Program Specialist

Summary The incumbent of this position serves as a Veteran Representative Program Specialist for the Lebanon VA Medical Center. The incumbent is aligned under the Chief, High Reliability Department of the healthcare system and reports to the Veteran Experience Officer. The mission of Veteran Representative Program Specialist is to develop and execute strategies and initiatives that will build high levels of engagement across the Health Care System. Responsibilities The Veteran Representative Program Specialist oversees assessments and studies of the current state of the workplace and provides internal consultation with LVAMC organizational leaders at all levels to help them understand gaps and opportunities and utilize engagement strategies to build improvement plans and institute new approaches. Duties include but are not limited to: Provides input to top executive leadership and Service Chiefs/Managers to ensure initiatives are in line with the strategic priorities. Develops programs to ensure that employee engagement provisions are planned, developed and implemented to promote and achieve a culture of service excellence and employee engagement. Develops a survey process and metrics that will enable the facility to track employee engagement progress at both an institution wide and unit level. Uses management tools such as qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques and oversees development of evaluation criteria and monitoring mechanisms for programs. Participates in discussions, meetings, conferences and conference calls with managers, senior subject matter and technical personnel, and other stakeholders to secure and provide information; present conclusions, recommendations, and alternatives; obtain concurrence; develop alternate courses of actions; and mutually resolve problems. Examines and analyzes data as it relates to the current work environment and level of engagement. Prepares for and participles in site visits by accrediting and review bodies such as JC, CARF, ACGME, and IG. Evaluates Health Care System-wide programs against short- and long-range objectives. Reviews and reconciles large amounts of data. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD595-02279-0, PD595-02280-0, and PD595-02281-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 is primarily sedentary. 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, 07/21/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Routinely displays courteous and respectful behavior to all customers. Keeps supervisor and/or team leader informed of difficult and/or controversial issues and unique problems. Takes action to effectively solve problems before they have an adverse impact on the organization. Maintains appropriate rapport with internal and external customers to facilitate the accomplishment of the medical center goals and mission. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond one full year of graduate education and specialized experience at the GS-5 level directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for GS-07 position. Specialized Experience GS-09: 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: Planning, execution, and close out of assigned projects from Health Care System leadership. Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement Projects in support of VHA Mission and goals of building and sustaining a high reliability culture. Identifies and recommends ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving administrative and clerical office procedures and processes Acts as liaison to other managers and staff throughout the facility to provide accurate advice on procedures, reports, directives, policies, and procedures. Examines and analyzes data as it relates to the current work environment and level of engagement, in order to determine the effectiveness of current VA engagement strategy, and existing best practices, for the Health Care 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for GS-09 position. Specialized Experience GS-11: 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: Responsible for the implementation and execution of the Veteran Experience Program. Oversight and implementation of program initiatives such as Patient Centered, Relationship-Base Care, Own the Moment (OTM), Red Coat Ambassadors, and other programs that impact the patient's perception of customer service. Maintains constant surveillance of program compliance with standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare. Prepares for and participles in site visits by accrediting and review bodies such as JC, CARF, ACGME, and IG. Participates as a member and facilitator of special committees and/or groups to analyze existing or develop new initiatives in support of the overall Health Care System. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a PhD. or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. 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 graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, which may be used to meet the experience requirements for GS-11 position. 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