Health System Specialist

Summary

The primary purpose of Health System Specialist (Community Care) is to provide support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations. The position renders advice on operational policies and assures these policies are coordinated with, and in support of, field operation. This position will not exceed 365 Days and may end earlier. It is not eligible to convert to a permanent position.

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Duties

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Major Duties include but not limited to:

• Functions as the primary liaison to multiple staff offices and serves as the conduit for information flow and management of assignment between office.
• Receives and monitors completed actions or responses; analyzes responses for completeness and accuracy and ensures action or inquiry is closed out with the inquirer or office.
• Conducts or participate in special information flow studies, analyses, presentations and briefings.
• Conducts analytical studies on particular operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects.
• Works in coordination with other internal reviewing services regarding complex audits and internal/external reviews of national concern.
• Manages and coordinates all online communication tools such as assigned intranet websites, internal SharePoint website collection, and other related information tools in consultation with communication specialists.
• Assures compliance wit all applicable policies, and development and maintenance of internal management processes related to these online tools.
• Coordinates events hosted by officials, including town hall meeting with internal staff, with assistance from continuing educational staff.
• Works with various boards to coordinate regular committee meetings, ensuring all event management steps are completed.
• Briefs and advises senior management on agenda issues in preparation for activities and meetings.
• May represent the office at internal and external activities or meetings.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized

Remote/Virtual: This is not a remote/virtual position.

Telework: May be Authorized

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/ PD91034A

* This position will not exceed 365 Days and may end earlier. It is not eligible to convert to a permanent position.

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.
• 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, 10/09/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 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 as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements for the Health System Specialist

1. 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,

2. Specialized Experience (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:

• 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.

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.

AND,

Specialized Experience:

Requirements for Health System Specialist GS-13: Applicants must have at least (1) one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-12) in Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes:

• Independently investigate complex issues, 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 healthcare delivery system.
• Applies advanced qualitative and quantitative techniques in order to perform thorough management analysis of current and projected programs.
• Conducts analytical studies on particular operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects. Studies and projects addressed are commonly so diverse and intense that they often require input and assistance from departmental or program offices. These studies require study planning, statistical measurement, data analysis, and report preparation and development.
• Monitors and manages incoming actions and requests from initial receipt to completion and closeout
• Receives and monitors completed actions or responses; analyzes responses for completeness and accuracy against known policies and procedures; and ensures action or inquiry is closed out with the inquirer or office.
• Applies technical, organizational and project management skills, develops dashboards, creates simple forms, and manages multiple projects to completion.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience within Community Care.
• Advanced in-depth knowledge or mastery of organizations, programs and requirements of health care delivery systems in general and, specifically, in the Veterans Health Administration.
• Expert at analyzing, assessing and interpreting data and presenting that data as meaningful information.
• Thorough understanding of statistical principles.
• Knowledgeable of the Network's mission, goals and objectives to provide sound advice and guidance to the VISN BIM.
• Superior knowledge of VISN Community Care programs in order to: provide strategic planning, communications, planning site visits (agendas, logistics, data collection, data analysis, follow up action planning), tracking performance metrics and trends, workforce development (tracking and planning to maintain the community care workforce at the regional level), and facilitating execution of the administrative governance (e.g. committees, communities of practice).
• Knowledge of Department of Veterans Affairs and other databases and have the skill to access those databases.
• Advanced level statistical, management, and database principles to analyze and interpret data creating meaningful information.
• Identify and interpret the differences, nuances, and limitations of existing data sets and as appropriate develop new data sets, formats, reports and collections methods.
• Broad understanding of data management and information management systems, including expert working knowledge of industry standard software in the fields of health care management generally, and in planning specifically. This includes both VA and non-VA maintained systems, various computer networks, operating platforms, intranet and internet based resources and data communication technologies, protocols and processes.
• In-depth knowledge of current VHA, VISN, and facility missions and priorities to independently and appropriately prioritize requests for support as those requests come from a variety of management levels and organizational elements within VHA and VISN with widely varying levels of priority that are subject to change with no advance notice.

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 for the Individual Occupational Requirement.

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.