Clarification from the agency

Area of consideration: Current Permanent employees of the NJ VA Healthcare System.

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Major Duties:
Along with the Executive Leadership Team a level of responsibility for the direction and management of the Medical Center and is responsible for all facilities operations. The incumbent has direct line authority and leadership responsibility for all administrative operation support services. The incumbent participates on a day-to-day basis in Executive discussions, decisions, policy making and actions of all administrative functions and indirectly of all clinical matters\ impacting patient care. The incumbent may serve as the Acting MCD in the absence of the Director with full responsibility and concomitant authority to carry out the duties and functions.

The AD Determines operational services and programs goals and objectives, develop short-and long-range plans for achieving them in conjunction with the overall plans of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and consistent with the strategic planning process; directs a comprehensive evaluation pf operational services goals and objectives and makes necessary adjustments to improve delivery of patient care services; establishes local policy in such areas impacting facility operations as program emphasis and operating guidelines; administers and ensures compliance with a system designed for the development and communication of program policies and procedures in accordance with new or existing rules and regulations; and administers a management reporting system which provides appropriate data for decision making for facility operations, impacting organizational improvements.

Budget and Fiscal Management: The AD leads the planning and development of current and proposed program objectives in conjunction with administrative and clinical managers; develops short and long range fiscal year plans that meet the objectives of current and proposed programs; works on the development of a balanced financial plan designed to meet realistic needs of the facility and the network; makes important decisions substantially affecting economy of facility operations by limiting operating expenses without impairing patient care activities, through management assessment, cost effective position management techniques, reorganization, methods improvements, and automation; ensures that utilization of available resources impacting facility operations is in line with plan or, modified through recurring review; manages allocated resources to provide the best possible patient care in line with established priorities; and manages all budgetary and resource management for the entire facility by chairing the resource management committee/board.

Personnel Management: The AD delegates authority as appropriate and holds managers under his/her oversight responsible and accountable for the performance of the product lines, programs, and services under their supervision and management. In this capacity the incumbent exercises a full range of managerial and supervisory authorities and responsibilities which include: prioritizing major work efforts; evaluating the performance of the service level management teams; giving advice, counsel, or instruction; interviewing and tentatively selecting candidates for key centralized positions, and recommending appointment, promotion or reassignment involving such positions; hearing and resolving appropriate complaints and grievances; effecting disciplinary measures, recommending action to higher level officials; and identifying and providing management development and training needs of key staff members.

Stakeholder Relations: The AD shares with the Director the responsibility for establishing and maintaining stakeholder relationships with a wide variety of interested institutions and groups. Responsible for establishing and maintaining community partnerships, and relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Works closely, daily, with patients, veterans' organizations, Congressional Offices, and the media to provide information, resolve problems, and to ensure the creditability and integrity of the Medical Center.

Systematic Internal Review: The AD Organizes and controls facility operation evaluation activities; develops plans (with target completion dates) to ensure that action has been taken to correct deficiencies cited by accrediting bodies or external reviews related to facility operations; initiates corrective action on elements considered unacceptable from the standpoint of quality or facility service management, and ensures that patient or staff complaints related to the communication of administrative aspects of facility operations are promptly addressed.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm (hours may vary based on the needs of the VAMC)
Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Administrator (Associate Director)/PD99902S
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period
• 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 dentification 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/07/2025.

This is a Temporary Promotion NTE 1yr

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.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

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. 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.

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.

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.

• Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-14) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Health System Administrator-Associate Director. At this level, applicants must be able to identify and resolve problems which may inhibit accomplishing patient care mission and public policy objectives; exercise fiscal management responsibility by assisting in the preparation of the overall facility budget, in monitoring expenditures, and in recommending reallocation of funds based on shifting program needs; establish and maintain public relations with a variety of institutions and groups; apply performance standards to measure program performance and health care activities are meeting established goals and objectives; and develop, evaluate, and adjust organizational structures and management systems for the administrative and allied health services managed.

• Interpersonal Skills
• Systems Thinking
• Technical Competence
• Veteran and Customer Focus

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.