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Supervisory Program Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The position is located in the office of the Liver and Kidney Transplant Programs at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC), within the Operative Care Division (OCD). The incumbent serves as manager for these National Programs as well as the joint venture PVAMC/OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) Liver Transplant Program.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$66,505 - $86,461 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSV-13102119-27-AS
Control number
891098500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent employees assigned to VA Portland Healthcare System; all other candidates will be ineligible. Applicants must submit a recent 2026 SF 50 and an SF 50 showing time in grade with their application to be considered.

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Duties

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Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Portland is known for having the amenities of a major city (such as an international airport, an efficient public transit system, major league sports teams and many museums and art galleries) and the charms of a small city (such as plentiful arts and crafts fairs, independent bookstores and local traditions like the annual Rose Festival Parade). Rain or shine, you can take advantage of the city's proximity to nature by playing in the Willamette River, wandering through lush public parks and gardens, biking the city's 162 miles (261 km) of bike lanes and hiking trails both within city limits and in the nearby Columbia River Gorge.

Duties include but not limited to:

  • Supervises a team of employees performing scheduling, analytical, and administrative assignments in support of the transplant program.
  • Coordinates activities including work flow, staffing levels, orientation and training of new staff, cross training, priority setting, and problem solving.
  • Provides guidance to staff on issues such as motivation and morale, and continuing education activities.
  • Interacts with team members aimed at building consensus and to serve as negotiator and coach for coordination of team initiatives.
  • Supervises staff in the scheduling of patients for all tests and procedures, from initial evaluation through listing and transplantation and subsequent lifelong follow-up.
  • Makes recommendations to improve patient flow and administrative efficiency, independently resolving issues related to patient care at the program level and reporting on results to medical staff and/or supervisor.
  • Estimates expected milestones for completion of tasks.
  • Communicates team success in meeting group performance goals, evaluates assessments by customers, and reports progress to the Supervisor.
  • Makes written instructions, reference materials, and relevant background material available to the team.
  • Reports to the Supervisor on individual performance, progress and training needs of employees, and on any performance problems.
  • Resolves informal employee complaints and refers to the Supervisor as needed for major issues or problems that arise.
  • Provides advisory and technical assistance on transplant policies and procedures to the patient, the physician and administrators at referring facilities in accordance with VACO directives and PVAMC policies.
  • Provides administrative knowledge and resources for transplant patients and families and provides formal orientation to the new patient of the schedule, facilities, and Program expectations.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-4:00 pm PST
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/PD081690
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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, 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 time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/09/2026.

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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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:

  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization, and that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Clinical operations and workload management in healthcare delivery systems; human resources procedures; basic budget and accounting principles; analyzation of current or projected operational programs in order to establish priorities and milestones; analytical tools and techniques used to gather, analyze, and report and/or present information; skilled in oral and written communication in order to prepare and present recommendations and solutions regarding complex issues OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a related field of the position to be filled. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience equivalent to GS 7 described above to meet the total experience requirements. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).
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/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

TheCareer Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

VA Health Care System promotes our core I CARE values: to act with Integrity and Commitment, to Advocate for Veterans, to show Respect to all, and to pursue Excellence.

Agency contact information

Sophia Whittick
Phone
813-442-3938
Email
sophia.whittick@va.gov
Address
VA Portland Health Care System
3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road
Portland, OR 97239
US

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