Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (Current permanent employees of the Department of VA including VA Title 38, Title 38 Hybrid, and Canteen employees serving on excepted appointments; All federal employees serving on a Career/Career-Conditional appointment; Former competitive civil service employees eligible for reinstatement; Veterans eligible under VRA, VEOA and as 30% Disabled Veterans; Those eligible under the Employment Program for People with Disabilities.

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The HSA supports the oversight and coordination of operations across the N/MUAS, which includes approximately seven government-staffed medical facilities: the Alvin C. York Campus, Tullahoma Outpatient Clinic, Nashville Campus, Charlotte Avenue Clinic, International Plaza Clinic, Gallatin Clinic, and Meharry. The MUAS also includes four contracted sites: the Cookeville Outpatient Clinic, Columbia, McMinnville, and Bowling Green. The incumbent's primary responsibility is to effectively and efficiently utilize all available resources to enhance the health and well-being of Veterans across the full spectrum of the MUAS healthcare delivery system subordinate to TVHS leadership and in full coordination with functional experts. The major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Oversees full-range of administrative services (Finance, Human Resource Management, Acquisition, Contracting, Facility Management, Environment of Care, Health Administration, etc.) in an acute care environment with full range clinical services (ICU, Behavioral Health, Dementia, Hospice, Surgery, etc.).
• Analyzes needs and complexities of a healthcare delivery system (i.e., developing a new initiatives, implementing and overseeing a major construction project, developing and carrying out a facility strategic plan, initiating a new CBOC, leadership role in the CARES process, developing and implementing a sharing agreement, etc.)
• Develops creative solutions and obtain buy in to achieving successful results in a complex multi-faceted heath care organization which have been recognized as a best practice (i.e., recognized by a special contribution award, adopted by other organizations.)
• Communicates (e.g., forums, briefings to VISN/VACO officials, town hall meetings, open discussions, letters, memos, issue briefs, etc.) with individuals/groups of various levels of education and competence both internal and external to the organization.
• Understands federal rules and regulations as they pertain to federal personnel management, (performance management, labor relations, position management, recruitment and retention, workforce and succession planning, OWCP, rewards and recognition, disciplinary procedures, pay and leave administration).
• Applies basic understanding of federal budget and accounting process in order to provide oversight, resource allocation, etc.)
• Applies VA budget, capital asset management, and business processes.
• Understands federal regulations pertaining to contracting for clinical services.
• Achieves organizational goals for purchases from small, minority, women, and veteran-owned business.
• Understands the latest developments of technology and their impact on patient care.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | 7:30 AM CST - 4:00 PM CST
Telework: Ad Hoc Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Administrator/PD707530
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
• 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.
• 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, 08/10/2026.

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.

• Examples of appropriate SF-50s include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
  • Award 50s do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.

In addition to the Time-in-Grade Requirement, applicants must also possess the Individual Occupational Requirement as described below.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

1. Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPT MUST BE PROVIDED.)

NOTE: CANDIDATES USING EDUCATION TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT MUST SUBMIT AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF CONFERRED DEGREE BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT CLOSING. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

OR

2. 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 Time-in-Grade Requirement and Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants must also possess the specialized experience as described below.

• GS-13 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. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as:
  • Developing, analyzing, evaluating, advising on, or improving the effectiveness of work methods and procedures, organizations, manpower utilization, distribution of work assignments, and management controls.
  • Engaging in analytical, financial, statistical, and quantitative problem solving and analysis.
  • Interacting with all levels of health care system personnel on a day-to-day basis.
  • Establishing goals, objectives, and short/long-range planning efforts.
  • Complies with directives and national guidelines in preparing recurring and ad hoc reports.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Managing Human Resources
• Leadership
• Administration and Management
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Contracting/Procurement
• Strategic Thinking
• External Awareness
• Financial 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 mainly sedentary. Traveling off station to various meetings is necessary and working some overtime hours may be necessary; there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers and books.

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.