Health System Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the Long Beach VAMC in the Quality &Patient Safety Service (QPS). Incumbent is responsible for delivering Performance Improvement techniques to a broad array of program and services throughout the Medical Center, including Lean, Six Sigma, Coaching, Project Management, and Training. Welcome to VA Long Beach Tibor Rubin - History

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Conducts work in analyzing data and conducting background research on the issue Read and interpret required hospital operations, policies and procedures as well as VA regulations, policies, and program guidelines. Collect, analyze, and present data for performance improvement studies and projects. Organizes, directs, controls and coordinates group activities in a timely and effective manner. Conducts extensive work in analyzing data and conducting background research on the issue. Pulls, isolates and manipulates data to identify root causes of a performance issue. Develops statistical models to measure successful of performance improvement actions. Converts data into numerous formats using advanced statistical models including statistical process control charts, histograms, paretto charts, and many more. Defines a project scope and goals through a collaborative process with subject matter experts and leadership at the facility, service line or program, or unit level. Leads a team of subject matter experts, front line staff and leadership through a rigorous and defined project management process utilizing multiple tools from Lean Six Sigma, Lean VATAMCCS and other performance improvement disciplines to further define the current state of the process. Leads project teams through designed brainstorming sessions to develop solutions towards a specific deliverable or goal during a project. Identifies various solutions approaches and when necessary further leads them through prioritizing exercises with tools like affinity diagrams, PICK Charts and multi-voting. Creates designs of experiment that align to project goals and team developed solutions. The designs of experiment are hypotheses which are monitored through data for effectiveness or failure. Designs of experiment are often iterative and will involve multiple solutions in random or sequential order. Design experiments with process measurement in mind. Develops processes by consulting with subject matter experts in order to develop standard work. Directs the team towards sustainable solutions that are mistake proof. Mistake proofing is designing processes that cannot be performed in error and thus improve the product experience for customers. Identifies metrics performing below benchmarked standards or falling below the upper or lower control limits of a statistically controlled models such as SAIL. Develops statistical, graphical, and narrative reports, and communicates these studies to medical center executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors and other staff. Develops statistical, graphical, and narrative reports, and communicates these studies to medical center executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors and other staff. Develops benchmarks, and assigns a schedule or priority level to a potential project based on the needs of the organization and direct consultation with executive leadership. Prepares complete and fully documented studies for review of work teams, Hospital Committees and top management. Provides instruction to others on Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Systems Redesign or other improvement methodologies principles and tools through formal classroom instruction or small group mentoring. Develops written and verbal teaching material. Delivers classroom instruction about Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Systems Redesign or other improvement methodologies tools and techniques to all levels of the organization. Delivers training materials and curriculum consisting of advanced practices of project management, statistics, coaching, facilitation and leadership. Responsible for leading the team through development of control strategies, to ensure project solutions are sustained after the project lifecycle. 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: Monday-Friday, 7:00AM - 3:30PM Compressed/Flexible: At Management's Discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PDS0012A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2026. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Health System Administration Series, 0671 Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): 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: knowledge and ability to apply skills related to health care service administration; quality improvement; data analysis; planning, and other administrative support functions. OR Special Provision for In service 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. 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 TIG and IOR you must also meet: Specialized Experience GS-9: