Health System Specialist

Summary

This position aligns under the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS), Quality, Safety and Improvement Office, Quality, Performance, and Accreditation Section. The Administrative Performance Improvement (PI) Specialist position is located primarily in the Baltimore VA Medical Center (VAMC) but also supports Perry Point VAMC, Loch Raven VAMC and Community Based Outpatient Centers within the VAMHCS.

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Duties

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Major Duties Include:

• Coordinates and facilitates with service line SME's in the development, evaluation, facilitation, documentation, analysis and coordination of short term, mid-term, and long-range plans, programs, and performance improvement projects within VAMHCS to ensure compliance with regulatory standards associated with national accrediting organizations including but not limited to OIG, TJC and LTCI as well as compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Life Safety Code, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other regulations required and enforced by federal, state and local levels.
• The incumbent is responsible for providing consultation, recommendations, compliance information and data to their assigned services as well other services on an as needed basis. The services for which the incumbent is responsible include but are not limited to Facilities and Engineering, Human Resources Management, Acquisition & Materiel Management, Finance and Accounting, Police & Security, Public Affairs and Voluntary Service, Information Resource Management, Environmental Management Services, and Medical Administration Services.
• The incumbent will routinely perform administrative support Compliance Tracers using standard Tracer methodology, as directed by the Q, PI&A Director Tracers will be conducted to assess continuous survey/accreditation/regulatory body readiness. Findings will be documented and submitted, as required, to the Q, PI&A Director, the QSI Director, and any required committees or councils.
• In this role, the incumbent works with various leaders and service line SME's to ensure continuous survey/accreditation readiness for all supported organizations.
• The incumbent will be required to attend council, committee meetings, and work group meeting/discussions, concerned with the monitoring and evaluation of one or more aspects of Quality, Performance Improvement and Accreditation, as well as other organizational committees, councils, or WGs that are responsible for ensuring quality and appropriateness of VAMHCS healthcare operations for assigned Administrative type service lines.
• The incumbent serves as a technical and administrative Liaison, guide, and SME for preparations leading to and the actual conduct of surveys and accreditation/regulatory agency visits and inspections, assisting the Q, PI&A Director in overseeing the management and conduct of these visits and inspections.
• Provides guidance and technical assistance in overseeing or assisting in the development, implementation and maintenance of the PI program to evaluating the quality of care/service delivery, customer satisfaction with same and achievement of stated/defined performance measures/expectations/goals for the area or function to which they are assigned. Primary responsibility lies with the Administration SME's and/or Service Chief for the area in which the Specialist functions as advisor.
• The Administrative PI Specialist provides first line technical and administrative supervision to various VAMHCS personnel supported by the QSI Office. The incumbent is responsible for keeping employees informed regarding policies, procedures and management goals as they relate to the work of VAMHCS. The Administrative PI Specialist assists in the development and evaluation of the goals, priorities, and work of supported care centers, services, and departments in accordance with organizational goals. The Specialist assists supported leaders in understanding the requirements of the accreditation manuals relevant to their service/care center/department, and will assist in the development, direction and implementation of policies pertaining to the requirements of the various services/care centers/departments.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm

Telework: ADHOC Only

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/ PD19058O

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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
• 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, 10/13/2026.

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. 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:

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• 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: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) 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 Health System Specialist. (for positions above GS-5): 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:

1. Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
2. Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
3. Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, working directly with health care system administration and finance services to solve problems in support of policy compliance and program/operational functions; experience with disbursement agreement (DA) administration used for payment of salary and benefit; and completing record data analysis to determine potential or actual fraud, waste and abuse, and to recommend redistribution of resources. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

• 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:

1. Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements
2. 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
3. Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

Preferred Experience : Performance and process improvement experience; knowledge of LEAN/Six Sigma Methodologies.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

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 incumbent must work throughout all areas of the health care system. In some cases, he/she must go in out-of-the-way areas such as pipe chases, roofs, attics, interstitial spaces, equipment rooms, etc., which may require walking kneeling, bending, stooping, crawling, etc. He/she will be required to wear personal protective equipment as necessary. Project demands may require work at other than normal administrative hours.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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.

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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.

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