Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to a specific area of consideration: Current, permanent VISN 5 employees within the Health Service Area 5.1. Location negotiable after selection, candidate must maintain their current return to office status.

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These positions serve as a principal advisors and action officers for networkwide initiatives, operational issues, and cross facility coordination efforts and functions as a critical extension of executive leadership in managing the network programmatic and administrative workload.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supports and enhances VHA executive level program and operational initiatives.
• Represents, attends meetings and may be given decisional rights on the behalf of the ND, RMO, RQO, or RNO respectively.
• Manages the administrative and operational functions required of the HSA 5.1 office in addition to programmatic responsibilities. This includes assisting in building performance plans with the inclusion of required elements, managing performance timelines, supporting the timely review and appraisal completion.
• Leads, coordinates plans, organizes and executes program plans, program policy analysis, data collection, legislative interpretation and analytical studies involving federal, DOW, IHS, and VA programs and policies.
• Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
• Manages and/or supports committees, boards, symposia, or conferences.
• Conducts special projects or studies to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on administrative programs or issues. These specials studies and projects usually involve complex, confidential, or sensitive issues such as adverse events involving patients, operational issues involving employees, and Congressional inquiries.
• Reviews all written materials prepared by staff within the office for leadership's signature.
• Establishes, monitors, reviews and improves systems and procedures for tracking and maintaining desired quality and timeliness of correspondence produced.
• Briefs management on all implications of actions proposed and makes recommendations to approve, disapprove, or modify specific proposals, many of which have Department-wide impact that affect VA's relations with other agencies and outside business organizations.
• Evaluates, processes, or make recommendations for effective organizational changes affecting several departments.
• Serves as agency expert on oversight of national programs which frequently involve precedent-setting issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Other work schedules within the core business hours can be discussed during the interview process.
Telework: These positions may be authorized for adhoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: These are not virtual positions.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist- Executive Assistant/PD00017VS, PD00012VS, PD00013VS, and PD00014VS
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, 11/03/2026.

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-14 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.

Individual Occupational Requirement: All applicants, regardless of grade level must one of the following individual occupational requirements -and- the grade determination listed below.

• 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -OR-
• Specialized Experience: 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. -OR-
• 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 (TRAINING DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED). 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 meeting the above individual occupational requirements, applicants must meet the below specialize experience requirements.

Grade Determination:

• Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in federal service. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Leads, coordinates, organizes and executes program plans, program policy analysis, data collection, legislative interpretation and analytical studies; Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of operations in meeting established goals and objectives; Manages and/or supports committees, boards, symposia, or conferences; Conducts special projects or studies to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on administrative programs or issues; Evaluates, processes, or make recommendations for effective organizational changes affecting several departments. This work must have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities.

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 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.

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.