Program Specialist

Summary

The primary purpose of the position is to manage day-to-day operational functions at the Southern Tier sites, including program management, process improvement, service recovery, safety and emergency management, space and equipment utilization, and contract management. The incumbent is assigned to one of the Southern Tier sites, but also provides cross-coverage across all Southern Tier campuses, as needed.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Review and implement administrative program guidance, policies, and procedures, and works with clinic leadership to ensure compliance by clinic staff. Monitors and studies work operations to detect opportunities for improvement. Serve as a patient advocate and refers patient concerns to the appropriate parties for service recovery and resolution. Investigate and draft replies on behalf of executive leadership regarding Congressional inquiries, Veterans Service Officer (VSO) inquiries, Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS) reports, and other customerservice related concerns. Training and experience in the VANCHCS SERVE model and on the use of PATS is required for this position. Serves as the safety officer and emergency management coordinator for the clinic and promotes a culture of safety among staff members. Conducting routine environment of care (EOC) inspections, working with appropriate services to address EOC deficiencies, maintaining and updating the clinic's emergency management plan, orienting new staff on the emergency management plan and coordinating routine emergency drills. Responsible for space assignment and utilization reviews. Actively participates in health care system Space Committee meetings on space requests related to his/her assigned clinic. 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, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD02935A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/22/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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: GS -07 You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: At the GS-05 developmental level, the incumbent will be assigned work and/or receive training with the objective of acquiring the qualifications needed to successfully perform duties such as applying organizational structure, policies, and procedures to the program's mission and administrative operations; applying analytical techniques to resolution of problems concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelor's degree. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying organizational structure, policies, and procedures and skill in applying the program's mission, functions, objectives, work processes, and administrative operations; applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or problems concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations; knowledge of contractual and procurement guidelines and requirements to prepare requests, evaluate proposals, and ensure quality measures are met. (NOTE: 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)OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related (NOTE: If using education, you MUST submit transcripts at time of application) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first year or 18 semester hours to meet total experience requirements. (NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required). 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. 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/.