Summary This position serves as the High Reliability Organization (HRO) Coordinator within Quality Management at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. Responsible for coordinating, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining programs that support patient safety, quality improvement, and High Reliability principles across the organization in support of the Veterans Health Administration's HRO initiatives.
Learn more about this agency Duties Help
Major duties include, but not limited to:
- Serves as a High Reliability expert for all technical information pertaining to a High Reliability Organization and administrative services.
- Provides staff support to the facility's High Reliability Organization Committee and is responsible for recommending revisions to the membership composition of this committee.
- Participates in the VISN High Reliability Council and strategic planning initiatives at the VISN level and facility levels.
- Develops a plan to incorporate assessment of High Reliability principles and implementation in the Medical Center decision-making process.
- Plans, organizes, coordinates, implements, directs, integrates, and evaluates clinical and administrative processes within the medical center.
- Implements changes in the delivery of patient care in collaboration with clinical and administrative leaders to improve effectiveness or efficiency.
- Participates in long-range planning, identifies opportunities, and recommends development of strategies for implementing major projects involving HRO principles.
- Assists in developing data collection methodologies, assuring data validation, developing report cards to monitor progress, and instructs service/service line level staff in data collection, validation, and analysis techniques.
- Collaborates with Quality Management staff, facility leadership, and other stakeholders as appropriate to identify system issues and opportunities for improvement through High Reliability initiatives.
- Acts as primary liaison with critical persons and groups both inside and outside of the organization; independently handling major HRO program issues.
- Monitors and report on Medical Center status with regards to performance measures and monitors related to High Reliability, as well as the Network and VA Central Office as needed.
Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday. Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency needs.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/ PD103150
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Requirements Help
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.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- 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 identification 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, 07/21/2026.
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.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0671 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
Education: - Undergraduate and Graduate Education with major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. NOTE: You will be required to provide a copy of your transcript
OR 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 - Successfully completed an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program that 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. NOTE: Any and all claimed experience must be outlined in the content of your resume.
In addition to the above IOR requirement, you must also meet the specialized experience as described below:
Specialized Experience (GS-12): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade
GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:Leading or supporting healthcare quality management, patient safety, High Reliability Organization (HRO), performance improvement, or process improvement initiatives within a healthcare environment; analyzing and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data to identify trends and improve organizational performance; developing, implementing, or evaluating policies, procedures, training programs, or operational processes related to healthcare quality and patient safety; coordinating interdisciplinary teams, committees, or organizational projects; advising leadership on process improvement strategies, accreditation standards, regulatory compliance, or healthcare system operations; and preparing reports, briefings, dashboards, or presentations for executive leadership. Experience applying Lean, systems thinking, Just Culture principles, accreditation standards, or evidence-based performance improvement methodologies is highly desirable.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
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.
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. It occasionally requires carrying light objects such as files, books, and papers; some walking, standing, and bending. No special physical qualifications are required.
Work Environment: The work is typically performed in an office setting that is adequately lighted and climate controlled. May require occasional travel.
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.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
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
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
