Supervisory Program Specialist

Summary

The position is located in the office of the Liver and Kidney Transplant Programs at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC), within the Operative Care Division (OCD). The incumbent serves as manager for these National Programs as well as the joint venture PVAMC/OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) Liver Transplant Program.

Duties

Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Portland is known for having the amenities of a major city (such as an international airport, an efficient public transit system, major league sports teams and many museums and art galleries) and the charms of a small city (such as plentiful arts and crafts fairs, independent bookstores and local traditions like the annual Rose Festival Parade). Rain or shine, you can take advantage of the city's proximity to nature by playing in the Willamette River, wandering through lush public parks and gardens, biking the city's 162 miles (261 km) of bike lanes and hiking trails both within city limits and in the nearby Columbia River Gorge. Duties include but not limited to: Supervises a team of employees performing scheduling, analytical, and administrative assignments in support of the transplant program. Coordinates activities including work flow, staffing levels, orientation and training of new staff, cross training, priority setting, and problem solving. Provides guidance to staff on issues such as motivation and morale, and continuing education activities. Interacts with team members aimed at building consensus and to serve as negotiator and coach for coordination of team initiatives. Supervises staff in the scheduling of patients for all tests and procedures, from initial evaluation through listing and transplantation and subsequent lifelong follow-up. Makes recommendations to improve patient flow and administrative efficiency, independently resolving issues related to patient care at the program level and reporting on results to medical staff and/or supervisor. Estimates expected milestones for completion of tasks. Communicates team success in meeting group performance goals, evaluates assessments by customers, and reports progress to the Supervisor. Makes written instructions, reference materials, and relevant background material available to the team. Reports to the Supervisor on individual performance, progress and training needs of employees, and on any performance problems. Resolves informal employee complaints and refers to the Supervisor as needed for major issues or problems that arise. Provides advisory and technical assistance on transplant policies and procedures to the patient, the physician and administrators at referring facilities in accordance with VACO directives and PVAMC policies. Provides administrative knowledge and resources for transplant patients and families and provides formal orientation to the new patient of the schedule, facilities, and Program expectations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-4:00 pm PST Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/PD081690 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization, and that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Clinical operations and workload management in healthcare delivery systems; human resources procedures; basic budget and accounting principles; analyzation of current or projected operational programs in order to establish priorities and milestones; analytical tools and techniques used to gather, analyze, and report and/or present information; skilled in oral and written communication in order to prepare and present recommendations and solutions regarding complex issues OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a related field of the position to be filled. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience equivalent to GS 7 described above to meet the total experience requirements. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). 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/.