Health System Specialist

Summary

This position supports the planning, coordination and execution of administrative policies, programs, and operations of the Syracuse NY VAMC while assisting the Chief of Staff on Medical Center operations, serving as a member of the management team assessing current operations and the development of new programs and policies. He/she assists in evaluating diverse aspects of facility functions to redefine policies, establish facility practices, and reformulate organizational goals and objectives.

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Duties

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Duties:

Administrative Support to Clinical Care Lines

The Health Systems Specialist (HSS) to the Chief of Staff provides comprehensive support and functions as a liaison to facilitate effective oversight of the Clinical Care Integrated Clinical Community (ICC) lines. The incumbent serves as the primary link between the organization's clinical and administrative operations, ensuring that clinical services adhere to sound business practices and operate at optimal efficiency. The HSS collaborates with the Chief of Staff and ICC leadership in the development and implementation of local administrative policies, including those governing clinical workflows, documentation standards, patient access requirements, and prioritization of clinical resources. The incumbent is also responsible for drafting, submitting, and monitoring requests for policy waivers to VHA Directives when required. Responsibilities include integrating ICC reports and projects to ensure alignment with Network and Medical Center Strategic Goals. Data may come from national databases such as the Inpatient Evaluation Center (IPEC) or from locally collected real time observations.

Operational Improvement

Evaluates management techniques, processes, and leadership styles to enhance organizational effectiveness. Identifies and implements improvements in administrative and clinical operations based on findings from internal audits, performing facility rounds, and both qualitative and quantitative analyses aligned with the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology in the Lean Six Sigma framework. Reviews complex, high impact data from VHA sources such as the Inpatient Evaluation Center (IPEC), Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL), the provider productivity report (VSSC) and the Surgery Metrics Dashboard. Additionally, the HSS develops internal reports and dashboards to monitor progress on key facility initiatives using tools such as Microsoft Power BI. The HSS uses a variety of improvement methodologies to analyze the pertinent data, summarize the problem and make recommendations for action to the Chief of Staff. The HSS serves as the facility's point of contact in national systems patient flow initiatives including serving as a national systems redesign point of contact and as a VISN Advanced Clinic Access coach in the national ACA coach's college. The candidate monitors and creates systems to ensure that all national, VISN, and local patient access directives and policies are being adhered to and works with care lines to develop corrective courses of action to bring programs back into compliance. The HSS provides direction and collaborative oversight of all ICC Administrative Officers in assessing Performance Monitors and Measures. The incumbent advises the Chief of Staff on specific courses of action and provides reports for both the Chief of Staff and Network, as required. The incumbent assists with planning functions, including the collection of required information and materials, works with the VSSC to create customized facility reports, and the establishment of specific strategies. Coordination of plans across the clinical Care Lines will be vital, as well as facilitating the prioritization of the planning elements.

Supervision

Serves as the immediate supervisor to the Chief of Staff's Secretary, providing technical and administrative oversight, including direction on work assignments, performance evaluations, and leave. Supports the Chief of Staff by setting and adjusting priorities, assessing staffing needs, planning and distributing work, and ensuring adequate coverage for all program functions. Develops and interprets performance standards, communicates expectations, assigns and reviews work based on priorities, complexity, and employee capability, and conducts quarterly evaluations with ongoing feedback. Provides guidance on work and administrative matters, approves leave, manages purchase card transactions, and conducts staff meetings and minutes. Identifies and addresses employee training needs, coordinates required development, and advocates for training resources. Handles employee concerns, resolves minor issues, administers minor disciplinary actions, and elevates more serious matters as needed. Interviews and selects candidates for vacancies, promotions, details, and reassignments while ensuring compliance with EEO and merit principles. Interprets policy objectives, anticipates downstream impacts of changes in healthcare delivery, financing, staffing, coding, and readiness, and communicates these impacts to community partners, VA staff, and Veterans.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/ PD528E-141350

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
• 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 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 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, 09/25/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: 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. Experience should be 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. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as

• 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.

Preferred Experience : Experience with demonstrating skills in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of programs operations. Skill to plan, organize, and direct team study work and to negotiate effectively with management.

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.

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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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.