Clarification from the agency

This position is open to CTAP eligible applicants only

Videos

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing, managing and tracking the activities of subordinate leaders (Associate Directors) and staff and multi-functional program offices.
• Overseeing VHA Systems Redesign and Improvement programmatic and operational leadership and VHA-wide HRO implementation and sustainment, including leadership of the VHA Systems Redesign and Improvement program in partnership with the national (clinical) program director, oversight of the daily operations of the program office, operational direction of all branches within the office, and direct supervision Reliability Consultation, and High Reliability Knowledge Management branches.
• Applying leadership, change management, and operations management techniques to support enterprise-wide, USH-driven imperatives across the VHA system.
• Developing national policy/processes for VHA Systems Redesign implementation, spread of national educational initiatives involving complex concurrence processes and negotiations with VHA leadership and national labor unions, advancing the role of continuous process improvement.
• Providing operational oversight of the management of a substantial VHA Systems Redesign and Improvement program budget in parallel to the national HRO implementation and sustainment budget.
• Overseeing all operations of the VHA Systems Redesign and Improvement Office and providing direct oversight for multiple branches within the program office charged with primary oversight and responsibility for HRO.
• Providing formal technical and administrative supervision to all program office staff aligned with the High Reliability Infrastructure Support, High Reliability Consultation, and High Reliability Knowledge Management branches within the VHA Office of Systems Redesign and Improvement.
• Establishing performance standards and evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, making determinations on grievances, recommending training, and approving leave of subordinate supervisors.
• Hearing grievances as second level supervisor, reviewing recommendations for hiring, promotion, and adverse actions made by subordinate supervisors, and supporting and implementing established Equal Employment Opportunity policies and programs.
• Making recommendations to the program office director, the VHA Office of Quality Management executive director, and the AUSH for Quality and Patient Safety relative to programmatic priorities and recommending/approving use of budget to execute objectives.
• Leading and facilitating strategic and operational planning activities for the program office and providing high-level communication of program office priorities for the office as well as guiding the communications of subordinate associate directors.
• Providing oversight of system-wide performance, policy, resourcing, and knowledge management for VHA's high reliability transformation implementation and sustainment.
• Establishing VHA's HRO infrastructure, resourcing strategies, primary support functions, and governance mechanisms across VAMCs/other healthcare facilities, VISNs, and across VHACO program offices throughout VHA with the goal of cultural transformation.
• Providing oversight of HRO baseline training, leader coaching, site specific assessments and planning, continuous process improvement, and experiential learning.
• Preparing and overseeing the preparation of comprehensive reports for VA senior management and oversight bodies including the VHA Governance Board, Quality and Patient Safety Council/Quality, Safety, and Value Council, VHA High Reliability Steering Committee, and other subordinate committees, subcommittees, and workgroups, etc.

Work Schedule: Tour of Duty is 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework.
Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA Employees that are already subject to the return to in-person work mandate in their current position. Applicants without an existing assigned VA Staff Office must be located within 50 miles of a VA-owned or leased space.
Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer.
This is not a remote position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health System Specialist (Deputy Director)/PD587260

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.

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. This position requires the application, assessment, and questionnaire to be fully completed. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/24/2026.

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-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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.


You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Basic Requirement:

Individual Occupational Requirement: To meet the basic qualification of the 0671 Health System Administration Occupational Series, you must possess an undergraduate or graduate level degree with a Major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administrationOR-you must possess 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.

• Specialized Experience: 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 would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the overall VHA organization, mission, vision, functions and values, along with current VHA and healthcare industry delivery methods; knowledge of high-level multidisciplinary project management and strategic planning related to the management of a complex health care delivery and health professional education; experience providing supervision and oversight for contract and government staff; experience analyzing processes/systems in current use to ensure that objectives are accomplished efficiently, recommending changes for improvement; experience with program development and delivery methodologies and techniques to manage, identify, evaluate, recommend and implement program strategies; experience designing and conducting studies for improvement; and experience preparing detailed technical information in a clear, logical and concise manner.

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 requires some physical exertion, such as periods of standing during in person presentations; some walking, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching or similar activities when visiting work sites; and some moderate lifting and carrying of portable IT equipment and personal supplies. At other times, the work is substantially sedentary and requires the routine use of a personal computer and telephone.

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.

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

• Decision Making
• Interpersonal Skills
• Integrity/Honesty
• Oral Communication
• Manages Human Resources
• Written Communication

Supervisory Situational Judgment Test. Applicants will be required to complete a Supervisory Situational Judgment Test (SSJT) as part of the assessment process for this position. The SSJT evaluates judgment and decision-making skills that align with relevant competencies, organizational values, and best practices. Assessment results may be used as part of the evaluation, ranking and referral process. This is not a timed test, however, the assessment is expected to take approximately 45 minutes or less to complete. The assessment for this application does not include a cut score for a minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. However, you must answer each item in the assessment.

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.