Health System Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of the Director, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center (VAMC). The primary purpose of the Organizational Health Specialist is the oversight and integration of the Organizational Health Program, while working in conjunction with the Organizational Health Psychologist. Responsibilities The primary purpose of the Organizational Health Specialist is the oversight and integration of the Organizational Health Program, while working in conjunction with the Organizational Health Psychologist. This includes developing and supporting activities designed to meet the facility's strategic goals and priorities, including becoming a High-Reliability Organization (HRO). A key role will be HRO implementation and ensuring HRO project goals and solutions are rolled out successfully and in a sustainable way. Some duties associated with this position include, but are not limited to the following: The incumbent will coordinate with the ORMDI HPP office to ensure management is promptly informed of all harassment allegations and that appropriate action is taken within established timelines. Reviews, updates, and accurately records all harassment complaint information in the ORMDI HPP Complaint Tracking System, while maintaining confidentiality and ensuring sensitive information is handled in accordance with applicable laws and policies. The incumbent will notify management and the individuals reporting harassment of the receipt of allegations, educating them on the next steps in the harassment prevention process, and provide detailed allegation information to assigned fact finders to facilitate thorough and impartial investigations. Collaborates with the ORMDI HPP office to coordinate and facilitate harassment awareness and prevention training sessions, monitors and tracks the status of allegations throughout the resolution process, and assists in developing educational materials and resources to promote a respectful and harassment-free workplace. The incumbent will support management and staff by providing guidance on harassment policies, reporting procedures, and resources, and conduct periodic reviews of complaint records to identify trends and recommend proactive measures. The incumbent will stay informed of updates to harassment laws, policies, and best practices to continually improve the effectiveness of the harassment prevention program. The incumbent will perform analysis across all levels of staffing within the Healthcare System including planning, organizing, implementing, coordination, controlling, evaluating, educating and improving medical, administrative and support operations of the Healthcare System geared to the successful accomplishment of the VA mission, receiving additional direction and guidance as needed. The incumbent will attend and participate in committees in varying capacities report to the Medical Center Director on how decisions made during those meetings impact operations. Incumbent monitors, analyzes and coordinates projects assigned or required to be implemented within the Healthcare System in conjunction with System Redesign and HRO. Conducts initial consultation with Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to determine competency/training developmental goals for all employees and ascertains priorities for developing organizational health within the Healthcare System. Participates in the development of the facility's developmental/training plan to assure proper implementation of the organizational health development and policies. The incumbent may participate in research around the efficacy of current existing systems and processes identified in impacting the Healthcare System and considering or designing/planning opportunities to improve the process. Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: May be authorized as Ad-Hoc basis, to be determined by Supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD145850 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. 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. 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, 06/01/2026. 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: Health System Administration Series, 0671 Individual Occupational Requirements: 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: 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: Special Provision for In service 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: 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. In addition to meeting the IOR you must also meet the following grade requirements: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups and ability to reconcile contradictory requirements in preparing staff recommendations and/or in coordinating clinical and administrative services; ability to communicate effectively with each in order to gather information, present recommendations, and coordinate services. Ability to analyze problems and present both written and oral recommendations, taking into full consideration the wide range of factors and requirements which affect the management of the health care delivery system. Management and organizational principles and practices, along with a comprehensive knowledge of planning, programming, and budgeting regulations, guidelines and process, is required. 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 work is mostly sedentary and involves the use of typical office equipment (e.g., laptop, cellphone, copiers, MiFi, fax machines, etc.). However, the work requires travel to attend meetings, coordinate program actions and, at times, to present briefings to large and small audiences. Some standing, walking, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers or files would be required which are customary physical demands of the position. There is light physical activity including pushing, pulling, reaching, stooping and climbing stairs. 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