Program Specialist

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Richmond VA Medical Center (MC), Virginia under Surgery Service. The paramount purpose of this position is to facilitate the recruitment of physicians and serve as a liaison between US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), State Department, and attorneys, in regards to essential required documents, such as Visas.

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Duties

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Duties Include:

• Manages administrative and human resource issues as assigned, coordinate personnel actions, performance standards, and manages aspects of the performance appraisal system within the Service.
• Serves as an advisor to supervisors within the service on personnel and administrative matters using knowledge of federal and agency policy, laws, and regulations.
• Responsible for coordinating routine review of position descriptions within Surgery Service and advising supervisors of review and update requirements.
• Composes ads for recruitment purposes and for US Department of Labor regulations requirements to obtain the Immigration Visa; and send to Human Resources personnel to publish in national medical and technical journals, newspapers, and VAMC's nationwide. Ads identify eligibility requirements such as licensing, certification, education and general requirements of the position.
• Plans all visits by physicians being-considered for positions in the Surgical Service, to include logistical matters (accommodations, transportation, financial reimbursement, etc), and together with the Section Chief, drafts interview schedules and then coordinates final schedule by personally contacting all persons on the agenda and arranging their participation in the interview process.
• Primary approving official for Surgical Service's Cost Distribution Report, and an approving official for Surgical Service Control Points; and responsible to the Chief, Surgical Service and the Administrative Officer for the financial status of the Service.
• Coordinates all service level budgets planning and projecting with the Chief, Surgical Service, Administrative Officer, and the various Section Chiefs of Surgery Service.
• Approves all purchase card reconciliations; monitor the purchases to ensure they are within putaecard guidelines and policy. Incumbent is responsible for monthly purchase card audits and reports.
• Serves as Surgical Service's Technical Representative on contracts within the Service.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: Ad-Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist / PD03178A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 dentification 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 or trial 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, 08/05/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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 s described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: coordinating recruitment activities, preparing recruitment advertisements, scheduling interviews, assisting with credentialing or personal documentation, advising supervisors on personnel or administrative policies, and monitoring budgets. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or
  LL.B. or J.D., if related. 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 .

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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 requires sitting, standing and frequent walking throughout the medical center. The position requires a considerable amount of reading and writing.

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

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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.