Program Specialist

Summary

The Primary Purpose of the Position is to be assigned the work and responsibility for providing effective, efficient, direction, and control and operation of the Employee Experience Section. Assigned work is inclusive of providing service management with objectively based information for making decisions on program operations. The incumbent performs a variety of analytical, planning, educational, presentation, evaluative and advisory work.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but not limited to:

• Conducts continuing and periodic studies involving compilation and analysis of data for purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of Team Experience, Customer Service, and Employee Well-Being, identifying areas requiring improvement, and recommending procedures or methods for improvement.
• Conducts management audits, surveys, and systematic reviews of employee operations in order to evaluate workgroups.
• Provides staff assistance in order to develop and implement changes in procedures, operations and staff organization.
• Prepares graphs, charts, and other audio-visual displays depicting program information and statistics for use in training, management briefings, and information dissemination activities both within and outside of CTVHCS.
• Coordinates incoming data from a variety of sources. Reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies and ensures data entry is complete and accurate.
• Reviews, analyzes and evaluates reports and statistics in order to advise on trends out-of-line situations, and anticipated needs.
• Provides marketing strategy input and assists in the execution of strategy to promote All Employee Survey participation, evaluation, analysis, and action planning lifecycle.
• Assists workgroups with the analysis and action planning development and execution. Facilitates focus groups on identified workgroups to provide more in-depth feedback to leadership.
• Responsible for the coordination, organization, and promotion of a system-wide calendar for local, regional and national educational and growth-related opportunities.
• Develops system-wide recognition program using multiple strategies.
• Performs work involving the collection, compilation, and/or tracking of data and statistical information in support of CTVHCS.
• Provides written reports of all findings including recommendations, as required by CTVHCS Leadership or as otherwise directed.
• Performs tasks relating to budget execution by compiling resource data from various financial management reports. Tracks funds distribution, reconciling commitments/obligations and reallocating organizational funds.
• Monitors costs and prepares reports projecting use of available resources. Advises supervisor of conditions which would result in over-obligation of funds.
• Gathers, extracts, and compiles data for use in recurring and nonrecurring report formats and provides status updates on a regular basis. Ensures all budgetary transactions are in compliance with authorized policies and procedures.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ PD08906A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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.
• 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, 09/08/2026.

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 GS09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Preparing graphs, charts, and other audio-visual displays depicting program information and statistics for use in training, management briefings, and information dissemination activities both within and outside of the organization; Provides marketing strategy input and assists in the execution of strategy to promote all Employee Survey participation, evaluation, analysis, and action planning lifecycle; Reviews, analyzes and evaluates reports and statistics in order to advise on trends, out-of-line situations, and anticipated needs; Develops system-wide recognition program using multiple strategies for leadership and staff; Independently performs tasks relating to budget execution by compiling resource data from various financial management reports; Conducts management audits, surveys, and systematic reviews of employee operations in order to evaluate workgroups; Reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies and ensures data entry is complete and accurate. Develops, maintains, and enters pertinent information into a tracking system. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) . OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's or equivalent graduate degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) .

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 sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. Occasional travel to other sites.

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

Education

IMPORTANT: 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:

Note : If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

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.