Supervisory Health System Specialist

Summary

The Supervisory Health System Specialist serves as the Director of the VISN Operations Center, a principal executive responsible for direct oversight and authoritative decision-making of VISN-wide operations and resources at the VHA level. The incumbent maintains a direct line of communication to top agency leadership and regularly prepares and delivers executive-level reports and recommendations for the Under Secretary of Health.

Duties

The Supervisory Health System Specialist is an executive leadership position responsible for the direct oversight and execution of VISN administrative operations, policy, and resource management, and serves as the senior advisor and direct reporting officer to the Network Director and Deputy Network Director. Exercises executive authority to implement, modify, or terminate operational units, programs, or initiatives, and is the primary decision-maker on administrative direction, program design, and organizational structure. Major Duties Include but are not limited to: Direct oversight and allocation of resources for Health Service Areas, direct management of communications and policy implementation from VA headquarters, and serving as the singular agency-level point of contact for all VISN operations from the Network Director. Advise executives throughout the VISN on administrative processes, management of suspense coordination clearance management by VISN and HSA Executives, guidance, and regulatory requirements. Develop and prepare special or recurring reports and studies for senior agency executives. Coordinate cross-program projects, establish collaborations with top agency stakeholders, and independently direct the implementation and execution of special projects and initiatives on behalf of the Network Director and Deputy Network Director. Direct administrative plans and teams to implement directives, address concerns, and solve VISN-wide issues. Supervises subordinate supervisors and responsible for the full range of leadership activities, from strategic recruitment and development to major labor-management relations, all with VISN-wide or national consequences. Provides strategic review, support and decisional papers on organizational structures and positions necessary to effectively carry out the VISN-wide goals and objectives. Builds and leads cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams that include external partners and stakeholders at the federal, state, and community levels to advance complex initiatives of national importance. Establishes and monitors key performance metrics and dashboards to drive ongoing improvement and accountability. Acts as selecting official for key executive and supervisory positions across multiple program areas to meet agency strategic needs. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health System Specialist/PD00001VS 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, 09/28/2026. 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-13. 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: Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series. To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following: 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. 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. 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 the IOR, candidates must also fully meet the below grade requirements. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing direct executive-level supervision and oversight of subordinate supervisors, team leads, analysts, and operational staff, with final authority for the selection, assignment, performance management, and removal of personnel within the VISN Operations Center. Exercising executive authority to implement, modify, or terminate operational units, programs, or initiatives, and serving as the primary decision-maker on administrative direction, program design, and organizational structure. Advising executives throughout the VISN on administrative processes and suspense coordination clearance, and exercising final approval authority on all operational directives, policies, and compliance determinations with statutory and regulatory requirements from oversight agencies. Performing program oversight and managing staff assignments that require analyzing and evaluating controversial and complex projects or cases, interpreting new or existing policy, providing formal and informal assistance and advice, and conducting special assignments. Directing responses to national emergencies, disasters, and other crises, with executive a