, and advise the executive leadership on calculated tactics.
• Briefing the Chief of Strategic Analytics and Pentad on the status of pending issues.
• Maintaining an ongoing account of issues requiring follow-up and close out
• Ensuring that action items are assigned appropriately and that timely responses are achieved.
• Managing specific items as assigned by the Medical Center Director and seeking input from members of the Executive Leadership Team, other appropriate CVVAMC staff, constituents, and other stakeholders, to ensure proper management and development of
  centrally/regionally mandated or locally originated initiatives.
• Provide the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflicts and problems associated with customers constructively and appropriately.
• Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to relate to internal and external customers appropriately and courteously.
• Provides the Medical Center Director with background information, recommendations, analysis, and special studies on a variety of issues. The Medical Center Director uses such information in dealings with executive leadership and staff, VISN, VHA and VA, Veterans Service Organizations, congressional groups, and community organizations.
• Other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday -- Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized
Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Strategic Planner)/PD106810
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized
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
• 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, 07/01/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0671 occupational series.

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;

Specialized Experience

(for positions above GS-5):

• 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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: To qualify for GS 13, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: expert knowledge of the management and organizational structure of hospitals and health care institutions, with a specific knowledge of the structure and function of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This knowledge includes functional alignment of clinical and administrative services and a strong working knowledge of general clinical systems, programs, and practices. This knowledge is necessary to reconcile conflicting requirements in preparing staff recommendations and developing new approaches to resolving management problems.
• Preferred Experience: Demonstrated experience in developing and executing strategic plans within a healthcare environment, preferably within the VA or other large public health systems. Proficiency in analyzing complex data sets and metrics to inform decision-making and measure the success of strategic initiatives. Proven ability to manage large-scale projects from conception through completion, including timelines, resources, and stakeholder engagement.
• Quality Ranking Factor: Minimum 1 year experience in activation, strategic planning or facility planning within the VA or other public health system.

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.

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: No specific physical demands are involved. The incumbent may be required to work evening or weekend hours, as needed, as well as to be willing to travel for scheduled meetings at offsite clinics, within the network, and to other locales. Minimal lifting is required. 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/.

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
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

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.