Program Specialist

Summary Incumbent is an advisor/consultant in the service for recruitment and placement and pay administration. Incumbent serves as service level matter expert in recruitment and placement of Title 38 staff, Hybrid 38 and Title 5 within the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center's Radiology Department. Responsibilities also include preparing compensation recruitment packages for Physicians initial and bi-annual pay panels at the service level. Responsibilities Conducts in depth analysis of professional staffing needs for the Radiology Service, including physicians, mid-level providers, technologists, and administrative support. Maintains database for candidate leads for short term (fee basis) and long-term use. Formulates and implements long and short-term policies, procedures and program plans for the attraction and retention of professional staff. Evaluates and analyzes the need for recruitment and retention incentives based on historical data of recruitment and retention of professional staff and prepares necessary forms for submission. Incumbent will be part of the interview panel on certain radiology staff, assist in developing performance-based questions relevant to the position. Works with education to enable the radiology department to continue its residency and fellowship programs with our affiliate medical center. Coordinates all aspects for clinical privileging, which includes corresponding with applicants and when necessary, assists the Medical Center Staff Coordinator by managing retrieval of documents (i.e., application renewals, licenses, etc.) to maintain up-to-date credentialing records as required by Joint Commission. Oversees the OPPE and FPPE portion of the credentialling and re-credentialling process. Extracts the necessary data and prepares paperwork for all physician's peer reviews and reports it to the Chief of Radiology for his review and signatures. Incumbent is the liaison and works with credentialling to ensure completion and timely submission. Coordinates the annual physician performance goals and proficiency reports. Maintains a database of physician RVU workload to ensure productivity goals are met. Manages two Radiology EILs and is responsible maintaining a database of inventory. Analyzes and assesses the need for new equipment within the radiology department and works with logistics to procure new equipment. Does market research and prepares independent estimated government cost estimates (IGCE) for new equipment. Prepares equipment budget for each fiscal year and submits to Chief and Supervisory Administrative Officer for annual budget needs. Assists Supervisory Administrative Officer in the opening and equipment purchases for new CBOCs, including NAC purchases, supplies, equipment, and FTE. Responsible for several Radiology contracts. COR I or 2 certifications will be maintained Comprehensive and thorough knowledge of Title 38, Hybrid 38 and Title 5 Pay Systems, VA Directives, CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) and VA qualification guidelines, and special pay. Expert knowledge of VHA policies and regulations as they relate to providing care to Veterans and beneficiaries. Must have extensive knowledge of VHA policies that relate to resource allocation and budgetary issues. 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 07:00 am- 3:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad-Hoc may be authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD105650 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/20/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist - Whole Health Business Manager. Qualifying specialized experience is: providing assistance in the oversight, management, and/or coordination of a health care program and/or services; performing personnel management and administration responsibilities for an organization with varied functions and activities; managing and coordinates online communication tools such as internal SharePoint websites and other related informational tools; applying knowledge of policies, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to the effective operation of a program, coordinating activities, tracking costs/budget, etc.; and establishing and maintaining effective working relationships at all levels of key management officials and charitable organizations/sponsors, applying tact, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. ~OR~ Education: successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. NOTE: One (1) 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. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: Work is primarily sedentary, but does require some periods of standing, walking and bending. The position requires regular use of typical office equipment including phone, multi- functional device and computers. Work is performed in a variety of office settings. However, there is exposure to communicable disease, physical/verbal abuse from disturbed/distraught patients, family members, and visitors. Safety precautions are necessary. Work also requires frequent travel by automobile between local sites and occasional overnight travel to distant locations. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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: 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: Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. The Ralph H. Johnson VA & its CBOCs are committed to hiring a diverse workforce from various backgrounds and individuals who demonstrate a diversity, equity, and inclusion-related mindset and behaviors. We are strongly seeking candidates who represent the full range of cultural and identity factors, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation/identity, gender identity and expression, age, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, religion, spiritual practices, geographic region, and other characteristics. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at