Clarification from the agency

This position is open to Current and Permanent VHA Agency Employees and CTAP Eligible Applicants Only.

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Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops the local privacy strategy that integrates the VHA Medical Center with data governance program goals, national strategic priorities, and VA core values.
• Performs complex analysis of key policy inquiries that can encompass any and all information collected, used or disclosed in the facility. Contributes to significant agency decisions, policy recommendations and executive leadership consultations based on an in-depth knowledge of government regulatory and federal and state statutory requirements, case law and Office of Inspector General (OIG), Government Accounting Office (GAO) and National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) verdicts.
• Coordinates and delegates complex investigative responsibilities that frequently collaborate with Office of Chief Counsel in the District, human resources, executive leadership, and labor partners. Leads a team that analyzes and evaluates complex data, conducts meetings, briefings and suggests potential administrative action to leadership pursuant to a privacy violation.
• Using an expert understanding of all applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines, independently analyzes all interrelated issues that affect the privacy/FOIA program. Plans and conducts monitoring activities which measure the overall level of operational compliance by the facility.
• Contributes to national VHA performance data by submitting reports with findings and recommendations to senior leadership and national program offices. Makes changes to facility policies and procedures after gaps in compliance are identified.
• Develops and integrates policy-based processes, roles and controls that influences how data is created, collected, used, stored and destroyed throughout the organization.
• Independently investigates non-compliance of privacy related issues at all levels of the organization and outside of the organization when VHA information is involved. Advocates for Veterans, patients and employees that are victims of privacy violations. Conducts detailed investigatory interviews with staff, patients and vendors to collect facts in response to privacy complaints.
• Identifies privacy risk within the organization and ensures corrective action is taken to mitigate the safety of patients' privacy. Independently performs in-depth legal research that pertains to both federal and state statutes to render expertise, provide solutions and facilitate corrective action. Reviews federal court determinations and pertinent case law to make determinations in Privacy, FOIA and other health care related matters that involve the agency. Coordinates with the Office of Chief Counsel in the District to help protect Government interests regarding privacy and FOIA when legal ramifications exist.
• Manages a system-wide communication strategy as it relates to the request timely release and amendment of records from the facility. Ensures that agency correspondence for data governance is transparent, timely, accurate and complete in response to requests for information from the general public, Congressional representatives, law enforcement, courts, and commercial business.
• Other duties as assigned.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD99538S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Bot 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 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, 09/08/2026.

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-09. For a GS-12 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.

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 and/or education as described below:

GS-11

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Control of information to include: the creation, use, disclosure, or destruction; Knowledge and understanding of all data governance related federal legislation in implementing regulations, executive orders, federal agency policies and procedures, case law, and precedent decisions related to the information disclosure, security, privacy, and protection; knowledge of Privacy and FOIA programs; Knowledge of data quality improvement practices and the ability to develop a system of internal monitoring that identifies potential organizational risks, trends, and severity unique to the facility. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level GS-09.

GS-12

• 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: Control of information to include: the creation, use, disclosure, or destruction; Knowledge and understanding of all data governance related federal legislation in implementing regulations, executive orders, federal agency policies and procedures, case law, and precedent decisions related to the information disclosure, security, privacy, and protection in order to manage a facility Privacy and FOIA program.; Knowledge of data quality improvement practices and the ability to develop a system of internal monitoring that identifies potential organizational risks, trends, and severity unique to the facility; developing recommendations for significant changes (e.g., VA policies, practices, etc.) to transform the way work is performed, evaluating policies and guiding agency decisions.
• Education: There is no education substitution at this grade level.

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: The work is primarily sedentary. There will be episodes of moderate lifting or prolonged periods of standing and bending searching various files. There is lifting and carrying of such items as record boxes and bulky files. The work involves considerable walking, standing, and bending conducting rounds auditing and providing training to both on-site and off-site personnel. There is also occasional lifting and carrying of such items of box files weighing up to 30 pounds.

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.