Health System Specialist

Summary

This position supports the DEO responsibilities for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating the quality of HPE programs and the quality of care delivered by health professions trainees (HPTs) at the VA medical facility. The position has the primary responsibilities for the planning, developing, implementing, directing, evaluating, and coordinating the overall HPE programs for the assigned VA medical facility to accomplish VHA's academic mission.

Duties

Major Duties and Responsibilities: HPE Program Management and Operations (50%) Oversees planning, development, implementation, evaluation, and coordination of HPE programs. Manages HPE funding, accreditation, appointment processes, and affiliate relationships. Handles budgeting, resource allocation, financial reporting, and compliance with VHA and accreditation standards. Develops policies, procedures, and long-range plans; resolves complex resource and regulatory issues. Provides administrative oversight for onboarding/offboarding HPTs, stipend payments, and risk management. Compliance (25%) Ensures compliance with OAA, regulatory, and accreditation requirements. Assists with audits, surveys, and incident management. Maintains documentation and records for accreditation, funding, and trainee qualifications. Supports internal review systems and reporting for educational activities. Strategic Planning and Communications (25%) Develops and maintains a 5-year strategic plan for HPE operations. Prepares for technological and regulatory changes (e.g., electronic health record transition). Facilitates communication among HPTs, staff, affiliates, and leadership. Leads meetings, prepares reports, and represents the HPE office in public forums. Promotes HPT recruitment and retention strategies. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD99413S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 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 by the closing date of this announcement. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements: The 0671 Health System Specialist occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), that all candidates must meet in order to meet the basic qualifications of the position. 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 are required. or Specialized Experience(for positions above GS-5): 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. 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 In addition to the basic qualifications listed above, you must also meet the grade level requirement of the position. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as 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: (1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; (2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and (3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, working directly with healthcare professionals and local leadership to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care and program/operational functions; experience applying strategic planning and change management principles to prepare program operations for technological advancements; and developing internal review systems and actions to assure that clinical, educational, and administrative activities comply with applicable standards. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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/.